Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-01-08
ONE of A yAnIsHIna nAos.



Ito nunis o'er via. Areas and l. ~
HON. wherever There l. Wilderness.
The professional hunters and ir1ppers
who ut one time comprised the whole VI
the white inhabitant class In thus sec
ton are becoming 10 few that n real old
time solitary woodsman who plungcs
into the forest and diyosts himself Of
human companionship Is becoming a
rare sight. Joe Thomas Is one Of the
best examples that remain Of these men,
and "a study OF his charac,eristics is in
terrsting.
Thomas IL man Of about forty. He
IL slightly below medium height and Is
not heavily built lie appears like Il full
bloojed negro, although he says that his
mother was half breed Indian. lie has
sparse, tightly curlod whiskers and does
not look like a Niinro1 and q mighty
man among coons aud deer. Thomas
follows rs near the life Of the red ina1
ns apy one can In these DAYS, and has al
autipathy 10 human society, though he
Is nothing Of misanthropc, aud talks
well to any one who questions him.
In the summer time Thomas works NJ
whatever he can get 10 do about the
cities In this vicinity and through 10
Ohio. When the squirrel season opens
he Is in Ohio, and puts In tho firsi few
weeks Of the autumn shooting squirrel.
As the deer season opens, he cmigraies
uorihwarl. aud for the rest Of the win
ter lives the life Of the solitary hunter,
shnnning human habiiations and sleep
ing IN the woods In the most inclement
weather. uisdomestic outfit consists Of
a tent, blankets and a small stove, aud
he declares that he Is more coniented IN
the woods than he would be In town.
When the night Is cold he lights his fire,
chains his dog up In the tent and sleeps
While the deer run, Hopkins follows
them tireicssly, aud when night over
takes him on the trail he lies down In
the woods to sleep, confident that the
deer is rs tired rs he and will not move
during the night unless disturbed, and
IN the morning will be 70 stiif that the
second days chase will DO compare
lively easy matter.
After the deer season is over Thomas
starts for tho open, aud traps skunks and
otter and all other fur bearing animals
for the rest Of the winter. AZ all times
he is ready In case old Zip Coon comes
rncling around, and his dog lac alleges
to be one OF the best coon dogs In the
country. The animal ia liver and
white hound. slishtly lager than fox
hound. and with no more fat on hiiR
than is required TO grease his joints.
Thomas said that the dog got him more
than fifty dollars worth Of coonskins Ia
one season. and he would not part with
him for three times that amount. joe
tolls a story to illustrate the sagacity OF
the dog.
He says that one winter the dog freed
a coon Ia big tree. Joe always carrie,
climbing irons, and he skinned up tn,
tree. lie followed the coon out on a
branch and shook him of. and he heard
him squoal rs the dog nSbbcd him
When Joe got to t.o bottom Of the trt,
there was no coon IN sight aud no doR
He heard the dog running and called &c
him; tue dog came out Of the bushes q
moment aud then ran back. jos fol-
lowed and found that tho dog was run
ming around n skunk, keeping II irou
going into it's hole. Mr.. Dog did moi
want to interview the skunk closely. bu
the skunk was not sure OF that. and h,
kept his eye on the dog, circling around
and the dog was gradually getting him
away from his hole. jos killed til,
skunk. but ho could find no trace Of ia,
coon, and concluded that the dog has
lost IL.
The next morning he reproyed the dog
saying; "Nou didn't do right about tina
coon last night; You lost him. Now W,
go get him." The dog looked kind o
ashamed and moved of. Joe followe,
him, and they went back TO the plnc
where the trouble occurred ON the prc
vious night. After noslng around
while the dog unburied the coon from
where he had buried It, having bccl
afraid to leave 1t while he went after In
skunk, 80 he buried 1t, leaving the tai
sticking out Of the snow 30 he could TIM
Il again.
Some one asked Thomas II he was no
afraid that the bears would eat him som
night. He said that the only thing tha
made him mad was that tho bears kep
away from him and didn't give him
chance. joe says that the houses ar
getting altogether too thick, and whc
he meets mp with house he wants /
get as far away from II ~ he eau and n
quick as he can. -Oil City Derrick.
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