Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-28
DEER UP A TREE.

Princeton (Me.) Cor. New York Sum:
Cassius Ill. Briggs, who passed through
here on his way home to Cambridge,
Mass, last night, after spending the last
two weeks in the vicinity of Grand and
Dobsis lakes, in the Maine woods. had a
novel deer story. The party of which he
was a member had Joe Nell for a guide.
Joe is an Indian Of "credit and renown''
in that region, and m story that he
vouches for comes pretty close to being
true. Mr.. Briggs says he left camp
shortly after dinner and had been gone
about half an hour when he started a
partridge. The bird flew into a tree, and,
after the manner of cartridges, hid SO
thoroughly that Mr.. Briggs was unable
to see him again. What he did get a sight
of, however, caused him to rub his eyes
and question his own sanity. Lodged
securely among the branches of the tree
was a good-sized buck deer, probably 3
years Did.
The sight of the deer so ratified Briggs
that he did not know what to do. He ran
Whether it was a new dodge on the part
of deer to escape the hunters, or deer
had taken to going to roost like the
chickens, he could not decide.
Briggs would not take a mean advan-
tage of any helpless "critter,'' and posted
back to camp without firing a shot.
When he said that he a come across
a live deer in a tree all his friends set up
a howl, and Joe'Mell, the guide, laughed
harder a all the rest.
1t took some persuasion to get them to
go along with him and view the marvel.
The rest of the party were as much sur>
prised as Briggs. There was the deer
just as he had reported. His body was
Wedged pretty firmly in the forks of two
limbs. and his fore feet rested on a hori-
zontal branch. His hind feet hung clear.
He kicked violently when he saw the
men, but he was just as firmly stuck as
ever.
The members of the crowd decided that
the way he got there was this: There
was a high cliff right back of the place
was something like Is feet above the
position of the deer, and overhung the
tree. A small quantity of loose earth
tended to show that the animal had
fallen over the edge. What had caused
him to do so was more than anybody
could see.
n next question was what to do with
him. Briggs said the deer was his dis
covery and he wanted to shoot him. He
had been in the woods a week, and SO
far had been unsuccessful in bringing
down any game. He thought this was as
good a time for him to bring down. a
little as he was apt to get.
But Joe Nell thought differently. He
said the best way was not to bring
the deer down. but to bring him up.
11dNe 1u1, q SGlu JOe. L III SGl rope
you stay and rig derrick out from cliff.
Then we histe him."
So while Joe went for the rope the
three men went up by a roundabout way
and cut a all, strong maple sapling,
which they braced out firmly over the
edge. Then Joe came, and the men hung
nto his coat tails while he leaned out
and tried to moose the deer. This was a
difficult job, but after many attempts
Joe got the blight over the animals horns
and gave the signal to "histe away The
big sapling buckled and swayed, and the
deer kicked a blue streak, but up he
came. and Briggs got a moose on his leg,
and they swung him in.
when that deer struck solid ground
says Briggs, you should have seen
things fly. Joe got a turn round a tree,
and the critter fetched up with a bang.
The rest of us stood clear and watched
the fun. Joe would have cut him loose,
go lear the deer would make wild passes
at him with his horns. He had a wicked
look in his eye, too. After several vain
attempts it being nearly supper time,
he left him hitched there and went home
to supper. None of us had the heart to
shoot him, after What he had been
through. Next morning we went to try
again, but the rope was there only. The
deer had chafed it against the tree until
he a parted a strand, and the rope
had broken entirely under the strain.
lost my deer, but l shot a fine buck next
day, so I didn't mind That was the
first bird with hoofs I ever saw"
STATE OF MONTANA. COUNTY OF
Silver Bow, 49,: