The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20
SPORT WITH FAT C0ONS.
GREAT HUNTING ON MOONLIGHT
NIGH7S IN CONNECTICUT.

tie Coon-Cnpt. l. yyia's Way OF INuntinG.
NORWICH. Dec. 18.-The phenomenal pro-
longation Of the Indian sum mer, with It's
bland and tranquil DAYS. and soft. silvery. ana
MOONLIGHT or starlit nights, was In the nature
OF q boon to the Nutmeg coon hunter, for II en-
abled him AZ rarely or never before. TO follow
the trail Of the brindled night providers until
the beginning of Christmas time. Royal sport
they have had. often exciting. too, in the last
six weeks. for c, ons wero never more aouno-
ant in all the brown hills and holl- we OF this
famed coon country, or plumper or pluckier.
It's an extraordinary thing. so the hunters
reckon It, marvel!ing at the unprecedented cir
cumstances, that up to date not . Connect'cub
coon, so far as any one knows, has turned In
for his comfortable long winter enooze In his
snug and thick-walled homo in IL pine or chest
nut. Instead they were securing the woods
In tho mild and pleasant moonlight, picking up
q living iE all sorts Of ways, waxing fatter ana
friskier and juicicr all the time. aud they for
bore not to make an occasional hopeful. happy
go-lucky foray into the now desolate corniield
to ANN up a random ear overlooked by careless
husbandmen. But u pack of coons in time
will strip the latest field. and Of late the willy
poachers have had to sack fowl roosts and pill
fer from hens nests to keep themselves In
flesh. But that sort of free-and-easy outlaw
business makes trouble In tho Commonwealth
right on. and tho exaggerated farmers speedily
Joined forces with the sportsmen in lively pur-
suit Of the marauders. The tranquil woods re-
sounded all night with tho rolling reports Of
breech .loaders. Many big bags were taken in
q single hunt: not seldom as many as from three
to six fat. ripe coons were plucked of the top
most boushs of a single giant forest tree. Now
and then. also. a lightly slumberine farmer in
his farmhouse in O lonely valley was awakened
In tho dead hOur. bv n FRI Dtic hut half smnJh-
cred outcry I'm his fowl hUuse, ana. half doing
still, slipped out of bed, muttering:
Coon again. by cracky!"
Barefooted or in q single sock and of shoe. he
stumbles out Of his darkened dwelling and dis
appears stealthily amid the nocturnal shadows.
An Impressive inter val of deathly sllen .e en-
sues. Another cllmorous outbreak In the fowl
house, shriller and fercer yet. n medley Of
sounds. of ~squawkins and futter;ng and sput-
terinE, founcing and tbum plug of feathered
jodies. Presently: Bang and an instant later
Bang! again. Silence once more. and this
time moro enduring. Pretty room energies the
farmer out Of the darkness. smoking gun in
one hand, coon in the other. cropping. etumb.
ing. one phoe of, one on, Rrumbling. sputter-
ing to himself. not because he got the coon. but
because he didn't get two. A pretty likely
coon It Is. too, for dooryard hunting at mid
night, dangling limp and baGRy. but rotund and
plump. At to bear down the steelyaris against
IN eighteen or twenty-pound weight. A clear
Kodsend and prize TO the farmer. that later on
will BIO served smoking hot at his dinner table;
yet offset In part by the speckled fat pullet
stark in the farm yard, where her destroyer
left her when retribution and an ounce and 4
half of wild goose shot interrupted his meal.
Such Is luck even raccoon luck, in the peaceful
country, two.eGged as ever.
That is the Kind of coon hunt. for Instance
that befel young Andrew Longsig OF Portland
In tho Connecticut valley tho other day. He
dwells In q roomy old farmhouse about a mile
from the village. in o lonely valley that Is
crossed by the Air Line Railroad. 1t was
about midnight. balmy and still. AMI Mr.. Long
rig was sleeping heavily In his chamber under
the caves. or q sudden a great clatter arose
in his hennery, OF scurrying. shufhinG fowls
and mufied thumpings. which penetrated and
cracked even the elastic she'll OF his dreams.
and presently. half asleep. he had bounced
OF his perch and stood. statue-like. on his
bedroom floor. listening half Willingly. There
was something % pay. surely. in the fowl
house. he thought. still a little muddled with
slesp; AMI in an instant later he added: ITS o
coon!" for he recognized the nature OF his be-
lated caller by tho noisy manifestations borne
in to him In his chamber. So the first thing
he did was to collar Jack. his house dog. who.
matching the outside disturbance of the peace
with q private circus Of his own within. was
frantically, though fruitlessly thus FAR. striv-
ing to bore ventilatinE tunnels In the stub
born oaken house walls. Mr.. Longsis eau
tiously led Jack through his kitchen to tho
back door OF the dwelling. suddenly flung open.
that barrier. whispered: st. T-take him!
jack" TO the animal. aud let go his clutch on
his collar. Jack flew out Of the house like a
shot and in n nunent had dlsa nuenred in tho
envelopinR gloom. But the farmer OWNED by
his gailoping footballs. sliding down the coun-
try road, and the warning tumult of his cries,
that the wary game had slipued away from
the henlery. and that Jack was hot on Its
trail. Hurriedly donninC a garment, or two.
no matter what or how. and grabbing his
double shotHu. he followed suit at once at q
had set along the dusty pike and kept It un.
wcarledly IA quarter OF u mile 10 its intersection
with the Air Line road, whence, tho sounds OF
the chase betokcncd 1t had trcnded cast " a
half nile Lpon the iron rails: Jack, still
his master clawlng the cinder path. speed .ng
to the rescue. Three minutes later. pulling.
perspiring. gauuses dying. hongsig came 10
tho foot OF n tall telephone pole that scared
above the huge railway embankmcnt, its out
Anes vaguely traced against the leaden SKY,
whose top was expanded in n plump. round.
sable prOtuberance. ike n ripe pumpkin.
The farmer knew at once il was the fugitive
in an aimless circuit about the base of the
shaft. his eager gaze fixed on the Queer tele-
phone run hun2 taEth lZlnElS uDoNe. MS
reach. Now and then the anxious beast shit
ed his footing uneasily and wrightlly. so that
The telephone wires rang on tLclr glass iEsu-
lators in a pleasant jinSling music. 1t was
plain the coon was by no means. satisfied with
his eXl osed and dangerous aerial perch. but 70
fast and furious mad been the pursuit OF tho
lively house dog that he had had no time to
pick and choose another ana safer one. .Scant
time, though. did Lougsig allow him for re-
gret and, belated repentance. Instantly lie
clnpped his hieecl-loader to his shoulder.
though shaking with excitement and his rapid
foot race. and guessing Al his aim by sense Of di-
%rection. since he could rot discern the gun
sight. Bang! Bang! spoke the old piece. one
barrel after the other. The coon rceled on his
pole top as the first charge of big shot whistled
through his ear. but still hung there tenacious
~ by the sharp claws Of his %iorcfcet, slowly
vibrating. With he second shot the Welding
claws let go their clutch in the dry. wood, and
the game. suddenly rolling itself IN n round
bail, slid swiftly down the SHAFT, like n bead
on u wire. and fell Ola the hard rondbcd with
n soft. mushy tL.ud. Thercupon Jack lad the
joyous opportunity TO introduce himself in u
riOtous, Intimate way TO Mr.. BrrnGlcback.a and
he did 20 enthusiastically. finally rolling down
the embankE.eiit side with the coon IN his grip.
aud his master had to put an end to his sport
TO save tho pelt from destruction. IL was a
line shot under the circumstances. Tor II Is
80 L. - IN nIl