The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-16
The SQUIRREL HUNTERS.
Wonderful MafkSmeH in Mississippi
and Louisiana.

and LOUISIANA.
How They Train Their Boys-Vendetta
in Which the Victim Was Always
Shot in the Eye-RevenRe Cost
Twelve Lives.
From the New Orleans Picayune.
81 have been among the squirrel hunt
ers, said the gentleman, who had just
returned from his vacation. The SOUR
rel hunters are peculiar people inhab-
iting the southwestern counties Of
Mississippi and adjoining Louisiana par
ishes. They have been living there Tor
generations. and preserve the primitive
customs and habits of their forefathers.
The squirrel hunter is doubtless a de-
scendant Of Kentucky settlers, for they
are all tall, stately people and great
lovers of the hunt. But there is now little
game to be found, and so they spend their
time hunting the squirrel, which is also
scarce. The squirrel hunters are also
farmers, but raise little except corn. The
pine hill region where they live is not
penetrated by railroads, and there
are hundreds of such people who
have never seen a steam engine l
saw great many Of the oldest squir-
rel hunters of the country, and found
them TO be very strange looking people.
They all wear long hair which often
reaches down to their belts Their
boards, too are long, often matted with
their hair. They wear homespun panta-
looms and homemade shoes Their shirts
are oftentimes made from the skins of
squirrels which they wear in the winter,
while in the summer they wear an open
blouse shirt, also of home make Their
houses are made of pine logs. between
which mud is placed as a plastering.
These houses are covered with pine
boards split from the woods There are
never any Enclosures about their homes,
their yards opening out into the pine
forest
These squirrel hunters, while they
have no churches, are a very religious
people though great deal of supersti-
ton is connected with their worship.
Their churches are made of boughs of
pine, placed upon a scaffolding, TO keep
out the sun. Now and then a country
revival is held in these arbor houses, but
this is seldom.
THE HUNTERS OUTFIT
1.-THE outfit Of the squirrel hunter CON
sists of an oldtime flint rifle and a squir-
rel skin pouch, which he carries by a
obtap OFCL LIS StlOd 1ubIs HIS pouch Is
divided into two parts. In one is put bull
lets and the bullet molds, together with a
small piece of lead, from which the bullets
are made. In the other part of the pouch
IS The hunters flint rocks for making fire,
small piece of psnk and some sumac
leaves, together with a corncob pipe He
goes thus prepared for all emergencies.
With the bullet mOlds he can make his own
bullets in case the supply grows short,
and with the flint rocks and Dunk he can
kindle his fire, Punk is soft, dry
fungus growth, found in the heart of de
cayed vegetable matter, and which once
ignited, even by a spark will burn dur
ing any kind of weather, rain or wind.
Strange to say, there. is not a weed of to-
bacco used among them at all. The
| patching is the coarse homespun cloth.
which is cut off in small pieces and
placed over the end of the rifle The bull
let is then placed upon the cloth, and a
long iron ramroad, always carried in the
muzzle of the gun, is used for forcing the
| bullet home. When these, old rifles are
thus loaded it is astonishing with what
accuracy their owners can pick squirrels
from the highest tree in the country
The hunter thus armed goes ont early
IN the morning for days hunt. He may
| before night travel fifteen miles. In case
, this distance finds him separated from his
home at nightfall the hunter brings out
his flint rocks and his punk and, striking
J the rocks together so that the sparks may
| light the punk, thus kihdles himself a
| fire. There is always a piece of bread in
his pouch, and he proceeds to cook a
| squirrel, of which he has by this time, if
he is good hunter. some fifteen or TWEEN
ty. He eats his meal, smokes his sumac
and lies down TO sleep. 'r- 80
THEY ARE sUPERsTITIoUs.
"He always manages TO camp in a good
neighborhood for squirrels, and is up the
next morning before daybreak with his
| gun. In the pine woods daybreak is the
best time TO kill squirrels, for then they
are out early to get the early worm / sup
pose. If rabbit should run across the
path of hunter as he starts out in the
morning that ends the hunt for that day
They are superstitious about these things.
! IL an owl should boot uncomfortably near
the hunters home in the early morning
as he is getting ready to start out upon
his hunt, the days sport is given up If
| a whippoorwill should cry the night be-
fore from neighboring tree and should
again be heard upon early rising in the
morning, that days hunt is also givenup
These and great many other supersti-
tions prevail among them.
The old squirrel hunter trains up his
sons to be hunters from their 18th year.
| Upon attaining this age the father, with
money he has been saving up for months
Tor the express purpose, buys his son a
gun, the same kind as he himself uses.
or perhaps he gives him his own, and
starts him out upon the hunt. He gives
him four or five bullets and tells him
that he must show a squirrel for every
/ bullet upon his return. Ii the unlucky
| young hunter fails to bring in q squirrel
/ for each missing bullet he is taken out
! luto the pine thickets near by, 1.-THE
/ hurrah BUSH as they call it, and is
/ treated to severe thrashing by his
father. After the young hunter has been
able to always make showing for each
missing bullet the father tells him that
! every squirrel he brings in must be shot
in the eye. This rule oftentimes costs the
| young hunter many a thrashinR, yet be-
fore many months he is enabled, like all
older hunters, to pluck the squirrels eye.
| AS soon as the son has thus made himself
master Of his profession his father gives
him the rifle, provides him with a SOUR
relskin cap, pantaloons Of the same kind,
and he is full-fedged hunter.