The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-09

4ACAs
From the Washington Post
Mountaineers Of Webster county, West
Virginia, have, among numerous "haunts"
and superstitious, one about a millS-white
deer that has been known there within
the memory of the Oldest resident. They
say that when anybody sees the deer
the death of the person Is sure to occur a
short time aftcrward. So certain are
they Of the fulhllment of their supersti-
ton that, no doubt, il has something to
do with the death of the person who has
seen, or imagined he saw, the creature.
Indeed, they have saying that when
any one is very feeble or near to deaths
door che must ha' seed the white deer, or
ben roun' whar he wuz hidin'."
One night not long ago, at a mountain
cabin, young man lay dying. A few
weeks before he had been a strong, lusty
young fellow, but now he was a mere
physical wreck, wasted away to nothing,
and apparently not having the slightest
interest in what was going on about him.
A young physician, graduate of a Balti-
more medical college, who was connected
with the mines some distance away, was
attending him, but declared that the case
was hopeless There was positively
nothing the matter with his patient that
he was able to discover, and that made il
so much the worse. Just because the
young fellow had happened to see a
white deer he concluded that his death
was only matter of a short period and
gave up all hope.
He had been deer hunting one day with
a couple of companions, and had been
stationed at stand, while the others
went off TO make "drive.n While wait
ing for the expected deer to come up he
had suddenly been confronted by the
awful vision Of the white deer" that
and then as suddenly disappeared, leav-
ing no trace whatever of It's coming or
going. That was sufficient, and the
young hunter Immediately started for
home and on arriving there took to his
bed, from which he had never stirred for
a moment. II was impossible to do any
thing for him, the young doctor said, as
there was no disease to check, or disorder
TO cure and it was out of the question to
overcome superstition with surgery,
STRENGTHENING COINCIDENCEs.
The young physician further said that
although of course he put no faith what
ever in the superstition in his two years
residence in Webster county, he had seen
who had seen the apparition and had met
with sudden, violent deaths soon after
ward. One of these was a miner whom
he knew personally, and who had seen the
deer while going from the mine to his
home on the mountain one winter even
ing. The man had been killed instantly
by fall of coal in less than a week after
ward, and though there were others
working with him in the same chamber
Of 10 mir hnx I'M ipf1
other case that came under his observa-
ton only a short while before was that of
a noted hunter who had run across the
deer one morning. and two days afterward
had been killed by the accidental dis
charge of a rife. It was all very strange,
of course, but was set down simply as a
curious coincidence.
Another strange experience is told by
member of an engineering party. In No
vember they had Travelled some distance
away from the little village which was
their temporary headquarters. One day
the snow began falling fast and furious
and in short time it was about foot
deep on the level and so completely COW
cred the laurel through which they had to
pass ct that time they had to stop work,
as it would have ruined the instruments,
besides otherwise injuring them. They
were stopping at two cabins on the ridge,
about mile apart, five in one and six in
the other, as they had TO divide forces
in order to get accommodations at all
Five were staying with mountaineer by
the name of Jerry Hawke, who was re-
puted to be one of the greatest hunters
in Webster. The other six were bunking
with Hawkes. brOtherin-law, Pete Cogar.
Their chief decided that they had better
go down to headquarters, which was the
nearest postofice, and ask the company
whether they had better abandon the
survey. He expected to be gone a week
or ten days, and in the interval the party
had nothing to do but amuse themselves.
Hawke had laid in a good supply of pro-
visions for the winter, and as his wife
was good cook they had nothing to COM
plain of on that score, but the sleeping
part was not so satisfactory. Although
the hosts cabin was larger than most of
them in that region his family was large,
and the onlyway he could keep his guests
was to put them in the loft on shake
downs"
IKE HARDRICK's FATAL HUNT.
1t was pretty cold up in that loft, as the
wind drifted through the chinks in the
logs, and they would find little drifts of
snow on the bed clothes when they woke
in the morning, but they all thought it
was good experience and rather enjoy
able. One night it stopped showing and
they all prepared to have big deer hunt
the next day as the snow was fit for
tracking. Hawkes. brother-in-law was
also quite hunter, and contest was ar
ranged between the two cabins TO see
which one could kill the most game each
day. One day one party started with the
intention of killing a large deer or doing
something desperate in the attempt. AS
good luck had 1t, along in the afternoon
they ran across the track of what must
have been an immense deer, Hawke him
self said that it must be a monster. They
followed the tracks, and followed them
all the afternoon without soaring him up,
until twas nearly nightfall. Suddenly
the tracks disappeared mysteriously
and they could not trace them any far
Their, try as they would. Even Hawke
was nOnplused, and after shaking his
head ominously said that they had better
give up and take the back track for home.
There was some demur at this, but
finally all started back but one. He was
one of the a5lmen, who had been picked
up in the country. His name was Ike
Hardrick He said that he intended
hunting around q while longer in hope of
finding the buck, asserting that he did
not want 'them chaps TO crow over us
JUS cause they wuz so sharp yistiddy'
He would ovetake his party on their way
back he said, and so they left him They
reached the cabin without having seen
anything of Hardrick, and then he did
not appear for so long they began to get
apprehensive that he had been lost. Just
as they were. about starting out to hunt