St. Landry democrat., 1889-01-26
From Louisiana,

l. u
The excitement of political campaign
being over, your readers will no doubt rel
ish change from the roar of the political
cannon, the beat of the political drum and
the colossal lies of the contending to the
pleasant recital of passing events.
In this part of the sunny south there has
been no excitement whatever. Not single
political speech on either side during the
campaign. Out of total registered vote
of over five hundred at the WEIGH precinct
there were less than eighty votes cast not
on account of bulldozing or terrorizing.
but from apathy indifference as to the re-
suit.
So long as sugar and rice are protected
by heavy duty and the general govern
ment does not interfere in the local affairs
of the state, Louisiana seems to care very
little who holds the federal offices.
Cali work and no play makes Jack
dull boy" SO after year of almost con-
tinuous work. we throw dull care to the
dogs, hitch old "Buck" and "Jack" to the
wagon, load in supply of grub. ammuni-
ton and fishing tackle, and together with
N. J. and wife, Mr.. Hewitt, wife and two
grown boys, Mrs. M. Willard, Jack and
Baxter, we head for the piney woods for
weeks hunting and fishing. The first
night we camped about ten miles north
west, just in the edge of the great pine
forest that extends as far north as southern
Missouri.
After pitching our tent, and cooking sup
per by roaring camp fire of pine knots,
we conclude to try cold Drive" N. Us
hound, on a coon hunt. Making torch
of ''fat" pine splinters, we are soon in the
great forest of lofty pines, straight as an
arrow and in many places SO thick that it
through them. Soon cold Drive" opens
pressions as "Whoop him up, Driver"
Hunt him, old fellow" and follow as fast
as we can, now and then tumbling over old
in the blackberry briers that grow in clus-
tiers here and there through the woods
Hark "old Drive" has changed his tune
he has freed his game. We soon surround
the tree, uncertain whether we have chased
bear, catamount, opossum or a coon.
We hold the light so as to shine his eyes,
and soon we are rewarded by seeing some
thing that look like two sparks of fire about
three inches apart. Every body has his
gun ready, and soon the woods are ringing
with the report of half dozen shot guns,
and down tumbles a-big coon. The Gre.
oles or French call them "showsee," and
and then such yell as went up from
half dozen good pair of Yankee lungs
never walked the echoes of this great for
est before.
The next morning after breakfast we
strike camp and head for Philips Bluff, on
the Calcasieu river.
Philips Bluff is so named in honor of a
man named Philips, who at one time be-
longed to the crew of the notorious pirate,
Laftte. After one of their piratical expe-
ditions on the Gulf of Mexico, Philips with
four or five others assembled the Calcasieu
in a small boat to escape capture, landed
at what was then an Indian village, found
plenty of game and fish, abandoned the
sea, and some of them grew old and died
there; hence the name of Philips Bluff.
The bed of the river here is some forty
or fifty feet below the level on the east |
side, while the west side is mostly low bot |
tom land or swamp for quite distance.
The Calcasieu river is formed by the Oar
bone and Whiskychitto, whose confluence
is two or three miles above the bluff. They
are rapid running streams, clear and full
Of fish. On the high ground are fine
groves of beech, oak and hickory, which
are this year full of mast, vegetable par
adise for squirrels and turkeys, the former
20 plentiful that as many as eight or ten
may be seen in single tree at one time.
We go into camp on the bluff close to
;he river, on the very spot where the In
liam village once stood, and where the
bold, bad pirates of the sea rested after
heir bloody cruise. The next morning be-
ore daylight we cross the river in 'sdug
,ut," and penetrate the dense forest on our
irst turkey hunt.
There is something grand in being all
lone in an unknown country in such
magnificent growth of forest tree as
bound along the rivers of the south, and
specially the Calcasieu Nature here
eigns supreme We select grove of
,eech trees as natural place for turkeys
o come to feed, and sit down at the foot of
ne of the largest.
Day is Just beginning to dawn. The
hooking bird begins his marvellous song,
which is q medley of all the noises ever
leard among the feathered songsters of the
crest. Now it is the blue jay, robin,
brush, the crow. the haw. His notes soon
rouse his sleeping neighbors, and soon
he woods is full of melody. Now the
quirrels come out of their beds in the
runks of old cypress and black gum trees;
nd soon the beechnuts are rafting all
round us. 1t is great temptation, but
ge keep still, for we are loaded for turkey
White storks, or rice birds as we call them,
re flYing overhead by the hundreds. An ,
wi now and then gives dismal boot, but
till no turkeys. The sun is up; his bright
ays tip the tops of the trees with golden :
ays. The words. of the great poet are
rought back to memory: j
Hove not man the less :
But nature more. :
In these lone solitudes steal /
From all may be, or have been before,
And feel what can neer express
Nor cannot all conceal. :
But bark! What was that3 Il sounded /
Ike the "keenk" Of turkey. We look t
Il around to the left not more that fifty b
ards away three big gobblers are march f
e straight toward US. We raise the gun n
nd fire, and such a Topping you never t
wv. We have killed our first wild turkey
roud of our success we hasten to camp n
irving in time to paptake of splendid i,
'eakfast of young squirrels a
The programme to day is fishing ex- t
irsion. Some go in boats and some by il
nd We take 'dug-out and follow D
If guide to small bay about q mile up il
% river, where he informs us we will see 9
enty of fish. 1t is a bright sunny day,
ID as we enter the inlet to the bay we see Il
lndreds of big buffalo floating near the =
rface of the water. We get excited and !,
snding in the PROV of the boat, gun in h
md, we wait for chance. We did not :
We long to wait. Here comes fifty y
under right across the bow of the boat, +,
t more than foot under water. We h
ke quiet aim and FIRE. We had forgot