San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-11-10
FROM THE COAST.
How Our Visitors Amused Them
selves

who visited the coast country,
after taking in the big tournament
of the San Antonio Gun club, were
Il. w. Hoffman, OF Galena, Kan;
G. A. Damon, representing the
Burgess gun; T. r. Kimmouth and
w. G. Sergeant, Of Joplin, Mo.
The two last named gentlemen ar
rived from Corpus Christi last
Tuesday afternoon, having remain
ed several days longer than they
expected. They reported having
had good time generally, killing
all the red-heads and canvas backs
they wanted, and making some
fine catches OF reddish and trout.
The gentlemen from Joplin were
taken in charge by two members
Of the club, and shown over the
city. They left for home Tuesday
night, quite enthusiastic with their
first visit to Texas.
Two jollier, whole. souled fellows
than Messrs. Sergeant and Kin
mouth were never met, and they
told of some jokes that were
played and incidents that hap
pened to members of the party,
which are too good to keep, and as
Kinmouth put it: "should be aired
in the newspapers"
The party left San Antonio last
Thursday afternoon week for
Rockport, in charge Of Mr.. George
A. Chabot, who wired ahead to
Fred. Kemp,living on Copano bay,
to meet the party with teams. On
arriving, at the place the sportsmen
were all comfortably housed and
cared for by Mr.. Kemp, who is
known among sportsmen as a
most royal host.
The following morning bright
and early found the hunters in
their blinds, killing ducks right
and left. The evening flight was
rather light, although the ducks
were plentiful in the bay and Mr..
Hoffman, taking a small whale.
back galvanized skiff, with gun
and plenty OF ammunition, pro-
ceeded to stir them up from their
lazy position. Becoming very
much interested in the sport he
drifted rather far out in che bay,
and darkness coming on heknew not
whittier to go in short, he was lost
with nothing in sight but some few
lights on shore which he could see
from the skiff. The shores Of
Copano bay are dotted with farms
and fishermen's houses, there
fore making it the more difficult
| to tell which direction or what
light to follow. Hoffman, now
thoroughly aroused to the danger
Of his situation, began to fire his
gun in the hope that some one on
land would hear him and come to
his assistance, at the same time
pulling for shore, which he reached
after hard struggle. The worst,
as he thought, being over, Mr.. H.
again fired several rounds of am
munition which had the effect Of
bringing some campers to the
shore who inquired what the cause
OF all the commotion was, and
asked H. why he didn't give the
ducks a rest at night. Explana-
tions followed, and he was told
that the light on the opposite shore
about two miles off was a signal
light put up by his friends in their
endeavor to attract his attention,
and show him the direction in
which to steer for camp. Thank
ing them, Mr.. II. pulled in the
direction OF the signal light, finally
landing, sore and much fatigued,
amid the congratulations Of his
friends, who, becoming anxious as
to his fate, had used up more than
fifty black powder shells to attract
his attention, and which II. claims
he never heard. On counting his
shells, Mr.. H. found that during
the time he was lost, he had fired
fifty-two rounds OF ammunition as
signals OF distress.
Mr.. II. left for his home in Ga
lena, Kan, last Sunday night.
Let it be known that c. A.
Damon is hail fellow we'll met,
and although slightly suffering
with an attack Of rheumatism,
which makes him slow in action in
so far as his Trilby's are concerned,
he proved himself a rafting, clever
shot during the tournament, and
mixed it with the best of them.
The same Damon, who claimed
no close relationship to the origi-
nal Of "Damon and Pythias" fame,
has proven himself made of fit ma.
terial for friendship and lays claim
to having met the goat half way in
days gone by.
The comedy which starts off with
Damon as a leading star happened
on the wharf at Rockport; where
the entire party, after procuring
suitable fishing tackle at the Arau-
sas hotel, proceeded to cast their
lines well baited for reddish and