The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-12-15
Mr.. BRYAN AS A DEER-SLAYER.
A HUNTERS PARADISE IN MIS-
SOURI,.

The Ex-Presidentiai Candidate Hat
an Enjoyable Time-An Immens,
Game Park in the Bald Knoll
Region.
Ex-Presidential Candidate William
jennings Bryan had series of enjoy
able experiences out in the rich game
preserves OF Taney county, Missouri
In company with q number of distin
gutshed Democrats of that State re
Gently. Taney county is the only
county in the State that the railroads
have not entered. 1t is almost as wild
as primeyal wastes. Few people dwell
there. There are no towns of any i'm.
portance, no industries. The soil is
most barren and rocky. No crops can
be raised except in kitchen garden
sort OF way. 1t is in the heart of the
Bald Knob region. 1t boasts no slop.
ing, greenly wooded hills, no sheer
defiant crags. Dull, gray knobs, bald
of growth, rise in endless series all
about. In the low-lyiug land intcrven.
ing, great trees rise up. AT their
bases grows thick underbrush. The
streams in Taney county, both big and
little, are clear as crystal. They
| meander around and about these knobs,
more tortuoHs in their turnings than
| the rattlesnakes along their banks,
| flowing always toward the south. They
are alive with fish, a godsend to the
natives. A number of ST. Louis gen.
tlemen own about 5000 acres OF land in
the southern part Of Taney county.
This land is fenced in and literally
teens with game. There are the in
| digenous red deer, elk, antelope, wild
goat, bear, squirrel coon, 'possum,
catamOunt, turkey and quail in greater
abundance than in any place in Am
erica. 1t is really a hunters paradise.
Right through the centre OF it runs
the beautiful White river. This
stream is about the size of the Mcramec
and is full Of spotted trout, jack salmon
and bass, so that he who does not care
to hunt, but loves to sit and angle on
for. When the park was first inclosed
there were perhaps twenty of the
native deer within it, and in the fenc-
ing, under the superintendent of Mr..
McCann, "Old Coon" they call him, q
regular job was worked on the poor,
confiding deer who happened to have
been left on the outside. The bald
knobs in the park arc very steep
Many of them risc up.at angles of is
degrees and the 24-foot wire fence was
built so as to lean sharply toward the
incline This made it much higher on
the one side than on the other. The
White River is the runway for the
deer coming north from Arkansas. AS
the deer come over the knobs they can
jump the fence. but once Inside thew
cannot jump back. They thus become
prisoners, and in this way the herd of
deer has been materially increased
over and above the additions b birth.
The whole park is thus big deer
trap, good deal on the order of some
OF the patent mOusetraps and similar
cOntrivances. But not only has the
game been increased in these two ways.
Elk, antelope and wild goat have been
brought from other parts Of the coun-
try and placed within the park. Two
herds of elk were captured-one in the
north and the other from the north
west and turned loose in the big in
closure. This vas done in order to
prevent inbreeding. About a year
ago one of the big buck elks got so ugly
that they were obliged to kill him. He
was like rogue elephant, the bane of
CirCuscs. No soOr CIR had he been shut
up month than he showed such a
mean disposition that the rest Of the
herd drove him away, refusing to as
sociatc with him. He then herded
with the domestic cattle, of which
thero are quito q number on the pre-
serve.
Whenever the park keepers showed
up the buck would charge them in the
widest anger. He became as sharp
as a fox and laid for the keepers. They
did not dare kill him for fear of in
curing the displeasure Of the proprie-
tors, SO they had to run for it every
time they were attacked.
More than once some Of them were
forced to climb trees and stay above
ground until the furious beast below
them grew tired and went away. He
finally got so bad that he would creep
up around the mems quarters and lie
in wait for them, and then the order
was given that he be shot. The
keepers ate him with great relish.
This buck was the first of tho big
game in the park to BE- killed. One or
two others have been shot for sport,
but the recent outing is really the
formal opening of the park, The pro-
prietors have been biding their time
until the preserve should be thorough
ly well stocked. Small game like
turkey and squirrel and quail is so
thick that one can almost kill them
Wi h club. AS far coons and 'possums,
they can be picked of the fences at
least that is what those who have been
to the park insist, and this is their ex-
planation While the fence is built
twenty feet high to keep in the deer,
it is also built with tho barbed wires
very close together at the bottom. Mr..
Coon and Mr.. 'Possum and other such
varmits," coming along in the hey
day of their liberty, try to get in or
out OF tho preserve as the case may be.
They stick their pointed noses in be.
tween the wires and push. Then q
barb catches them. They wrigglc a
bit and another barb catches the ~
The first thing they know they are
stuck and all fellow has to do for q
'possum supper or q coon skin cap is
to go over to the fence and pick one
OFF. 1t was there that Mr.. Bryan killed
his first deer, a magnificent fve-prong
antlered buck, which weighed $50
| pounds. He showed no excitement
and gave no evidence whatever OF suf-
fcring from " buck ague."
OF the balance of the early party,
| Sam B. Cook took his favorite setter
and went down in the bottoms in search
Of. quail. He had but slim success,
owing to the dryness of the leaves and
grass which rendered the scent so
difficult that his dog was nearly use
less. However, he bagged few quail
and one squirrel. Colonel Wetmore
went in search Of squirrel, but his
avoirdupois rendered mountain clim-
bing too much like work, therefore be
was the first man to seek the COO seats
OF the veranda Governor Stoue,
| Mainr frnu lac opI tho Hon Ho,un,,