The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-06
TWO KEEN TIITED CooNs.
One Lost to the Hunters In n Ledge and the
Other In IL Mnl.

DEDHAN Me. Dec. 4.-The Bucksport Coon
Club held its last hunt for the season in the
woods back Of Blocks Mountain. and while the
two coons which the dogs started escaped from
the hunters. and all the sportsmen got wet md
stayed wet for hours. the members learned sew
eral interesting facts about natural history, and
arc better informed about tho ways Of couns
than they were before they took their long
tramp. The hunt took place on Friday
night, having been postponed from Thanks
giving on account of the rain. The FIRST
coon WAS freed in n hollow hemlock
stub after a half hours brisk chase by the dogs.
As the man who assembled tho tree with climb
ers found the coon was lodged In a hollow near
the top. the services OF an axeman were needed,
No sooner had the tree fallen than the coon shot
out of the top. like q cannon bail, and went Off
to hide himself in the crevices of a ledge, where
q ton OF powder could not dislodge him.
In tramring home three members of the club
passed through the orchard of 4" Shah" Hawim-
son and found n big coon mp In a tree making
his supper ON frozen apples. Before a man
could think Of shooting. the coon had leaped
lots with six OF the best dogs In Hancock county
in close pursuit, The hunters were highly
elated, knowing mat an OLD coon VIII NOT take
hrma until he or the dogs or both con-
tending parties are dead or disabled. II
WAS II slow, hard hunt from the start.
The coon. fully conscious of his own
powers. struck out through u wide swamp
tree roots when he could. and swimming cheer
fully whenever he could ini nothing to stand
emerged from the lowlands and struck out for
n warming up run across the hills of Stumbluw.
all but tho best dog had lost the trail and given
up the chase in disgust, so that out OF twenty
two dogs that had started only nine had thread
ed their way across the boys, These came trail
ing along through the underorush. led by Carlo,
a brindie hound, owned by an OrlRnd man,
who was highly elated to to know that his dog
Instead Of 9uickenine his pace on gaining
hard ground. the Don continued at a Jog trot.
coming up the Gully heard Carlo give a sharp,
ugly bark followed By 2 wild prolonged ~ VI"
to two counties. and Carlos owner WAS frantic
with chaerin and grief because OF his
coon and confessed he was sorry for
1t in aGonizing yells. The other dogs
a run, and, doubling on his tracks, went down
TO Long Pond stream and swain down toward
the milldam. The keen-scenteh dogs, skirting
until II reached the sawmill. The water having
been drained of for winter enabled the dogs TO
Hume. whore they stood yelling until the men
arrived. The dogs saw the coon, had gone into
the upper end of the nume. As the box was TOO
small TO allow n dog 70 go in, a pole was cut and
pushed through the hume several times. Find
a"st the sb Dune the sm dam OF and SpT min IG for % aS b lea the he
more, hoping to. pick, up, the lost track, The
dogs worked faithfully, but gave no sign OF
having "A sutpicion about the coon, so the hun
tiers were compelled to give up the chase, har-
Messing up and starting for home about 8
O'Clock Friday morning.
Four hours after all the hunters had left,
Fr Il Smith. who saws shingles In the mill, ran
down to the store for a gun. saying there was q
lOup corpter hiding on the top OF the frame OF
the mulay saw. When the animal had been
shot and brought down, IL proved to be a fat old
coon that weighed forty-elRht pounds on the
store scales. II had passed clear through the
mime and climbed the, dripping shaft OF the
There were scratches and hairs all along the
smart TO show how tho coon Went up. From here
IL hau leaped TO the wide upper frame OF the
was boxed In for ten feet above the mill floor,
anu as the coon had gone up inside. the dogs
trance 70 the dumes