The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-04
WHY ASA UIrHAM ENLISTED.
His Run OF Hard Luck in Hunting and
Lawsuits Drove Him Into the Army.

" ~
BUcKsPoRr Me- Sept ~ The reason why
Asa Witham the huntcr ana hshcrmah Oh rroS-
pect Ferry, quit his chosen vocation ana wen,
away TO fight an allen foe has been discussed
very widely. but nobody has ever settled INC ques'
ton to the full satisfaction oil those VINO knew
Asa and his ways ne was INC most skIhou
hunter in two countes Animals 'hal had dodgeu
rifle bullets and traps and poison ieii ih'o Asa
clutches without trouble and without protest
Everybody remembers the time when orchard
Grant offered him dollar day ana his board
10 watch the Grant goose-pens and Kill the otter
that was Staying six goslings night The hrst
night Asa went on duty he shot TWO ioNes ana
raccoon. The next night he had a handto,hanu
fight with loupcervier, breaking the "iidcat
neck with blow from his INST Two nghIs la'er
he killed an old hear and two fat skunls. When
" ~, t,"nd f,u,, because Az, did not ret the
"tan' i"uhu iau'. Doaus 80 go Wv - n,' -, ,
otter and intimated that big toard bill was
., "' -, 49,, NJ, ioh nd orit Tb. fn,.
,he huh"r 'h.c" up mo Wv anu w.. .,
lowing night two lean OVERS came up r''er nha
,,,s,,aL Thi. ,od 10 , lo,e Ia,vsui, which drove
owned ms lea 10 iohs iansu'', "I"'n u,u,o
county.
Before the law court had rendered final de
cison upon the case, withnm, feeling the need
of immediate cash, took his gun and dog and
., a., Mach cr.o,, of,er mini, and m,,alrat
pelts. intending to shoot cartridges enough 10
live upop while he was away As the deputy
sho,igs Wow. ch.sing him nm all IN. time ASH
shcrlfs were chasihg nun up al ',e "ine' ,hsu
putt camp IN dark hollow at inc pase oi hea-
gan's Mountain, setting traps for the fur bearing
i,,.,, sd 1oi,o hi, ,boo,;ro ,.cr1, es,y in tho
"n,'nni9 "''u "s sr's y, Az .,a,,nd
morning wheh no ouicers oil inc law were aIouhu'
Wv I'm tr soa r, ss x,ln,b,c ,dSirc A.,
"'S -" " -, - a.,.,.. 10, y
mstook well dressed bangor sportsman iot
new sheriff and in his haste TO get away fell over
4, brolcp tree and broke his leg. He was ten
,nn, s.l,, ho,,a y, a.. ,;,,n ri. ,old tho Ran.
gor hunter the actual condition of affairs, sheriff
~ n 'ot he STAYED ~h.I. h. ros death and the
In th s% dilemma he sent G the hunf to frankfort
n score ~ Hack ducks doing them no more harm
than to break their wings When his dog had
brought these to shore he tied them together with
his srmnits 3y the aid of his dog and by using
some choice profanity, which he kept in stock
he made the ducks tow him across the creek to tho
prnsncct Shore After this Withan pulled him.
self into the bushes and wrote long letter home.
sp Rn MS hs1 ro nc down ~ thc crrcE s
companicd Nv The doctor from Frankfort His
icq was aching ~, badly that he had been eroan.
ing ont loud Tor half a day but when he saw the
me, no crowded His mn,ith full Of black muck
1n spn n his eroans and would h" tainted
had he npth ffp nj raj
hsrt and sal bis hiding piacc After dark
he toll The ,rorEs from his biS hunting case watch
v NV his ietts- inside and filling The snacc
,.;,b Lad bullets IN add weight Then he hitched
III a dch as. 10 Inc dog tail nv a long string
and Giving The dog a vigorous whipp ny headed
him for home Farmers who We're out along Poverty
Share that night and saw frantic. yelping dog
bmrrving dawn The road mistook il Tor a meteor
and ;nId ,hout The stra re ceIc .ti,i phenomenon
Gu , u lie 90 that nc tale cot in tn III. nws
nnnars md a sne, iaIist from, III, Smithsonian
tmstiintnn at Washington came down TO Maine
" Weantime Wiibam's wife had been duly notified
t lie .nn6;t;nn h,n III. bome cnn,ing dog snd
pi his .otu. wv os ~, red him s coll ;b,t hr
,.na Hmt again ins;de Of six weeks tbnuph his
h maS GUY as as f,H two ;ncb"s shcrtcr ihan lis
ot LIZ" ,S tSe h,nter 10 linn at every
n,h, stan HE iamenaas greotjvr int.rferei
uu it 10; 80 ,,ins honnms. III. Law 9Hcnrs ,nulL
ME- NE HIM ram efar no matter how much he
t,od ~, diss,,;ss him saii This led 10 Williams
.ien 10 uiss u,se a ny hnnsr e lin ,ncnrd
ho hacam. n nlajn fisherman with a fnndness for
nv n,@;aa and nid ,Ie%ires II salmon came
;n,o %;s nes he thsnled Cod II il wns M more
Han n shed he never fnrpot 10 return thanks in
nranop,;nn 70 ~ The Weight Of The Ash For Two
.ops hs haI camgbt fsb and waited for the deci.