The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-28
IT BROUGHT BEARS BACK.
YOUNG JACK LEMON ExTERMINd TED
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS.

BAIsAM MouNTAfS. n. c.. May 25.-"New-
foun and Balsam Mountain section Of North
Carolina is to a great extent as wild and print
tive as the famous Yosemite noted for It's fine
hunting and its abundance OF wild game.
Bears, deer. wild turkeys, wolves, foxes. cata-
mounts and even panthers we're numerous and
easily found until II year or two ago In the
Lemon neighbOrhood. Il thinly settled section
OF hunters and trappers on Bear Creek. but
about two years ago all sorts OF game almost
entirely disappeared. greatly to the discomti-
ture Of tho Bear Creekers-and on account OF
what. do you suppose O. inquired the Major.
Too many hunters said the revenue man.
Not a bit of II. The hunters Of this section
could scarcely keep the game from overrun-
ming the country. 1t was brought about by a
lot OF burned goats. and nothing else" replied
the Major. But the country will soon I'll up
with game again since the goats have been
cleaned out
What kind Of a yarn are you giving me.
Major ?" said the revenuer. sarcastically
Its tho truth and nothing but the truth"
replied the Major. Goats run the game out
OF the country and eat up the settlers crors.
and, in fact. they got so numerous and became
so %plaguev dangerous that the old hunters
themselves AT last became afraid OF them after
they had been freed and nearly starved to
death several times by the same animals. but
young Jack Lemon. son OF old Jack. was their
Bolivar. cleaning out the whole crop and max
ing a pile OF money at one and the same time"
Lets have that story. Major" came from
the entire crowd Of Deputy Marshals.
IT was this way" said the Major. as he re-
6lled his pipe. odd Jack Lemon. Sim Turner.
Bull Baker and half Il dozen other hunters
were collected at simpsons crossroads store.
at the foot Of Newfoun Mountain. holding a
nla --.. H. ,.N 4 -N ,.tl, 49, .-l
leaving the section and moving bodily into the
Blue Mountain forests. The crowd was dis
gnsted. and a vote was Just about being taken.
which would have resulted in q general exodus
of hunters and mountain farmers. when young
Jack Lemon. "a boy not over IL. said:
You fellers amt got no gumption or
Ingenuity. or you'd have he'd list as much good
huntin' terday as yer had three yeahs ago
What dyer mean, yer whipper-snapper?
Thar amt 'nutY hunters nor nun powder an
lead in Newfoun Mountain section ter kill of
them dad-bum'd goats. an yer know it, re-
piled Turner,
~ know it, said young Jack. But thar's
mo- ways n one ter wipe out the lot
Fer instunce.' interpreted Bull Baker.
sarcastically. Why. blame yer hide. thar's
thousan's an thousan's OF them derned Billys.
an they kin lick n bar, clean out a painter an
lam thunder outn II cat mount in less'n fob
mlnits. They eat up all the grass. suck viii
-taFkey eggs. break up they're nests. 'stroy our
CRAPS, an even tree us big hunters II we 20
inter the woods. an / for one'd like ter know
ho%n thunder h = they kin be driv of or killed.
Yes it can an kin do it. Of you-uns' lido
as l tell yer, replied Jack.
Lee give Their boy Il chance, said Turner.
Hes the, most g"nyns lad | ever knowd. an
msR6e he's got somethtn' in this noodle,
Then followed a good deal OF talk pro and
Z, wa. agreed that III" Whole crowd would o It
blind fortWo weeks subject 70 the command Of
young Jack. After this was settled young
Jack said .,o., 1u,..u.,.u.
the elf at NewfounI, TolmtNa sheer precipice
broken, from an elbow in the mountain. on
Wolf nreek: at a point noted as q general
mics. the pestiferous gouts-'with yer guns
an yer axes, Take Yer dinners with yer an
Early the next morning n. dozen hardy
mountaineers, had collected Mt the foot OF the
cliff. Young Jack set them all to work cutting
down trees and splitting them into rails. Two
men were put to work cutting down four tall.
slender sapIings. which were d%enuded Of their
and about eight or ten inches thick at the
butt. These four mbers were set against the
They were then framed up something like n der
rick, and a platform ot boards four feet square
Vas Quilt about three feet below th"top edge Of
handsturnsd their attention TO 1.-THE rails, A fence
twelve feet high and :" hog tight - was built in
being built against the left and right faces OF
the precipice. The inclosure was about half
an acre in dimension. large enough to hold at
least 500 goats. OF course the old trappers and
hunters were anxious to know why SO much
labor should be expended, in building such a
big fence. but they were subject to orders from
young Jack. who entirely ignored every in
guisitiye sqEgeftlon, leaving The men as igno-
young Jack said:
head and and Eide hid, " Of a pH Gis biIIy ! %an' 6 nHw Of + y tns
shoot one this evenin' and bring it hyer early
in the mawnin'. an all Of yer cum an, see
Bright and early the men appeared at the
foot Of The elm and one of them had with him
the head and hide OF a huge black billyRoat.
Now. you fellers climb up on tibet fence
the goat skin and climbed the fence, Rolling
the hide into a pack the boy tied II with a piece
Of rope across his shoulders and began TO
climb up the improvised, tower or derrick.
found that his read and shoulders barely
cleared the top Of the cliff. The ground in
and low branching trees. over I, hundred
goats were in sight. lying asleep in the shelter
Of the trees or on the grass. for the spot was a
goats for miles around.
" After Jack hadiooksd over the ground. he
stopped down and %nnrolled tho Goatskin;
Placing the goats head on his head. he wrapped
the hide around his shoulders and again raised
and stamp on the platform until the racket
reused up dozen pugnacious billies out on the
plateau Then Jack shook his goats head in
defance. ana bleated a challenge which was
instantly accepted by a big, black, Scared vet
eran In the crowd. Another shake OF the
head was too much for the wild goat. which
gave a, snort OF rage. and came bounding to-
ward Jack. determined to knock the stranger
goat out OF time. Jack waited until the mad
goat was too close 70 stop. and then he, ducked.
andlout shot the billy. Over and over he went;
but a goat is like a cat, and he hit the ground
thirty-tive feet below on his feet.
The men who were sitting on the fence
down below could not imagine what young
Jacks antics meant until thew saw him duck
his head and an instant after saw a big billy
goat come sailing out into the air to drop in;
side Of the big pen: then they shouted and
yelled. and some OF them fell otf the fence in an
ecstasy OF enjoyment, Bull Baker fell inside,
.tFut IN less than a minute he wished he had
fallen forty ieet the other way. for the old billy
which. had taken such an undigniiird. tumble
reused up In time to catch him before, he could
climb out Of reach. When he hit Baker he
raised him about four feet, lamming him
against the fence like u juniors experience in
the .woodShed with the old man and a strap,
Luckily Baker had sense enough left to catch
hold. Of a rail when he struck, or the old billy
would have finished him then and there, As IT
was. Bull declares to this day that he would
rather be- shot out OF a cannon than take
chunCes with another sech Il pile driver.
when the men down below had quoted
down Il little, young Jack, who was lying on
IL La -- --- I -II