The Portland daily press., 1894-06-16


| the first shot. He selected a COW that
| stood ,broadside on and fired The COW
| raised in the air fore and aft by turns,
and the other two youths congratulated
their companion.
Bully for you." they said Hurry up
and load her, and We'll try the others"
| The second shot by Daily, grazed the
back of the middle COW. which had been
| lying down, but who stood upon her
| hind legs when she felt the bullet
moment later Shaffer put his bullet
| into the third cow, just as the animals
started on run, which soon took them
out OF range. The buck board proceeded,
their prowess, made successful attempt
at shooting from the wagon, and left
souvenir bullets in horse and cow
belonging to Titus Gilbert.
A flock of sheep which were unfortu-
nate enough to he grazing near the road
side when the Nimrods came along, were
set IN motion by few we'll directed bull
let's and few of them had their fleece
| perforated.
Small game was next in order.
| A rooster Growing trlumphantly from
| fence post offered a tempting oppor-
tunity. When Shaffer fired the rooster
discontinued his vocal exercises and per-
TO mourn over the corpse fell to Dalley's
gun, and the feathered pair were united
IN death. Further up the road some fat
ducks waddllng along were SO easy that
the boys shot them down left handed.
but hen that few across the road
squawklng DANGEROUSLY to tell the barn
! yard of the slaughter, was checked in
mid air by shot from Fowler.
This small fry is no good" objected
Shaffer presently. II want something
that's big enough to see without squint-
ing"
He found it in William Brower's prize
cow, which was chewing her cud in
field, but relinquished that occupation
to go on wild lope for the further fence
after bullet had lodged in her ribs.
And just here Daley, inspired with the
spirit of craftsmanship, voiced his inper-
most sentiments aud probably those of
MS companions when he said:
1t amt SO much the fun of hitting
EN-, Anybody can hit COW; but it's
the fun of seeing 'em dance when you
| hit 'emn
The next animal to dance for the edit
| cation of the three hunters was Clark
Keeler's OK, whose fancy steps were of so
emphatic and ominous character that
the boys deemed it best to hasten their
steed and get out of the way.
| In passing Mr.. B owton's on the return
| trip one of them pointed the gun at the
| Bowton dog, but another with true dis
| erection, suggested: "Don't fire at him.
It's all right with the cows and chickens.
They won't chase you, but dog will
fight"
On reaching William Nichols's farm
| field Convinced that the colt would
not retaliate upon them, they fired at
| him, and with neigh Of pain he fell.
| The bullet had entered his body just
| back OF the shoulder, and he died in an
hour. The pleasure of seeing a helpless
animal fall to their shot was the crown
| ing joy of this day of sport, and the boys
returned home well satisfied with them
selves and determined to try it again
some time with bigger gun. But there
| will be no more happy hunting grounds
about Ridgefield for those three boys.
The first tinge of unpleasantness was
| when Mr.. Nichols called on DIR. Shaffer
| with bill for $500 for his colt. DR..
Shaffer gave him $50. Mr.. Nichols said
| that DR.. Shaffer was a fair-minded and
| far-seeing gentleman. 1t is, however,
| the general opinion in Ridgeield that
Mr.. Nichols is a gamer of about $500 by
the loss of his colt.
| Subsequently Elmer Lawrence, whose
| three cows the boys had stampeded, pre-
| sented report from a veterinary sur
| geon, and said that 500 would about
| square things. He got the money.
Meantime Tom Walker called on Mr..
| Daley for the purpose of calling his at
tention to the fact that his (Walker's y
horse was first rate horse, considered
as such, but that as an equine sieve he
| had deprecated largely in value, a de-
| ficiency in no wise compensated by the
mineral deposit IN the horses body. Mr..
| Walker got $3.50.
| Other demands came in, such as SIS
for rooster, deceased; 81 for ducks, An
indefinite amount for an OK, 500 for a
| horse and similar mild demands. At
| no rofa Of et,a
are mum berless owners Of live stock who
would he glad to turn the three BOYS
| loose among their animals and furnish
them with dynamite bombs. Some of
| the owners of animals have consented to
have the matter arbitrated, but Clark
Keller, the owner of the perforated OK,
| says that he'll either get what he wants
or carry the case to court Tom Wilson
| and Frank Jennings, owners of defunct
! feathered stock, may follow his lead.
| The sheep have yet to be heard from.
Meantime the three Nimrods are deep
| in disgrace, and their parents are max
| ing mathematical calculations based on
| a sum total of average between the ac-
tual and accrued value of horses, sheep,
oxen, ducks, chickens and COWS, divided
| by three.
DIR. Newton M.Shaffer was found at his
office, 2S East Thirty-eighth street, in
this city, yesterday. THE facts" he
| SAID, are UnoSe, MY BOY, Melman,
has for chum Henry Daley, Jr Our
country houses are close together at
Rigefield. Northrup Fowler of New
York, has been visiting young Daley,
and the three boys, who are about is
years of age, have been having good,
healthy fun in the country. Some time
ago young DALEY became the owner of
what believe is called an Atlas rifle. I
understand that it is weapon a grade
above a toy, and quite as harmless. 1t
shoots 20-calibre cartridge, am told.
Last Thursday the boys went to South
Lake, and took the rife with them. They
were not out hunting wild beasts or tame
animals. They shot the gun for amuse-
| ment, just as they would shoot popgun
",Well the next information I got about
| the expedition was at the depot on the
following morning, when L was ap-
preached by big, husky and offensive
| farmer named Nichols He said that one
of the boys had killed his colt with the
rifle. He made a big bluff, saying that
he would prosecute to the full extent of
the law, etc. and demanded $500 for the
colt. 1t happened that 1 had a difficult
operation to perform that day in New
York, matter of life and death. 1 was
in a great hurry, and in order to settle
the whole business at once I gave d
| oh for GS0O To Nichols for +bo oo1t ,.,l