The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-18

Knew How TO Handle a Rife or "a
smooth Observation-Disclosures a Fam
Gus shot.
From the New York Times.
Washington, Nov 9.-From Washington
to Cleveland there have been but few
Presidents who were fond of sports In the
field and by the stream. Washington was
a famous rifle shot, and also duck hunt
err, and carefully preserved his lands and
river front from invasion by the casual
shooter. Jackson was also a rideman,
but never used the shotgun, which was
almost unknown at his time as a sports
man arm. The southwest was then full
of big game such as the rifle alone could
be used In hunting
1.-The first double-barreled shotgun |
ever saw" said Gen. Jackson to Gen.
Harvey, when the latter was a captain In
the First infantry, United States army.
on recruiting service at Nashville, in
1s24-5, belonged to Gen. Wade Hampton,
who owned a splendid estate above New
Orleans in 1912. / thought Il was an ef-
Terminate sort Of arm. and l said as much
to Hampton, who laughed. and then
showed me how to shoot ducks on the
wing. Hampton (the present general s
grandfather, was a master Of all sorts of
arms and one of the very finest shots
with the pistol l have ever seen" Gen.
Taylor, who had been brought up on the
frontier was fond OF the rifle, and next
to Capt Martin Scott, major and brevet
lieutenant colonel. Fifth Infantry, who
was killed in Mexico. perhaps the best
shot in the United States army of his
time.
The last three Presidents have been not
ed for their fonduess for shooting ana
fishing. Hayes was good wing shot, and
nearly every autumn before ne became
President used to so to the St Clair Flats
or the fine shooting grounds near san
| dusky bay for a week or two OF duck
shooting, or else into what was then called
the Black swamp of Northwestern Ohio
for deer. He did not shoot, however, while
he was President. Chester A. Arthur was
passionately fond OF that finest Of all
sports with the rod, salmon fiShlng. Eacn
season during his executive term he used
to take a fishing tour. He had been ac-
customed to lease a salmon fishing in
Canada, but as "a President cannot leave
the United States while in Office, he did
not do so while he was in the white
house. but instead took a week each year
at the fishing grounds Of the Cuttyhunk
Club. famed for the splendid sea bass.
President Cleveland Is equally devotee
of the gun and the rod. Having uH-
usual physical strength, he is able TO
handle with equal ease the seven and a
half or eight-pound bird gun for snipe,
partridge and quail, or the heavy sixteen
pound eight-bore dock gun affected by
the Carroll Island Club. near Baltimore,
where canVasbacks and redheads are
thought to be the only birds worth the
expense and trouble IL costs to take them.
Being stronger, larger and younger than
Gen. Harrison, he can endure far more
of fatigue and get wet oftener without
danger to his health than can his imme-
diate predecessor, though President Har-
rison Is an excellent shot In the field at
snipe and quails, and no mean performer
with the heavy eight and ten-bore dock
gun.
President Cleveland first became known
to the country generally the lovers Of
the brown double-barrel, and the brother
hood of crack shots, when he made a
trip from Washington to Orange Island,
in Southwest Louisiana, the estate of
Joseph Jefferson, to enjoy fortnight Of
as excellent water fowl shooting as the
United States affords Orange Island
was purchased by Mr.. Jefferson about
twenty years ago. The great actor was
in New Orleans on a professional tour,
and made a visit TO the Teche country.
and the picturesque regions OF Southwest
Louisiana. He went to Orange Island on
a visit, and was charmed with its lowell
ness The property consists OF about 300
acres of fine tillable land, that lies within
the curve made by a horseshoe shaped
lake OF clear cold water, fed partially By
six great springs, and by three small
bayous that empty into IT.. The land rises
up out of the sea marsh, and is supposed
to be the dead crater or an extinct vol
cano There are five of these curious
"islands." as they are termed, along the
southwest coast of Louisiana, almost
equidistant, all valuable properties. The
tops are truncated cones, having from
COO acres to $500 acres OF good land each,
and all are famous sugar plantations Mr..
jefferson has not grown sugar on his, but
ii is noted for its fine growth of orange
trees, from which ii takes It's name.
There is an excellent old mansion house
on the place, that has been made a very
picturesque residence. It is surrounded by
spacious grounds, full of all sorts of semi
tropical shrubs, and shaded by some mag
nificent live oaks and the largest orange
trees in Southwest Louisiana. The only
objection to 1t as a permanent residence
in Mr.. Jefferson's eyes, Is that the mos
quitoes are extremely abundant and
vicious in the warm months, though the
natives do not mind them. But in the au-
tumn and winter, TO. a man fond of ma
ture and shooting, II Is an ideal country
place The superb sheet of water that
almost surrounds Orange Island is full
of fine fish. and the resort Of about every
species of water fowl known to our cOun-
try I'm the shooting season.
Il never saw such clouds Of ducks in
rny life as there were at Mr.. Jefferson $
place in louisiana" the President said
on his return from his visit there, "and
the marshes adjoining were alive with
snipe and small wading game birds OF
every kind" The President had as his
boatmen and guides two Of the native
Creole duck shooters. These men know
every bayou and stream along the coast,
and in their light dugouts, called pi-
rougues," they can go anywhere, If there
is six inches of water under them. They
shoot thirty-six and forty-inch long four
teen and sixteen-bore double guns, still
using percussion caps and loading their
guns with paper as wadding for powder
and shot A breach-loader is an abomi-
nation to them; their fathers did not have
them, nor will they. They are capital
shots, and with their old-fashioned guns
will kill more birds than any amateur
will hope to get with the finest modern
breach loader. The President was greatly
amused at their quaint. homely ways, and
tells some interesting stories of his eXpe-
rience with his Creole boatmen.
Mr. Cleveland is not fond of fine wea-
pons in his hunting battery. He usually
shoots American built guns. his favorite
being $50 Colts twelve-bore; or, If
ducks be the game he expects to find, he
pattern. He sometimes uses a twelve
bore Scott hammer gun of the S125 kind.
There are few better duck shots than
the President. He usually loads with pref