The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-02-22
SUICIDE OF I DEER.
He Invaded Collins Strawberry Patch and Tragedy Resulted.
 From the New York Sun.)


 Game protector Kidd of Newburgh, who is always on the alert that he may miss no opportunity to uphold the ma jesty of the game law, and that no of fender against It. nor the incidental share of the fine that goes to the infor- ner, may escape, heard recently that James Collins had shot deer out of season. James Collins lives at or near Marlboro where the strawberries and the raspberries and the blackberries grow.
 Protector Kidd went to Marlboro, He learned that James Collins was strawberry grower He called on James Collins, told him who he was, and said:
 MT. Collins, I am sorry to tell you that you have no right to kill deer out of season, sir
 And I'm here, by gumho!" said James Collins, "to show you that deer hain't got no right to eat my straw berries out O season, sir
 That's what said!" exclaimed James Collins. What right has deer to eat my strawberries out O season? See how that patch is chawed? See how it's clawed? See how it's paved? Maybe you l pasture cattle on my strawberries, l couldn't blame you if you did, for it looks enough as if did. But I don't. Cows nor cattle didn't chaw and claw and paw that patch the way it is.
 ae "a mn when the game law said deer couldn't be killed any more, deer begun to come down from them woods wonder and pasture on my strawberries. Shoo em off? Not much! They knowed we didn't dare to kill 'em, and every time we tried to shoo 'em off they jest bris- tied up and run us off the patch, and went on with their chawin' and pawin' and clawin
 Why ain't they here now? An acci- dent happened to one of 'em t'other day.
 Yes" replied James Collins. "One O the deer shot himself Broke the game law, by gumbo and shot himself out O season."
 "Has!' thought the protector, trap gum
 Shot himself dead!" continued MT Collins. Shot himself dead. I was in the patch here tryin' to red things up and save a little O next years crop, when a deer came trottin' down out O the woods.
 Ding it.' says I, I'll git the old musket and sort O strut out in the patch with it. Maybe the sight of it'll make the deer think we don't care for the game law around here, and he'll | skip.
 T took down the nusket and marched out into the patch with 1t. got within twenty foot O the deer fore he seen me, he was so busy chawin' and clawin'. Then he looked up. He didn't turn scared a bit. He turned ! madder than wild bull and come for me a-tearin I whipped around and broke for the house, but the deer ketched me
 | He ketched me about three inches below where the hind suspender but ton fits into the suspenders, and down l went and plowed as much as ten foot though the patch. The old musket was shook loose from me by the jar, and | lllGll NIlCIl lOlAlQ Oul IL llttu lOdu | in it. I guess maybe the butt end O | the musket struck the fence post yon- der, and rattled up the lock some way. l Anyhow I heard a roar like a l Fourth O July salute, and when l got up there was an amaZin' smell O pow 1 der hoyerin' round, and the smoke was so thick I couldn't see anything for as much as a minute, I guess. Then it cleared up.
 Wonder by the fence post the mus ket was layin', peaceful as lamb, and | over wonder where you see that big gest claw in the patch laid the deer l just as peaceful as the musket The unfortunate critter had shot himself out O season! Whats the reason your business here hain't got nothin' to do with strawberry patches, I'd like to l know?"
 1 MT. Collins'' said Protector Kidd | sternly, where is that deer?" Soon as I see what had happened, J replied MT. Collins, T run in he house and told the folks, and then run down wonder to tell neighbor. When I go1 back the deer wasn't layin' in the patch any more. I asked my neghbor who knows all about deer, whether he thought other deers could have come out of the woods and carried that dead l deer back with 'em, and he said, know. in what he knowed about deer es. ], pecially Marlboro deer it wouldn't sur. prise him if they did. But can show you the musket the deer shot himself with, protector
 Protector Kidd didn't care to see the nusket, and as the evidence wasn't such as to warrant further proceedings against James Collins, the protector warned him against such carelessness in the future in carrying firearms ir the presence of deer, and went home.
 She Licked Three.