The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-09-24
TALES OF AN OCTOGENARIAN.
COZ. PARKER OF GARDEAU HAS SOME
GOOD ONES on TAP.
Able Bodied Yarns, but Not Adler Than the
Narrator. Whose Hospitality Is AZ Ey-
pnnsiyo A. Arc His Descriptions.


pnnsivo As Arc His Descriptions.
III any ono who happens to be travelling
ovor the Western New York and Pennsylvania
Railroad doesn't stop off at Parker's Switch
and spend an hour or so with Col. Noah
Parker" said n New Yorker who has had that
experience. "he will be taking u red-letter
day out OF his life.
"Parker's Switch Is on tho postal map as
Gardeuu. Mexican county. Until couple OF
showing young mon from Cattaraugus. n. Y,
came down there and started up the big steam
saw mill that is eating into the surrounding
hemlock forests at the ratio OF 100000 feet u
day. and called tho village OF scattering rough
hemlock houses into existence. the locality
was known all over that part OF Pennsylvania
as the Salt Works. Old hunters and woods
had been a landmark OF theirs from tho
time tho lrst settlers came into that
part Of the Sinnemahoning country. There
was a great silt lick there. famous rs resort
for deer and elk. sixty years or more ago n
well was put down unit! it tapped a vein Of
water strong with salt. and pioneer capitalists
started in manufacturing salt to supply tho
sparsely settled region with that great nsces-
sity OF backwoods lfe but tho enterprise
wasn'ta success 1t required fifteen barrels
OF the water to make one barrel of salt. and tho
product had tho aggravating quality OF eating
up tho bags the settlers attempted to carry it
home from the works In. and Of raising a
blister on the flesh wherever it came In con-
tact with it. So the salt works were abandoned
but the name stuck to the spot
THE first prominent settler there was Geo.
Parker. He was a great hunter. and was ma
tive OF Allegany county n. Y. Col Noah Parker
Is his son. When visited the Colonel he told
me he had recently passed his eighty-ilrst
birthday He didn't look 1t. and saw n griz-
zled old woodsman. who was by. smile Gu
rious smile. But then the Colonel didn't look.
either. like n man who was drawing $40 a day
in royalties from the big sawmill that runs
day and night at Gardeau; but he was, all the
same And he was putting up big three
story hotel. for the spring that turned out such
positive salt has gained great local reputa-
ton as q, medical agent. and people got to
coming there SO persistenty that the Colonel
believed there WAS money in providing hotel
built on the site OF his. fathers old cabin. and
apartments for the elk antsrs and deer horns.
Guy All my own kiln. a By SN GadH The the Colonel
will tell you right away. or as soon as he has
and i It could vote it'd vote Fight. too. don't
1t was at, the height Of the last Presidential
campaign when was at Col parkers al,
49, Hope you're Democrat. he said.
I ventured to say that there was no mis-
Forse S ali S that ss IS Of vta i hne
.Tarifr.' he exclaimed; and the Colonel has
paiEn n,h has got more vital issue than Them
What can it he 2 asked.
What can it be? The Gardeau Post ONCE.
And must be hlm'
A., " The congregation drifting away from poll
,mn,a un !d;Gstsn you have been great
there's any ons living that knows more about
hunting than do Ia go good ways to see
greater hunter than ever was. He was the he
s9sntr Hs ha in ths
around on those hills George Parker. was
tains. In the days when emiGrants had to
cross the plains in wagon trains he was
SGhs Snd to Killer at monh
plains. He had horse that could smell In:
he had an eye that could see ON when they
was 50 far away that they didn't look any big
horse had been sni ming .Iniins for m hour and
AsHF k s gns the the and
@ WHAT ppf" | says. ''N '' ''"'
:. 49," -. Inlins." says he.
He pointed across the prairie. and sawa
row OF black speeks They looked Ike pint
~" Aim at the second from the rishthand
end" says father. and I'll aim at the first one"
aimed and fred and so did no. Then
Weil take the next sHS two, says avs father. and
then there Was four specks less. We kept on
gone, and then we could see tho rest moving
away fast. until they disappeared on the prai-
ws rode hat the
exactly two miles to an inch we found twelve
dead Indians stretched out on the prairie each
".1 Two miesr said |; Why. Colonel. isn't
that an he, extraordinary distance for fiho to
seems so. don't itT replied the Colonel.
Looks a leo e:tle that wayl Now here in the
East that would DO an awful stretch for gun
Snow and j. SO thH and st1ddy Why
don't rub against any friction while It's travel
made out there w6udn bo tha
200 yards here in tho East There You can
see great deal further through that thin air
air here. Now. there's that elk head yonder.
relied with a friend OF mine yesterday who
came along here and wanted me to let him
have 1t for S5OO | killed tho elk that were
them antlers. but 1t was a! owing To that Won
derful air Of the Rockies. Itlays in streaks and
strattles. Tint air does. and found 1t out when
/ led thnt elk.
"'I was looking fer Just setch an elk as that.
but wasn't expecting to see one raise up be- |
fore mo like the one that did see. 1t got up
out o the bush. and the first words said was:
'''.' fossil deer Of Ireland by gadl"
"'Them fossil irish deer. you know. sir. was |
bigger than elephants. and had horns like tho |
roots OF big oak tree. And that's Just the way |
this deer looked. but IN a second SEQ that 1t |
was o gigantic elk. He didn't seem to be III ore |
than ten rods away. and never paid any more |
attention to mo han IL wasn't there, with n |
death dealing rifle that never missed. The elk
Nnd Gis h, IN a thrawd sndoS over hal Fan
acre. sir! Tho tremendous crltter walked |
away few steps and lay down. ! |