The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-11-26

thanks approached Miles began to make
preparations for supplying some sub
stantial dish for the holiday table. He
took down his long barreled fiintlock,
filled his powderhorn and his bullet
pouch, tied on his moccasins and started
out before daylight into the adjacent
woods. II be had good luck, he caught
sight of his prey after walk of an hour
or so and laid him low with unerring
aim. Then he proudly walked back to
his log cabin and pumped down a Is
pound gobbler before the admiring Pris-
ella. Surely there was good cause for
giving thanks on such an occasion, for
your domestic reared turkey cannot be-
gin to compare in delicate flavor with
that Of his wild brother who has fed on
dried berries, nuts and aromatic buds
until his flesh, though perhaps not 80
tender, is delicious to the taste.
1t is in sections where the wild turkey
was once found, but from which he has
disappeared, that the Thanksgiving tur.
key shoot fourishes. There being none
of the wild birds about to give the viii
lage marksmen chance to show their
skill, the domesticated turkey is used
as a substitute.
Almost every locality of this sort has
an individual who may be relied upon
to get up the shoot. In a certain little
town in northern Michigan which have
in mind just now this Office was filled
by Rufe jackson, who passed the sum
mer months in the wheelhouse of lit
tie tug of which he was captain and
crew. During the fall and winter Rufe
turned his hand to almost anything that
there was an honest dollar.
So along about Thanksgiving time
there appeared in the local weekly paper
notice to the effect that "our enter
prising and genial townsman, Captain
Rufe jackson, has secured from Detroit
two dozen fine turkeys which he is fat
tening in anticipation of the annual
Thanksgiving turkey shoot which he
will conduct at the foot of Main street "
Every one knew the place indicated,
for Main street had q definite foot, or
ending, in the lake. So on Thanksgiv.
ing morning every man who thought he
was q good rife shetland there were
full twoscore in the village-could be
seen making his way down toward the
lake shore.
"Hello, doci Where you goin with
the gum" was common salutation on
such occasions.
"Oh, Just down TO the shore"
Expect to get one of Cap'n Rufe's
turkeys?"
"Oh, mol I'm just going to throw a
little lead at 'em for fun. Want to help
Rufe out, you know"
This reply would call out q hearty
laugh, for it was we'll known that the
doctor was one of the best shots in town
and that he usually got turkey pretty
cheap on Thanksgiving day.
At the lake shore would be gathered
from 30 to 75 men, most of them with
rifles, but some without. The latter
were the nonoombatants who had come
down to see the fun along with half the
boys in the village. Out ON the edge of
the shore ice Captain Rufe had stationed
his assistant with the turkeys. The birds
were in crates and bobbed their heads
up through the Stats wonderingly. They
were as excited and nervous as If they
knew the fate in store for them.
The butt of o saw log which bad been
rolled out on the ice served as an execu-
toners block. Behind this the turkeys
were tied. Had they had wit enough tc
crouch down behind it they would have
been safe from the bullets. but the fool
ish birds constantly stretched up their
necks to see what was going on. and
thus offered fair II not an easy mark