The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1892-05-27


lsoys.
Some Of the boys had been ont coon
huntinv on .Iims mountain and they
MA taken twcnty-cight coons out Of
oue tree. such run Of luck seemed
,,anr.ccdentcd and SO one Of them
liked rncle Jake Shiblcr how Il was.
"Iah.' said Uncle Jake. THE
tainr's ~ clear 81 ice. IL any q you
<ellers'l jist take the trouble 70 invcsti-
,,te vou'll find that the tree that
,bel An q them coons IL hollcr. llollcr
trees Is where coons live durin' the
winter. jist ~ many 81 kin comfbly
n,'e in together. Now them twenty
eight coons that you gathered in was
lookin' up winter quarters. Some on
,em. mcbhc n d ncsted in that same
tree aforc.
They happened to all meet there to-
vether about the time the first dogs
struck the tree. Now. why wasn't them
.onns in the hollcr o that tree? Well,
II youll take the trouble to investigate
you'il find that the hollcr had been
took up previously by a family or SO o
blacksnalses. haint sure. but I'm
willin' 10 bet farm that you'll find a
couple OF % dozen. mebl'e. Of black
snakes huddlin' in that hollcr. Now.
.,oons hain't the kind d critters that'll
stoop 50 low cz to bunk in with snakes.
an SO them twenty-eght didn't choose
quarters in that tree. The dogs kim
along ~ they WAS considcrin what
they had better do and Of course, o.
long ~ the dogs was there no coon
would leave the tree till he was forced
TO-
That's all there is to them twenty.
eight coons bcin in one tree. You'll
find its SO II you take the trouble 70 in
vcs;igate. knocked twenty-nine coons
out Of holler chestnut tree wunst.
They was film the limbs jest cz the
coons % your'n was. Mex mornin'
rut hole in the tree. near the bottom
an lit some straw an stuck II in the
hole. KEEP the fire goin' lively. an il
wasn't long before black snakes began
% come out Of the hollcrat the top. and
thrashcd the life outen thirty-three
big oncs--over two hundred and fifty
feet o black snakes. Ill bet farm.
Sump'in like that's what you'll find in
your tree II you take the trouble to in
vestigatc."
That information Of Uncle Jake's sci
me To thinking that there might bt
some more fun in that coon tree. and
got Sam Gruly and two or three more 81
the boys to 60 over with me and test
Uncle Jake's idea about the tree. WI
built fire, and IL wasn't long befors
that tree was about a. lively sight a
one would care 70 ere. Black snakes
began TO boil over at the top Of thehof
low trunk and come wriggling and con
forting themselves to the ground.
Forty-thrce immense fellows wcr.
routed out and only tw8 got away
After the snake colony had been routes
out we went back feeling juhilant, AM
warmly congratulated Uncle Jake d
his knowledge Of coon and snake lore
.'Oh. knowcd you'd find il that wa,
Il you took the trouble 70 investigates.
aid he. but you're a pack Of disgust
"a idiots for dom H."
.lIows that" says sam Gruly. in sur
prise.
cause If you'd left them snakes II
The hollcr.- replied Uncle Jake. you,
found another wagon-load o coon
holdn' a council in the tree tonight
an III bet a farm on it,
so il scs ms that i'm wanting to &c
too much IN ont Of that tree we spoile
4 heap Of II. but that was the funnies
coon hunt J ever heard Of. N. y. sur