The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-02-06
BuLGER'S PARACHUTE.
An Adventure In the Mountains OF
North Carolina.
"A Party of Hunters Have Lots OF Fun
Two Worthless Ours why
Bulger Is His Former Masters
Sworn Enemy.


>>-ss Sworn Enemy.
did you ever hearlabout the Devils
Courthouse on the head waters Of the
Tuckasiege?"
he speaker was a prominent clergy
man living in the interior of this State
and visiting friends in st. Louis. On
lr.ing assured that no information of the
courthouse aforesaid had ever reached
the city, the divine unbosomed himself,
fignratively, of course, and impaired
"reminiscences OF the locality to party
Of gentlemen recently assembled in a
downtown office.
The Devils Courthouse is not
building, as might be supposed but a
mountain in Western North Carolina.
II is "a huge mass Of rock, square on top,
and from distance bears some resem-
- lanee to a massive castellated build
ing, whence, suppose, its name, for the
locality is4wifd and rude in scenery, and
in North Carolina, as elsewhere, re-
.markahle features of nature are not in
frequently ascribed by tradition to some
occult infiuence-usually to the devil.
The mountain is precipitous on
EVERY side, cliffs rising perpendicularly
from the valley beneath, and not every
where could an ascent be made. A bold
climber could make a route for himself
at any one OF dozen points, but so
difficult was the task that most of those
who attempted to reach the top took a.
tolerably we1l-known path which led,
by fairly easy climb, about half way
AZ, hos N,
ledge, in some places not more than
foot in width, which traversed hori-
zontally or by agentle ascent one of
the bold cliffs constituting a side of
the mountain. After the ledge was
passed the remainder of the road to the
top was comparatively easy, but passing
the ledge was the point, for it was
nothing butsa narrow shelf, and on it
you could see above only the clouds
and overhanging cliffs; below, nothing
broke the vision for five hundred feet,
and so deep was the abyss that yawned
before you that the Tuckasiege seemed
like silver thread, and the tall pines
growing along its banks like ornament
al shrubs on. the~lawn. Particularly
-awe=inshiring Was the .-p passage of one.
HolHt, WHCIS JHO 5uSll WluuGQAn W u
dozen yards and afforded Judgment to a
number of bushes. There the path was
on an overhanging part of the precipice,
and not even by lying down and peep
UNCOVER could you see the cliff beneath
you. 1t was as though you were sus-
pended between heaven and earth
below this resting-place in the
road was the ledge where Bige Hipsher
met the bear. Rige was good-humored
happy-go-lucky fellow, who had cabin
and little Enclosure, and patch of
corn for dodgers and wife who des-
ignated him as her old man. and half
dozen tow-headed brats who called him
daddy a .shoat or two and COW, lot
of dogs and an old mare that he rode to
town with her colt squealing quarter
of mile behind, and by hunting and
setting traps for 'varmints, by%illing
the old sow's pigs at Christmas, selling
the calf and working little when he
had Bige got comfortably along
through the world, did as well as his
neighbors, anyhow, and didn't care to do
any better lest they should think him
stuck up.
-. Some time ago there came party of
gentlemen from Wilmington on hunt
ing excursion, and, hearing of Bige as
good hunter, they looked him up and
hired him for few days as guide. The
gentlemen were led by Nimrod always
addressed as the Major, and were we'll
provided with guns, dogs and the usual
hunting paraphernalia. Bige was de-
lighted with the job and asked leave to
fake along cousin of his, Rancy Bot
ten, whose home and surroundings, as
! well as personal appearance, closely re-
j scmbled those of Bige. OF course Ran
ey-Rance for short-was also delighted
10 go, and when the party started out
they were duly equipped not only with
glfides, but with guides dogs, for both
fB3ifgc and Rance were followed by half a
dozen mongrel ours, which did not agree
any too we'll with. the hounds brought
, by the gentlemen.
Rance and Bige, at the earnest solic-
itations of the gentlemen, tried to drive
the ours back, but the mongrels were
not to be deferred by such tribes as
stones, and after many Intellectual at
teinpts and no end Of cursing from Bige
and Rance, the effort was given up and
the dogs allowed to continue with the
party, or rather to skirmish from hum
dred yards to half mile on every side,
fsieh=way seever the party went the
enrs were before and behind, on the
: tlegE4lit aAa-left, and between their bark
g, ing up every tree where squirrel had
been week before, and tearing through
the brush like mad after every rabbit
that came in sight, 4and bawling into
every hollow log they came across in the
suspicion it might shelter 'possum,
they frightened away all the game,
while, by Inadvertently waking up 2
polaaat or two, they disguised the hunt
eFS sothat the Major proposed to shoot
the whole pack
hetore the propriety OF this step was
seriously considered, however, the party
can to the DEVILS Court-House and be-
gan It's ascent Cautiously they. crept
along 'tbesTarrow ledge, made the as
cent enjoyed the view from the top for
3 fhcre was nothing else to enjoy, the ours
=. = taA'n scared away all the game--took
ief .nneh and began their return.
- were pretty tired by the time
- lack to the wide place in the
:. }. and all snt down 70 resti
PAT $ crswled On his iece 20
a