The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20
OLD DAYS IN THE BEECH.
FAMOUS II TERRTLB HUNTERS
AND HEIR EXPLOITS.

Fight Pat Up by n boar Against Two Hunt
ers In Sullivan Countr-A Gray woir's
Death struRGie-Eik Ronmed the woods,
and E,Ght Pound Trout Were Common.
There are men still living in the Beaverkill
country who were born In the forest when there
were not a dozen families in that part of Sulli-
van county. and when IL required n days travel
to get through the beechwoods OF Rockland
and Noversink to reach tho settlements on the
south. Some OF these men remember-or say
they do-when elk were still comnion along tho
Delaware and Its tributary valleys: when the
panther disputed possession OF the woods with
the settlers. and deer aud wolves toamed in
herds and packs In the wilderness. The memo
ries Of some of these links between the pioneer
days and the present are still fresh oUcerning
many exciting incidents of the distant past, es-
pecially the exploits OF certain members Of a
race of hnrGv hunters called into being by ext
Rencies and necessities OF that time. The names
enshrined In every household In northern
Sullivan are especially those Of Sam Darbee.
Cyrus Dodge. Peter Stewart, Ben Wisner, David
Ovcrton, Nelso Croker. Sim Bush, stephen
Curry. and Tom Quick. the Indian slayer.
Peter Stewart. the last survivor of tho pioneer
hunters. has been dead only q few years, having
reached the age Of 100.
1t In of the exploits OF Peter Stewart, who
was born in Rocklnnd and died on the farm
where he was born. that the Beaverkill forest
story tellers like best to talk. and their favorits
tale is the wild boar hunt that Peter and Sam
Darbee had once in the heart of the beech
woods. The beechwoods of sullivan were then
very dense and OF great extent. The vast
quantity OF nuts they yielded was OF much i'm
portance TO tho early settlers before they had
cleared up farms and had fields under %cultiva-
ton 10 raise corn sufficient for feeding the large
number of swine they were obliged to keep,
pork being an essential article OF back woods
diet. and also an important article in the trade
of those times. For several years the settlers
fattened their hogs on beechnuts. These nuts
were scarce some years and other years un-
usually abundant. The greatest beechnut year
ever known was that of 1920.
THE nuts were 50 thick on the trees" accord
ing to a nonogenarian Beaverkiller, tina, there
was barely room for the leaves. When the nuts
dropped in the .all they covered the ground two
inches deep. That fall II man who lived along
the Neversink was struck with the idea of turn
ing II drove OF hogs into the wood and fattening
them for market. He calculated that each hog
would Increase in value So by the time IL was
ready to be taken out of the woods. He argued,
therefore, that he could make 81, 900 by feeding
1000 hogs on beech nuts until they were fat
enough TO sell. He bought up ali the hogs
he could find In the region and turned them
into the beech, all marked with his brand.
\ few days before the time he intended to COL
lcct his drove of hogs there came n sudden cold
SNAP, bringing n heavy snowstorm with 1t. The
storm lasted two days. When the speculative
hog owner could get into the woods he found
his hogs scattered about here and there under
the snow. dead in big heaps. They had hud-
died together during the storm In groups of
nifty or more. and most OF them were ~tranpled
or smothered to death. Out OF his 1000 head
nf win tha hadn't 1Hn laft 'rIa a.oJ
ones were hauled away and sold for soap grease.
" In the fall OF 1925 Peter Stewart and sam
DarGee were hunting bears in the Rockland
beech. They had killed Three bears and SO veral
deer. One day, while they were on their way 10
their cabin from a hunt. they came across a
track in the snow that was strange to them.
They followed the trail for two days before they
could come up with tne animal that mad made
1t. In the meantime, though. they had made up
their minds that it was II wild hog, the offspring,
no doubt, OF some OF the stock the sIIeculaior
the third day Stewart was following the track
through u swamp, when u Tremendous big
iMs o sn'"G 81 Sis bed eS"r jumped bnDc snort IT.
laureIs. He stood fully three feet high.
His bristles were erect on his back and two i'm
1neEsc tusks were displayed. one On each side OF
hla snout. AMI curviiIs up"ard more than three
inches. stewards dog was with HIM When
froth II, the mouth. stewart used to lay that in
all his experience in the woods he never saw as
ugly IA LOOK InG beast as that boar was.
stewart dog WAS hail hound and half shsp- |
herd. He sprang AT the boar NJ once. The boar
IcctlNfu III WIN Il iunRe -tlhl threw MIN ten
feet away, ripped open, and his vildls pierced
BY the boar's great tusks. Tue poor dog rose
il his tracks. The boar stool his ground, and
WAS plainly waiting for Stewart to attack HIM.
Sie%Hrt aimed at the ooars toreshouidtr and
dashed out OF sight into the laurels, leaving q !
trail OF froth on the bushes.
"Darbcc. who had ieit the trail of the hog to
inVestigAte "A fresh bear track that had crossed
the hoar,s, heard tn. report OF Stewards gun
two meu started on after the wild boar. Darbee !
excited over the description Stewart gave him
OF the size and tercenes, of the boar. and Stew /,
avemve the killing Of his dog. The hunters
came 10 III" boar letore they knew it. He was
and rushed at Dnrbre, who WAS ncarer the lau- !
rels. nartee spread his legs apart quickly, aid
the boar rushed between them. tuinUl;nE bar
bee fiat on the ground. Instantly the furious hGG
was upon hun and would have ripped him rs the
dog had been ripped. but stewart jumped for
ward and deult the boar II powerful kick.
Stewart was afraid to shoot. there being danger
OF killing Darbee with the bullet. The kick had
the desired effect, for the b AR whlr!ed about
and rushed n stewart. who sprang aside. The
In his fore shoulder. The hoardropped. but was
on Ms leet ayan In an instant, and dashed
Stewards bullet having broken me other one.
" Tue from thai frll from the hoaf's mouth
ward As the savage beast ran and fell in great
patches here ana there On his body. giving him, !
with his wild ey es and open mouth, q f%r'rhtful
been In close quarters many times with
wounded panther. bears. and bncks. and that
there were many times when the chances were
against him in such tghts, but never had he
enconntcrcu anything That seemed 50 terrible
AS that inturiaIcd md crippled wild hog.
Stewart, believed he would have been torn to
piece, by the boar If Darhre hadn't been
with him. AZ the boar came rushing
forward on three feet. his broken leg swing
Ing loosely as he ran, Darbee drew his hunting
axe and jumped in front Of the mad beast.
He delivered n blow between the boar, eyes
with the axe that would have tumDled The
b gge-t ana toughest bear that ever walked,
bu, IL hadn't tho slightest effect Oh the boar.
Before llnrbee could strike again ar get out OF
III" way the boar was upon him. As qnI"k Hs n
flash one OF the great tusks went ripping on
DnrDo,'r leg, tearing his stout hunting trousers
open from Tho kue" Ia his waist, bun only graz
Ing the skin. The force or the rush threw Dur-
bee to one side. and the boar kent right ON.
hen DRrbee was KnOcked down by the
hog on lis rush from the lauIe.s II s gun had
been thrown some distance away. A. the boar
WAS making the dash on stew art that Darbee
tried to stop with the axe, Stewart jumped INTO
the laurels to get Darhee's gun. not having
time tn reload his own. Before he found The
gun the boar had rushed past Darhee and WAS
upon him in tho laurels. stewart dew his