The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20

Catalogues Mailed on Application.
who could name II. Land Officer Toomey knew no,
what kind %: an animal he had slain until In
the afternoon OF the following day IN old
Southern dnrky hobbled into the station and
clapped his eve on the strange trophy.
face breaking up in a l4-in.h smile. POS.
sum, boss! rhine old debbil! He beez a
The officer presented his game to Mayor Os.
good. who proposed to have his prize So, up in
style by n local taxidermist. 1t is very rarely
that a Southern opossum penetrates into Con.
%necticut wilds. but in the last live or ten years
several of them have teen met with by local
hunters in remote country districts. In the
man on the summit of Wauwecus Hill. three
miles west OF this city, and about the same
time another In salem, eight miles further TO
neighborhood knew what sort of game the ami.
mails were.
One OF tho most adroit an6 successful hun
ters on the Nutmeg coon path is Capt. VIII
liam Lewis, dwelling among the wild AID
rugged mountain slopes of Litchfeld county.
who has an odd way of his own of hunting tho
willy robbers, bringing them to him. 1t Is o
kind Of still hunting the Captain practises.
time and indomitable patieace to follow his
mode. CAPT. Lewis takes things easy. Late
at night. when the weather is open and balmy.
and the round moon on high, he strolis out OF
his Winsted village cottage. his pack Of dogs
tagging. and penetrating into the heart Of o
remots; lonely, and quiet woodland; secretes
est tree. with his mounds beside him. To lure
the game TO him he places u generous slice of
sock In O bog, and perse eringly waits for 1t to
take the scent of the bait. On . two. several
hours 90 by. tagging. and the sportsman main
tains his monotonous vigil at his tree trunk
fruitlessly. his dogs. who know the secret Of
his woodcraft as we'll as he. lying c'ose. with
Finally a dark form. almost imperceptibie.
steals out of the sable wood. noiselessly I'D
vances TO the ledge. silent and elusive as o
Ia md nntttt n A q. -~al- IA
The figure 81 ,nces around warily. half suspi.
ciously. For an Instant the moonlight plays
on q, It's tHwny pelt: its Grizzled hair Entiied
Capt. Lewis's piece from the tres-compli-
ments OF the e~vening-and coon No. / Is nailed
the raccoon is not entirely done for. complete
L Knocked out b., the first shot. Ssh! stl
Take him, Cnsar"'' from the eager hunter,
and tn" whole pack of dogsplunge into tho
field wolhshly. and speedily finish the imper-
feet job. That's the way Capt. William Lewis
night he is early at his selected post. with in
defatigable zest and hopeful, jocund spiI its.
somewhere IN tie great rolling mountain will
the coon, but oftener. after "A whole night Of
lonesome watching and strained attention. it
is his lot to trudge home ward empty handed;
but he's Just rs happy as II he lugged u ling
tailed varniint humping against his leg. Tho
Captain often uses his rifle on his hunts. and
spikes a coon's head to q rock at sixty PAGES by
moonlight.
he has DaSged eight coons himself handily
handsome ones. and is still on the warpath
against the tribe. Sometimes in his trips. II
there 10 no forest. tree, or rock available TO
his purpose. he hides himself hehind a fallen
trunk or pasture fence. or stone wall. H. is
no empty orhcial title the CAPTAIN wears. for
he was a sea ,aptain for many years, and he
hunting is his fTvorite sport.
The most exciting and dangerous coon hunt
OF the season took place not long ago Just across
the Connecticut border, near sandisfeld. Mass.
in the B"rkshireg Hills. and Capt. Lewis was
OF Wlnsted participated in ii, among the
members being some OF the best sportsmen in
the Kind this year, ali its former hunts having
been uniformly successful. The sportsmen
rallied forth from their Connecticut homes.
with IA pack OF splendid coon dogs. late Of a
Saturday night, crossed the border about mid
nigh. and we're securing the old Bay State hills
H;oc jns gfr rmas Mn nSn u IF s sng Cant, H Hem.
were hunting together. But after n while the
Captain strayed away from hi. companions,
and, fired with ambition and ardor. plunged into
the. dense forest about sandistield, keeping
we'll to the front Of them. FInally. he came to
the root OF a giant tree. in the heart Of the will
derness, about whose base the whole squad of
hounds were eddying and baying furiously.
The story Of the singular incident that betel
Capt. Lewis there. Henry Stacker subsequently,
narrated 10 wondering groups In the shops at
Ninsted.
in the tip-tup of the tree" said he. "a dark
lump against the sky, and so he Jest up with
his gun and fired. and down tumblei che game.
Now. that yellow-haired beast was 10 all ap-
penranccs. and as far as any one could have
told. rs dea rs julius Caesar; he lay there like
n log On the ground. among thu leaves. and
never u stir or culver or a squeak from him.
But what lid he do when tho CAPTAIN. over
there. run TO Dick him up, but Just set right up
bound spike himeelf TO the Captain's thigh,
and sink his claws deep into the flesh. Gee!
how he tore and ripped. and once do IN went
Captain and coon all in Il heap together. The
Captain. YOU see. had dropped his gun when 10
rushed in to recover, and 81 IL was Il clean.
bare handed fight betwIXt the Two. and no
:avOrs asked or granted. from opening to finish
Of performance.
The dogs weren't in 1t much. either. there
being not much light to SEQ hv. and besides
they were so ra'Zle-daZ2led ~ the queer. sud
den turn the circus had taken they were tn NIB.
ling over each other in n heap. yelling like pos
scssed, and every one of EN- wondering where
on earth that game had disappeared 10. Well,
IL didn't take long for the coon 10 get the
over in II fraction OF n minute; but let ms tell
you II would nave been all day With Capt.
William Lewis II Jim aud hadn't slid into
the scene right in the nick OF time. AS II was,
he was on his ba k on the ground. helpless.
and the maddened coon perch-d on him. rip
we made short work of the beast. but it was a
little the hottest fight that ever l was In. and
It win he n cool day before ! start out TO mix
made out 10 get a rifle bullet into the coon's
head. right when things We're looking sQually
for the pack OF us, and the devil went over
backward with the shot, curlci up deai i. Glad.
were WEI. Perhaps not. Every stitch OF cloth.
ing on the three of US that coon had ripped
into fiddle strings and shoe laces in tho tight,
cuts. scratches. and bruises. TIE Captain
wa, so hndly done for that we had to hello him
home. and he was laid up in bed for about q
week after the session, L. II couple OF min
utcs more, the coon would have killed him.
II help hadn't come"
The coon weighed exactly 37LS pounds, the
heaviest. anu hercest in the hunting annals OF
either Massachusetts or Connecticut. Headers
OF TN NGN Will haze a clearer comprehsn-
sion Of his great relative size when il is said
that ordinarily II twenty-five FOUNDER Ia reck-
oned to he unusually large.
In eastern connecticut a number of great
coon bngs nave been scored in the last month
or more. ~ one town. North Sterling, about
eighteen miles northeast OF this city, a single
hunter has iaKsn tTsnty;seven handsome pelts
nm. "a the ahioIping town of BozraE, has
oaGgt" ' wrr,, TAX, n 1asI six weeks, and seven
boil tailed i"X terrier, Gift. that weighs but
likes no letter fun than a ronrh-Snd,umblo
zled old ch'cG x thief. All in ali, the ori-
than eighty coons this fall Inothep Nnptb
Sterling hunter has taken thirly.Iwo AT,
llkalv InlloML tWN tNV,