The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-04-29
STRANGE WEAPONS.
omething About tne Mountniucer's
Means OF Defonse.

VI the dialect stories in particular, that
he chief weapon, and about the only
me in constant use, OF the typical
'outhern mountaineer, is the old-fash-
oned ''squir'l rifle" The writer came
tcross some information recently, how
,ver, which adds some new phases to
ibis question. A man who has lived
tll his life among the mountains and
with the mountaineers, and who has
seen every side of the uneventful yd
interesting life, was asked about their
weapons and their mode of using them.
Undoubtedly" said he, 'the long
life is the most natural means of de-
,ense which our moonshine- drinking
lnd-making friends take to, and that
hey become wonderfully expert in its
Use can be testified by many people
who have seen them shoot When a
mans provisions depends upon his
craftsmanship it is apt to make him a
good shot, and that is what every
nountaineer about here is. Naturally,
too, they prize n good rifle, and it is
often said that man with rifle and "A
cow is entirely ready to get married.
II the rifle is specially good one and
the COW gives plenty of milk, he is
looked upon as a rich man indeed, and
such riches count up when he comes to
take wife to his bosom. But next to
the rifle they have an exceedingly
queer weapon, and one which have
never seen mentioned in any story, nor
DO l think many people know of it. 1t
Isn't carried with them, and yet they
are never without it.
"Well, what is the answer to yOur
riddle?' l asked.
"a stone. The way some of those
long-armed lawbreakers can throw
stones is really wonder when you
come to think of it. Give one of them
rock, as they say, and he is as well
armed as he cares to be. They learn
the art when they are young, and by
constant practice become SO proficient
in it that they are dangerous people tc
trifie with when they are loaded. I've
seen man take stone as big round
as two walnuts and kill quail run
ming on the ground 300 feet away. It's
fact They throw like lightning for
swiftness, and their aim is nearly as
Irue ab IL Is WlCn q rl1e.
II had heard many tall stories about
these stone-throwing mountaineers be-
fore ] saw one, and l laughed at them
rs you do, and hooted at the idea as alb
surd. But one day happened to be OF
the top Of Peters Mountain, sitting in
the door of the cabin of a lazy ole
mountaineer friend, when suddenly he
l1T wit IL,
stopped for small-sized bowlder. AL
most before 1 could see what he was
doing he sent it whirring through the
air, and the next moment n great
chickenhawk came tumbling to the
earth almost at our feet stone dead il
more senses than one. Yes, sir, he had
killed him on the wing with a stone-a
thing you and would have found
plenty hard enough to do with gun.
That little incident put an end to my
doubts on the stone e-throwing abilities
of the mountaineer.
You can easily see the advantage Of
of such weapon, for it is always al
hand, and vet they are never burdened
with 1t. The country is very rocky an6
loose stones crop out on every hand,
furnishing ample ammunition when.
ever it is needed. Not only is it con.
venient but it is noiseless and terribly
effective. This same friend of mine,
who is an old man, told me of an Incl
dent where it served him good turn.
HE was out in his field one day.
working like an honest man, when a
young fellow came along and began tc
quarrel with him. There had been
some trouble between them on account
of the old fellows pretty daughter, and
the young man was sore over his failure
to get her for his wife. Seeing no one
around he decided to help himself to a
little revenge. He climbed the fence
and went nigh unto the father of his
beloved, and fell upon him in real old.
fashioned style. The old man acknowl.
edged that he had never had such a
'whuppin'' as that one in all his life be-
fore when he told me of it. He was
like rat at a terriers mercy. When
the job was finished to the satisfaction
OF the thrasher he gave my friend a
parting shake and sailed out for the
fence. But though the old man had
been unmercifullS punished, he was
game, and he had gotten TO mis- feet be.
fore the younger one had gone a hun.
dred yards just as he put his hand on
the top rail of the fence a chunk OF
limestone as big as your fist dropped
with dull thud on the top of his head,
and as he fell insensible to the ground
another broke two ribs for him.
"T jest handed him couple of ground
biscuit, said my friend. laughing mod
estly. and he sort went to sleep right
where he laid
1T took the young man two months
to get we'll Perhaps the fact that he
was nursed by the daughter herself
had something to do with it, however,
for in the end he married the girl, and
he says now he's glad the old father hit
him. 1 thought I'd tell you about it
some day SO you could put in lot OF
apostrophes and bad grammar and
make dialect story of it
Another queer thing about these
men is the fact that they know nothing
Of self-defense with the fists; not one in
a hundred could rightly parry blow.
With their splendid muscular training,
which naturally comes to them, Of
course 1t would seem as if they would
make fine fighters but they do not
They can shoot like cowboys and throw
like catapults, but any city street arab
could give them points on boxing.
mo, the rifle isn't the mountaineer's
only weapon, by any means; he has his
'rock-throwiug'-and his tongue. And
the greatest of these, after all, is his
tongue!'-E j. Appleton, in Detroit
Free Press