The Anaconda standard., 1899-09-07
TOPICS OF THE TOWN
Labor Day Brought In a Good
Round Sum.
JOHN HERZOG A CHAMPION
One OF the Best Grouse Stories Pro-
duced This Season-Clayton of
Bonner Holds the Palm
for Big Fish.

| MlSSoula. Sept Give are tired,
but happy" said President Ferguson
of the Trades and Labor assembly last
| night, as he took Wiener wurst and
something to wash it down with. I'VE
have not yet made up our accounts,
but we are safe in saying that our
Labor day celebration has brought us
about $500. The celebration was a sue
cess and the people enjoyed it. We
| made money, at the same time we We're
| entertaining our friends, and that
makes it all the better. The Gem the
| ater benefit netted us about s65 and
! the rest came from our dances and the
| privileges al the picnic grounds. The
change in the manner of the celebrat-
ing of the day was novel one, but
the people seemed to like it, and we
enjoyed it, too. What pleases us most,
however, is the snug sum that we have
netted for the relief fund"
Alderman John Herzog of the Fourth
ward is either the champion shot of
the present hunting season or else he
| is the champion romancer-it would not
| be fair to his official position to use
| the other word that is employed in
| such instances. Mr.. Herzog's story is
| strong one, but he cites his wife as
| a witness, and that lends an element
| of truth to it. He says that he was
| out after game the other day and that
| his wife was with him. He had a
rife and came suddenly upon three
| grouse in a trail. He knew that if
| he hit one of them squarely with his
| 30-30 it would blow the bird all into
| pieces. The birds were so low on the
ground that he could not easily get a
| but he lay down upon the grass and
| sighted till he had two heads in line.
| Then he fired, and when the smoke
| cleared away there We're two headless
| birds lying on the ground. The other
| flew away, but he followed it and
found that it had Joined a covey in
| the tall grass. He then cut a club
and went for them, killing II before the
birds scattered. Taken all in all, this
| is the best story up to date of the
| present season.
Clayton of Bonner still holds the
palm for big fish this year. His catch
| of a big one last month was reported
in the Standard Mr.. Clayton very
| courteously remembered the Standard
on the next occasion of his success in
| this line and he sent down one that
tipped the scales at eight pounds, even.
1t was good one, as the office force
can truly attest. For big catches
| Frank Darbee Is well in the lead. He
has brought down from his camp up
the Bitter Root two baskets of river
| trout that weighed about As pounds
| each. Dan Ross was also successful
| in landing some handsome ones Labor
| day and he furnished satisfactory evil
| dence of his success. Missoula's record
this summer in the fishing line is in
| keeping with its reputation as an intel
| lectual center.
George Potts and his party came
back from the Upper Blackfoot coun-
| try yesterday. George has been on
jury duty up the river for some time
side. He brought down a splendid
string of mallards and some of them
| found their way to the Standard Of
flee, for George knows himself what
it is to be hungry The ducks were all
right and it is the earnest hope of the
| Standard office that Mr.. Potts will be
drawn on the jury again soon.
Phil Green went hunting Monday.
He got more hunting than he did
birds, and the cause is directly, attrib-
utable to his dog. 1t is not his dog
now, for he has disowned it. He
didn't come honestly by it. anyway,
and there is little sympathy wasted
on him on that account The dog is
just dog. He has no apparent pride
in his ancestry, and when Phil pick
| ed him up on the street the other day
he didn't get any pedigree with him.
But he was certain that the dog WAS
| a bird dog. He couldn't tell what made
him think so, for there was nothing
about the animal that would inspire
any marked degree of confidence in
| his ability to point out game. He look
| ed like good sausage material, and
that was all, but Phil had "hunch,"
and he played it, The result was that
he wore out Tom Evans chasing birds
and he wasted considerable ammuni-
ton trying to kill the dog. The two
| hunters-Phil and Tom Evans-went
out together. found plenty of birds, but,
| as soon as the dog saw the chickens,
| he would flush them and chase them
| as long as he could see them. Then
he would sit down and bark, and Phil
| would take a couple of shots a. him.
| The worst feature of the whole occur
| renee is that the dog insisted upon fol-
| lowing Phil home and he will not go
away. Phil has Joined Joe Brunker's
| club of failures. and is now opposed to
all forms of field sport.
The year 1899 has brought with it
| some of the queerest combinations on
| record in the matter of weather and
| seasons. Spring was winter and sum-
| mer has been everything. Pete Fed
| derSohn went up to his orchard yes
| terday and then went into the house
and spent an hour or so studying the
almanac. He wasn't sure for a while
whether this is May or September for
he had found an apple tree in bloom,
| and he couldn't account for it, The
| tree is a Wealthy and has a fair yield
of apples this fall, but with the apples
is fine lot OF blossoms, and that is
what puzzled the owner He has not
| figured it out yet, but has about de-
! cided to lay it to the incompetency of