The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-02-07
SAVED BY AMMONIA.
How a Little Vial of It Was Used
by a Hunter.

Oy - 6unbSE.
In 1884, after two years prospecting
for the delusive metal, found myself
In the little mining town of Clifton,
Graham county, Arizona, in that fnan-
eial condition known as busted" It
is true that still possessed about
twenty dollars in ''long green" a
cayuse plug pinto and aged,) a Win
chester rife, six-shooter and tur-
quois complexioned burro, named for
his Castilian prototype Santa Anna,
but saw no way in which to invest
these belongings with any hope of
large and speedy returns. While
bordering over the fearful uncertainties
of prospector's life and fortunes
was approached by tall and bearded
pard." who suggested that / return
with him to the mountains, and in
stead of hunting for silver apply my
talents to hunting wild animals He
gave as his reasons therefor that there
was always a market for jerled
venison, as well as a demand for
bear and other pelts; besides which
the territorial bounties for destructive
wild animals scalps were a consider
alton not to be overlooked. His argu-
ment in favor of the game against
silver had its effect, and in twelve
hours had invested fifteen dollars of
my twenty dollars in grub, ammuni-
ton, ETC., and become the running
mate and ''pard' of Charley johnson,
ex-ranger and professional hunter. He
iv,vae<ad 81 tito oro..,,n{ ord r,ao1r{r,rr
Santa Anna and Johnson's burro, q
companion piece to Santa Anna, with
all our property, including dog tent,
we left Clifton'one bright October morn
ing for the hills of Graham county.
After about two months of wander
ing in the mountains near the New
Mexico line we crossed over into that
territory, and made camp within ten
miles of the border. The place chosen
was In a well-watered canyon, inclosed
on either side by thickly wooded hills.
on whose sides and SUBMITS we hoped
to find everything available for
slaughter, nor were very far wrong in
our expectations. In three weeks we
had killed, butchered and ''jerked"
twenty-three deer, and had met and
mastered seven bears and three noun
tain lions, besides having kept our
larder well supplied with fowl in the
shape of wild turkey, numbers of
which used" in the locality.
1t had been our custom for each man,
after getting an early breakfast, to
mount his horse and start for the hills,
with no settled time for return. II he
found no game within i've miles he
could ride ten, or twenty, and II sue
cessful, when his kill was more than
his horse could pack, he would hang
the carcasses and return for the burros
to make load into camp.
Early one clear morning In middle
January johnson and had left the
camp together on one OF our daily ex-
cursions, and after riding together five
miles or more separated, he taking
northerly direction for some pine
parks in which the black-tail deer
grazed, and going toward the west.
where juniper growth fourished, and
where expected, from signs" had
recently observed, bear in some force
roamed and fed. had progressed
dUOub tAlICC AnA1Cbs 4nA W 80 AAC2AAh6
the edge of the juniper strip. when
came upon a large herd of wild
turkeys. out of which succeeded in
potting a 6ne gobbler. This bird
hung up by means Of a stout cord to
gnarled and stunted oak tree, just on
the edge of the .'bear park, intending
to take. him into camp when returned
in the evening.
/ was fairly successful that day In
my search for bruin. and when the sun
was some two hours past the meridian,
started home with the hide and scalp
OF large specimen of the berry-loving
Ursus. sIver-tipped variety. ] had not
forgotten the dead turkey, and went aft
er him, though where he hung was some
what out of my direct road to camp
reached the neighborhood. and began
searching for the tree in which the
bird had hung, which soon found. but
/ was somewhat nonplused to find that
the ordinary Thanksgiving feast had
him. Some animal or influence had re-
moved the gobbler. but what specific
one could not tell. The bird was
hung too high for either bear or noun
tain lion to have disturbed it, and to
have thought the robbery the work Of
an eagle would have been erroneous,
from the fact that no feathers or blood
were discernible under the tree. Some
thing with four legs or two hands had
climbed the tree and pulled the turkey
down. I left my horse, together with
hn fx.ao and hanaT IN
pick around among the grass and
powders with the hope that might.
see some traces of the thief or his
booty. ] had walked perhaps forty
yards from my horse, when ! found
the mutilated remains of the prize of
the rattle. They we're lying close be-
sida large rock formation directly un-
der a juniper pine, whose branches
forked so low that had to stoop to get
under the tree. had just pushed the
berry-laden branches aside with my
bowed shoulders. and was reaching for
the torn carcass Of the bird, when
heard scream and growl, and felt
myself struck on the back of the neck
BY q weight that simply knocked me
endways l fell on my face, with my
nose serving as drill for the various
quartz formations on the section and
| lay where | fell for some little time
at least, for the weight still tarried
with me. 1t fastened itself to my
| left shoulder, and there 1t staid for
some seconds after ! had fallen. As
soon as could withdraw my nose and
cheek bones from the rock turned my
head to see where was and what had
struck me. When ! did, discovered
that was mingled to great extent
with forty pound wildcat, and that |
was at the bottom of the mixture The
animal had fastened his teeth in my
left shoulder just at the time It had
sprung upon me, and was now trying to
make its jaws meet on my collarbone.
One foot, with several batteries OF
claws, was caressing the scalp on the
back part of my head, and the other
was toying with my whiskers. had
no weapon, not even knife, for had
| left that in my saddle pockets and my
revolver was likewise precisely where
| it wasn't wanted had nothing what
ever on my person except lead PEN
ell, some pieces of string and a small
bottle of aqua nmmoniai the latter
always carried to be used as q sover-
| eign remedy for snake bites, scorpion
and centipede atings. etc, to which q
prospector In those latitudes Is always
| exposed. The little vial had more than
once saved me from serious discomfort,
not 10 SAY death. and somehow. with