The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-28
THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRD.
A Boss Turkey story From the Land
of the Far Southwest.

of the Far Southwest.
From the Washington Star.
"A correspondent of the Army and Navy
Register, having read the Stars story OF
"A Visit to the Haunts of the Wild Tur-
key" writes the following recollectons
of a turkey hunt participated in by Gen.
Crook twenty-five years ago. His letter
to the Register is dated from the Indian
reserve, Hot Springs, Ark, and is as fol-
lows:
If the turkey man of the Star will HE
himself to the great pine forests of the
Mogolon Mountains, in the Fort Apache
country there he viii find the great
American bird in all his glory. No tur-
key in the known world ever grows to
such magnificent proportions as does the
Spanish bronze" or "silver gray &c to
y birds of these dense forests. These
birds, it is claimed, were brought to Ari-
IONA originally by the Spanish priests
three hundred or more years ago, when
they first visited that country. Ii is in
evidence (by an infantry captain that
the late Gen. Crook. United States army
in 1871 or 1872, at the time commanding
the department of Arizona, sat down 10
his Christmas dinner in the Tucson amons
friends long residents of the territory and
the noble bird that graced the festive
board was fifty-four pound bronze Mo-
COLON turkey. These forty-niners OF
spring of so men knew where to find the
largest turkeys in that country. 1t IS
further in evidence that Gen. Crook, in
1871 or 1872. with a small hunting party
Col. George NJ Randell, then of the
Twenty-third regulars, but now Of tho
Eighth Wyoming; DR.. Oldmitten, Chief
Scout Al Siever and the generals Indian
scout, Mac with a couple Of packers
went on a midnight turkey hunt near Fort
Apache. The party left their horses and
mules at the post, having secured burro5
to ride to the Turkey roost, they being or
low stature, strong and surefoted, patent
beasts Qhe burro is the native Mexican
jackass, usually from nine to eleven ana
one-half hands in hight, just the animal
to ride through the pine forests after tur@
keys, when the woods are so dense, inc
limbs growing so low on the immense
trunks of the pine or fir trees.
Chief Scout AL Siever, with the Indian
scout Mae" headed toward the supposed
turkey roost, some miles toward the inter-
or of the forest, the others of the parry
cautiously bringing up the rear, all armed
with shot guns and bull's-eye Lanterns
dark lanterns). The general gave stre'
orders that no word or whisper would %
allowed until the game had been secuIel
and loaded on pack burros. The lndaI
Sign language" only would be used lan'
it was awfully dark, tool. When the par
~ got near the place where the roost ~t'
supposed to be, they halted and tied theE
burros to the lower limb of a great nr Or
pine tree. The party moved on toward ~,
turkey roost. shot and killed a fine bag %
immense birds, which they carried an1
dragged toward where the animals "eo
tied to the limb of the tree, and, would you
believe il. on their arrival at the hitchh5
tree no animals were TO be found; they ny
disappeared as II by magic. The para
being somewhat tired and overcome W
the solitude and Unreasonable darkness
naturally sat down 70 rest and smoke
cigarette under the tree. Upon the hl9
match being struck something in the a..
gave or made a swish and snort, and ulU'
looking up the general discovered their an,
imals suspended In mid-air to the AN,
limb to which they had been tied. u"a
investigation IL was discovered that
large flock OF turkeys had been roosuns
on this limb unseen and unknown 10 w
hunters, but when they began shootihg ~
the main roost these birds on the tree ans
limb where the burros where tied neT
away and when their weight was NM
from said limb IL natuia
place, thus dragging the an'nla'
up in the air by their hitching straPr
Think OF the size Of these birdsl Belhs -
a quandary what to do under the circu,
stances, and how to get the donkeys oo",s
lthe generals scout Mac" being equai
the occasion, seized one by the tan s .rs,
skinning up his back. cut them down ~,
party then wended their way back 70 "
post. Thus terminated one Of the me- uS.
exciting as well az the most remarkap
and unique OF turkey hunts known AZ -
west.