News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-02-07
FOOD FOR ALLIGATORS.
Some Bubbles, a Little Blood, and
Good-By to Your Dog.

"You may say what you please, bu
my hounds would make pretty music
this morning let out after bear or 6
deer"
So spoke John Fl. Dilworth, of Cum
berland Island, and member of the
last State Senate from that district, to @
reporter of the Atlanta Journal.
Mr. Dllworth is famous hunter and
needs but little encouragement to tell
OF some of his hunting exploits.
AS he spoke he half closed one of his
blue eyes and put his hand up to feel
the nipping breeze from the north.
Eyes, SIR" he resumed, 'I'd give a
deer a fine run if 1 was at home this
morning."
SCOT some good dogs 2"
Some tip-top ones. Weeloso on an
average about fifteen dogs a year,
though"
"How?"
"The alligators kill them. When the
weather is warm the deer will take to
the water, and in every little pond on
the island there's score or two of alli-
gators. AS the deer swims out the
hounds follow, yelping as loud as they
can, which attract the alligators.
"You may then say good by to some
of your dogs. If you'll watch, you'll
see one or two dogs suddenly disappear,
leaving lot of bubbles on the water,
and maybe some blood, and that's the
last of that dog. The gators hold him
under the water until he is drowned,
and then swim ashore with him, where
they'll tear him in pieces and devour
him."
'Do they ever catch deer2"
"4es, | have known them to pull a
deer under, but not often. The yelping
of the hounds attracts them, and then
they love dog meat, l believe, better
than anything else."
"What else do you hunt on the
island?"
"We have thousands of ducks, but
want bigger game than that, and gener-
ally go for either deer or bear, and
there's some fun in hunting coon.
When the tide rises the coons all leave
the marshes and come out on the high
land, where they climb into the tall
trees and wait for the tide to go down.
went out the other day and killed tif-
teen in little while"
"How do you hunt the baars?"
"With my dogs and my old muzzle-
loader. I'm afraid to risk q breech-
loader. / also set steel traps for them.
L found one of my traps shut the other
day, and in it were three bears toes"
about week aft that my dogs
treed something up big pine tree. I
rode under the tree, thinking it was a
coon. The bushes were very thick, but
as soon as I could get view of the tree
l saw large bear hugged close to the
tree trunk. My gun was loaded with No.
8 shot and [ knew if l shot him with
those, he'd make his escape. 1 put
spurs to my horse and galloped as hard
as l could to the house half mile dis
tant, loaded my gun with buck shot and
returned as quickly as L could. The
dogs were still baying the bear, and
among them was a shepherd dog that
was a great coon dog. L fired a load
into the bears back and down he came
like two tha"send Of hricl,. The shep
herd dog thought had killed a coon and
rushed forward to shake it. When he
saw the belr struggling, 1 just thought
he'd break his neck getting out of the
way. He seemed to feel mad at me,
because he evidently thought I'd put up
a job on him."
"Are the Cumberland bears very fe-
rocious?"
"No, sir. They're the biggest towards
in the worl1. Last Sunday was driv-
ing along the road in little wo-wheeled
gig. 1 saw bear just ahead of me in
the edge of field close to the road. 1
whipped up my horse, and as soon as
the bear saw me he broke into long
swinging trot. He took the road,
and as 1 gained on him he broke into a
lope. My horse backed his ears and was
soon laundering along behind the bear,
which WIS scared nearly to death. The
old fellow ran about two hundred yards
down the roAd and then took to the
fields. My horse followed him and ran
him clear into the woods, and I'll bet
that bear will remember his Sunday
afternoons race all the balance of his
life," and Mr.. Dilworth chuckled tc
himself as he thought about it.
I'm going back home on the East
Tennessee train that leaves in a few
minutes" concluded the old hunter, and
can't talk to you any longer, but il
you'll just come down to Brunswick and
then on across to Cumberla nd l prom
Use you'll have some fine sport"