The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-02
A KENTUCKY FOX CHASE.
The Remarkable Story.of One Told by
Col, Jack Chinn.

hen In Kentucky recently" said Mr.
a. J. Martin. of New York. at Chamber
Inns Il Lad the pleasure OF meeting with
Col. Jack Chinn. the noted Democratic
politician, horseman. and raconteur. Col.
Chinn H. one of the kindest-hearted men
IN the world. but yet to use AN expression
often heard in the blue grass region. he
is not safe man 20 project with. Project
IN this sense as / learned. was synony-
nous with the word monkey when used
as a verb
while imbibing a few juleps OF the
flavor OF mint with Col. Jack at his hos
piiable home he told me several remarka-
bic stories. II any one else had related
them might have expressed some incre-
dulity. but there IS such an air OF candor
and sincerity about every sentence that
the Colonel utters that 1 did not hesitate
IN the least 10 believe him. I shall never
forget the wonderful story he told of the
fox that for years had been outwitting
all the hunters OF that region. though ]
despair OF giving IL in anything like the
vivid way of the narrator
This fox said Col. Chinn. had been
hunted by our local sportsmen for near
about seven years. There was a certainty
about getting him up and a sameness
TO the course he took that all the fox
hunters know Ike boys know their
arithmetic tables. But failure had
stamped our every effort TO capture him.
We could trace him with certainty to
blue grass pasture on Uncle Billy Ma
CURES farm and here the dogs lost him
with undertaking regularity. IL surely
was a mystery and some OF the supersu
tious began 10 doubt after years of de-
feat whether it was a real animal that
tho n4uutl .h4ead "A NIeuaraf .41rf ID
vain.
TO add 10 the puzzle, the pasture.
which was not more than fifteen or TWEEN
~ acres. was devoid Of any place wherein
Mr.. Fox might secrete himself. There
were "a few large trees IN IL. but no under
growth. no sinkholes, no room where
rat could hide. Time and again had every
square foot of its surface been searched
TO see II some den there might be to
which the fugitive could hasten. when
the yelping pack were close on his heels
Time only added 20 the mystery but
there were some parties who did not in
tend to be perpetually bafiied by cum
ming reynard 1 was in that class, and.
with Uncle Billy Mcguire, formed plan
TO see II we could not ascertain how 1t
was that always I'm his blue grass pasture
and never anywhere else our dogs always
lost that fox.
Accordingly. we got M n hunt and
about the close OF an autumn day our
elusive old tormentOr was scared up by
the hounds. Uncle billy and l had ridden
on two hours in advance and stopped just
outside the mysterious pasture, deter
mined TO wait all night, II necessary
I'm order 10 probe the secret The moon
had come up and shed It's full-orbed radi-
ance on the scene. Afar of we heard the
baying Of the dogs. and we knew they
were bringing the sli kest critter IN
America closer TO us every minute. We
crouched close down In "a fence corner
and spoke In whispers. The dogs were
close 10 US now and running Ike a streak.
-Four hundred yards ahead Of them came
the fox. He passed within thirty feet OF
where we lay. jumped up on the fence,
and paused for a secOnd-Oniy second;
then Jumped down into the pasture where
about a score of Uncle Billys sheep lay
sleeping. In another second he had rOut-
ed them up. and my colleague and were
then onto the game.
" He had climbed on the back OF a big
old ram. who. snorting with anger. was
charging straight across the lot. When
he had reached the other side his rider
gavlv leaped from the ram Jack 10 the
fence. and bounding over it, disappeared
from the ken Of the watchers. That was
why the dogs systematically lost him, and
that Is why Uncle Billy Mcguire swore a
deep oath. For all the years mat ioA hdo
been riding those sheep he had got no
wool from them. and the reason was at
last revealed "-Washington Post.