The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-23
WHEN PAINTERS WERE PLENrY.
Anecdotes Recalled by the Sight of an Old
Tavern in the Rocklnnd Country.

| grafton from my native hills about the mead
waters OF the Delaware" said an octogenarian
native OF Sullivan county, now long resident
ofths city," Il was surprised to find, among
all the great changes the demand for summer
| boardcr accommodations and conveniences
| had made in tho character of that wild region
a little waysde tavern. still standing In the
| Rockland country. no longer tavern. and
much dapidatcd and worn by time and
J neglect, but still the same old place where
| used to sit seventy years ago and listen with
! open-mouthed wonder to the tales Of
backwoods life in the days OF the pio-
ncers from the lips Of men who them
selves participated in the scenes they depicted.
| and the recollection OF that old time came back
| to me in flood The tavern was then kept by
an uncle of mine. with whom lived AT that
| time some of the frequcnters OF the place wore
| old men. and had roamcd the woods befor" the
| Indians had given up their claim to them as
! hunting grounds. and they enlivcncd tho
| meetings on such occasions with tales of In
| dian atrocity and personal encounters with the
savages. which we're then still fresh in their
| memory. These men lived in different parts
! OF the country. but they seemed to look upon
! the whole region common stamping
| ground. and 1t was no unusual thing to see
| half a dozen hunters in that little barroom
whose homes were thirty miles away. in diff
| ferent directions.
"Nelse Croker was one OF these, and he was
| a general favorite. because OF his great fund OF
rugged humor. aud his sociabilty. His stories
were told in a way that kept his hearers in u
perpetual roar of laughter. his illustrations be-
| ing broad and original. and his powers OF
mimicry wonderful He seldom made his own
| adventures the subject OF narration. hut always
| had some good thing to tell either in favor Of
| or at the expense of some one else. His great
| bane was rum. Under the influence of that he
| was but little better than dwelling imbecile.
and his sprees lasted sometimes for weeks.
| Tiers. or rather the story OF it. recollcct
a. G well as if | had heard heard it only yssterday
grandfather had been = pioneer settler and
kept tavern Nelse had his cabin in the woods
near What d was called Zig t9nd and %ns day he
the edge OF Painter swamp The practiced eye
He followed the train with his dog long dis
lance in the swamp without discovering any
neh and e. ow Sudeny Sf R. dog sE b s
gan to ,bristle W. and growl. and the next In
BY, almost touching Croskcr's shoulder as it
shot past him. It struck the ground few feet
"Crocker caught up his gun and lost no time
In starting IN pursuit q the panther The dog
along ahead on the track Of the animal Crock,
ers dog was an exception to most hunting
would follow a papther's track. Nelse's dog
o overlook III the panther or probably il wait.
spitghed int? '1 tie panth"T witS S Tue qe lay
and was WHIPPED with lust as little delay
panther E in tree As he was aiming at 4 a
and, looking in that direction. he saw another
panther her rushing toward hm bouncing oyer
Crorker's interest in the animal in the tree
vanished at once; and he turned his gun on the
aPo f" the Oy VSsy shot 1 @e
| diately by yclls Of panthers from all parts Of
hs Ss h1f hn2 So aHf do
you'd be 10 beat retreat from the swamp.
Two panthors brought UP the rear. but did n3t
| lowed him. however. to the edge of the swamp.
he oS &c bis cabin he found hs
Of the way h" had left the ded alone "t to the
he ha left e. n wheh
was made out Of VOLTS skin; he swore that
Their he had killed and tack IL the rest Of the
drove If ne got chawod up himself The dog
did not suppose that it would ever 60 around
where where there was panther again Yet, when
gather himself up and march resoutely along
taton. too and was determined 70 do it.
ui ION teaching the scene Of his ensounter
The hunter began taking Of the skin. when:
panther crouchng down on limb. Croker
shot rdt and T. eed at, to the ground Gpt
small chestnut tree which bent over with the
weight Of the animal so that the panther
seized t., but with one blow Of its paw it
knocked the dog twenty feet away. Croker
stuck IL the to h nnd s tine
| SO that the panther. after its bout with
the dog. rushed upon him while his gun was
| was again too much for its valor. and the ter
rorized animal again ran away. Crocker. taken
safety in hight. The panther followed him.
and was gaining at every Jump when Croker
| where he had dropped the gun and paused a
short time to inspect i enabling Nelse to make
When Crock"r cooled of he cursed his
& to So ms 0 6s h
never never able to explain, he had failed to carry on
had wounded. HI, had not long to wait. Tor he
had gone hnt short distance in the thicket
bushes ant S Sess Int
jumped ~ his throat before he could deliver
heart. i was moro than lucky, for The pan
It set its claws in the hunters clothes and
TORE lntlu lIDIl MIN lrOW tne SnOulltTS uOWn.
Leaving the panther in its death throes.
Croker fastened 70 the spot whore he had
cast away his rifle. and found IT, He lost no
time IL loading II, for he knew that il was more
than likely that the dying cries of the panther
would summon others to the spot. and he had
barely got his rifle ready before he heard one
springing from tree to tree toward him. 1t
soon came in, sight and. discovering Croker.
crouched In the crotch Of tree a few feet
away. Nelso waited for the leap. and as the
panther left the tree he fired. The ball en-
tered the great hrutc's heart and the animal
fell dead at Cr0cker's feet
"Crocker's dog probably unable to face its
master after dcsertiuR him twic" in a strait,
had Disappeared; ana Croker never saw it
again Finding himself thus loft to combat
panthers alone, Croker concluded it would ba
best TO let the ones still re naming have the
swamp to tom selves, and he took the skins OF
the three panthn and broke camp.
Croker signed the temperance pledge in
Monticello in 1872 and did not drink anything
until the fall 81 1874 lie Joined party on a
hunt that fall. and they had plenty Of rum in
the camp. N"!se got drunk and remained so
for a week, When he became sober he was so
ashamed that he took his rifle. went a hundred
yards from camp and, lying down by, a big olk
tree. sent a rifle ball through his heart, He
was buried in the old N"yersnk graveyard.