Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-25
WITH GUN AND DOG.
r,ry Sporismen Viii Spent This Week
in Nearby Woods.
CHRISTMAS HUNTING STORIES.
,uinisior's Experience as n boy In Fox
Chsse-Beat the Captain Shooting.
After Hares and Coons.

.ro,her Christmas. with Its Joys and
.,-r,ws its popcrackers and accidents,
40 ,unting outings and fox chases. its
.asoplng Of presents and comparison OF
....,lts has arrived and the last leaf
-, the calendar viii soon follow its pre-
....ssars into the waste-basket, while
..., will 80 to Join its chronological
,..,hels and sisters In tho caverns OF
umr.
rs~ the next week all nature and few
..trr things will rejoice and be glad,
s.5 some OF those who delight not in the
.....t music OF the baby-waker or the
s.-u.lsjing melody OF the sky-rocket
mill HE themselves to the woods Of Hen
-.. or Chesterfield, or some other place
-y as destitute of game, walk
.-.rt thousand miles. return at
...-tt or next week and tell Of what a
,... urge they had hunting for some
rag 10 shoot.
r..hmoud is not unlike other cities in
,.,.-e would-be Nimrods for citizens,
sg tae world is akin in this respect. and
f-.-, the rock-covered coast OF the At
,.r.-. where the eastern song of the sea
l..as Hs morning lullaby. 10 the distant
.r-., % the mighty Pacific. where its
,...,ra waters lovingly chant an eve
re ucnedlction, men and boys will
..l..cnr 20 during Christmas. and the
.,.f.s they will spin on their return
f.fpE h1Cgaan, nF chu
nc check OF Prince Munchausen.
r,, principal game hunted in this
l.ty are partridges and squirrels. a
t..y.lrs ago rabbits were very plentiful.
Dc DOW they are seldom seen. 1t is
S.. ty hunters that foxes destroying the
...-- .s the cause Of the scarcity. Dur
.- OBJ. last year or so deer and turkeys
.... multiplied or immigrated extensively
d. r. counties adjoining Richmond. For
.... ~ experience the sportsmen do not
f..f them as extensively as smaller
l..e. bat the old hunters are very sue
.... ID. and some OF them are really
o. .- money killing and selling deer.
hunting Is a favorite pastime, and
B.. r.W looming a fashionable fad. Wire
fr.s have IN a large measure, broken
r. ra sport, as the horsemen are fire..
-'.v prevented from following the
...N Dr. the little barb wires that are
stretched between the farms OF different
people. In the country a farmer who in
% any extent In this sport is said
g. B.. 90 for nothing else. In the city
,a rn who follows the hounds is either
.. s,y man or n well-to-do merchant.
.I pleasures Of foX-hunting are now
ssy interfored with by the dogs
..r- after deer II is said that hounds
rather run a deer than anything
... .rl Consequently when they are in
Dig pursuit Of a fox IL a deer track is
-.I che pleasure Of that hunt Is at
.l Is deer are now SO plentiful
GIL frequently happens.
Like other would-be hunters. have had
experiences. a few years ago. in company
v..l ~.yeral friends and a borrowed gun.
vrt hunting old hares in the broom
...-. u Chesterfield. Our party had not
I.,a iu the woods long when the dogs
..nf.I q hare" Each Of US took a stand
me- the edge Of a piece Of pine woods
.. waited and watched for the "Old
81 "v" 10 was not long before the man
,.--..et from me fired twice in quick
secession Then the next fellow follow
q -.t. and held a smoking gun as the
G haze came gal!Oping by. The two men
r hli unloaded joined the dogs, and
v.. y,Hs and barking they followed the
running rabbit as she came in a
g.. Ait line for me.
-..-. were four Of us In the party.
a.. .re hare had the other fellow TO pass
f..-. she reached my territory. The
, q the two men and the pack of
.. .Nclted me 50 that l hardly knew
WHAT 70 10. and ! wished from the bot
-- ~ my pathetic and ningodic soul
,... rlhn would Kill her and not give me
e. chance.
SANG, Bang, went Johns gun, and as
o.. ,.h1 reverberated through the woods
81. -..r Ted like sham battle OF the FIRST
I.-rA Regiment. The next minute
-...- voice was heard in the chorus OF
o., base and the cold perspiration
On. tr.1 from my brow like a Main-street
... ..N0c-cart. Then came to my ears
81. u.lancholy sound, There she comes.
j. l.- Bnly''
T.- once again lost my head, and for
r.t that still had my friends gun. but
'..t was no time to think. as the fright
.-. h4r. came down the path Ike a
..e.t ~ oiled lightning. and stepping 10
... .f4. I raised the gun high over my
had AMI as the little animal sped by l
i.s.. ID savage lunge at the poor creature.
ls course | did not strike her, but !
o.. around and the borrowed gun
t.s broken half in two. The rest Of the
d.. ] carried the two pieces OF the hre>
.-.. and % heavy heart. and was unmer-
Dt.ly "c!ycd" by the other fellows. me
g.. Sat It took all Of MY salary Tor
..-... weeks 70 put a new stock to the
E-1 800 not enhance the pleasures OF mat
Christmas hunt very much.
Probably one Of the most successful
l..t.-s In this section Is Mr.. John n.
? .'.-. o. Chesterfield county. Mr.. Les
'.- r.w holds deputy collectorship an
collector William Ryan, and has a
3 rs country home on the banks or
SIS. t- creek about seventeen miles from
.fy The master Of the Lester plan
p .- most agreeable companion, Is
f'i WI interesting "reminiscences or MS
r rr hunts. and when he has the oppor-
80 is even now. though quite an Oh
4; Pa ready and willing 10 go into the
with cunning party.
i.f.r- the last summer. the writer han
OIL. PLEASURE Of spending Saturday ana
tr at The h0spitable Lester home
a Johnnie" as Mr.. Lester - /
Z rv called. proposed to the party
or .rls who were his guests 70 go
Cd n-huuting" that Saturday night
G f.., that coon-huntlng was not in tho
I'D accord with my gaming procllVl-
AND I didn't want 10 90, but Uncle
j..rrI. pictured in beautiful language
delights Of the hunt. The bayinG o4
hounds in the stiffness Of the night
. declared 10 be more musical than the
.r- ~ Christmas horns and witnessing
lrat between the coon and the dogs
even more delightful than cracking
far the children.
trar supper the party made ready Tor
o.. hunt Some carried axes, others IAN
rr mother gun, and AIR Lester
70 horn. with which he occasionally
f .. "a noise like a locomotive with a
-alI. s tramp Of a mile or so brought
o. OBJ the swamp. where the coon was sup
.I to roam about. ana where the fdn
,a, said 10 begin. Old "Bugle." one OF
o., Aa.n2s. struck a trail after we had
.L.3 an hour OF 50. and about every
.- rirutcs his deep-toned baying couId
..t-l
.f course. all this was very interestinS'
fr4 The axe that weighed about ten
nls when 7 first threw IL across my
Ser now felt like a ton OF cord
s. .pl.
wen have 'enn up in a minute" quotA
q" Johnnie. and we trdmped alohg
Irh the underbrush and mud ana
; b. "a thousand splder-houses with our
f-.'~ Finally, when everybody except
ci~ host was satisfied that Sunday haa
c.u.c the dogs "treed.'
J'p % this time had mopped the PERI