The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-05
STUPID MAING MOOSE.
Let n Little Bow Capture Him With
SaIt.
From the Lewiston Journal.


The Maine moose, in its generation, has
met death in many forms, but 1t remained
for an old Suncock bull to fall a first vic
tim to an overdose of common salt. The
story as it comes to me, says contributor,
is certainly a remarkable one.
There lives at home on the shore Of Che
suncook lake bright lad by the name of
Johnnie Ward, whose sole ambition has
been, since he was knee high to a grass
hopper, and he is not much more than
that now, 10 kill big bull moose, an am
bition that did not bid fair to be realized,
since he could not bring his daddy's rife
to right shoulder without first hoist
ing it onto a barrel
But Johnnie could talk moose with the
best of them and nothing would cause
his youthful bosom to swell with pride
like an opportunity to tell knot of Ami
cookers what he would do to bull if
ever he met one face TO face with his dad
dys rife in his hands. And the men would
laugh and advise him to get some salt
and put it on a mooses tail. "Thatn fetch
him." they would say.
Johnnie got this same bit of advice so
often he began to think there must be
something in it. He was sure of ii when
his father told him that salt on moose's
tail was the surest way to drop him But
how to do it! HIS ideas of moose were
vague, but he aid not believe a moose
would stand for such an operation-not
without hitching. And then, he could not
reach up!
In some way or other Johnnie learned OF
an old buf thai was yarded near the
mouth of Mud Brook, and moreover he
| learned further that this old bull had a
habit OF standing beneath a certain tree
to rub the velvet off his horns on the
branches. If he could only shin that tree
and catch the old fellow when his horns
were itching!
Now. Johnnies father does quite bust
ness curing fish, viii h he seds his neigh
bors and CO.. cue tly, keeps quite a Sup
ply of salt in his ce lar. The lad was onto
This, and one night made up h s mind 10
lay for that moose, and if salt would do
the trick, the moose must de. He d MT
know how much salt was necessary 10
bring about the death of a full grown,
healthy moose, but he decided to be on tae
safe side, and lueged wi h him on a sled
a meal sack neatly fun His lead, after
considera BILE effort, he landed sa ely among
the lower branches of The tree, climbed
up himself, and commenced lonely vigil.
About dawn he bull made his appear
ance, and just as Johnnie figured march
ed beneath the tree, and soon small twigs
md bark were flying in all direc ions At
first this was a trihe dis once. ting to the
lad who had never before been in such
close quar- ers with a moose but he quick
~ remembered what he was there for, and
taking a andf ! of salt he DROPPED ii as
near as he cou ONO heg critters tail.
1t did not all strike that member, how
ever, so he tried another handful and i'll
another. But tie mco did not fan dead,
much to Johnnes surprise.
He waited awhile to give the salt time
70 work" but the bull grew more and
more risky, sending high In the air the
light snow which reached clear to the bell
ly. The sun rose and tod Johnnie 1t was
breakfast time He redoubled his doses of
salt trying its effect on ell parts Of the
brute, and just as he reached the bottom
IF the bag he noted with great JOY that
something did all the moose.
The animal no longer frisked about In
the snow-he fioundered, labored as If In
difficulty. He seemed unable 10 raise his
legs to any hight, and maintained sort
of fixed position. In a frenzy OF eXultation
Johnnie cast the last of his salt over his
victim, and, Oh, how he wished there was
more.
But more was unnecessary. Already the
bull was helpless-ahle to move only his
mead and neck. He beloved as II IN pam.
lohnnie had not counted on his believing
vhen he died. 1t scared him. In fact,
lfter the third below he just fell out Of
the tree on the other side and legged it
home.
Bursting into the house he told his faith
er ne had done II"
Done what?" said that individual inter
estedly, for the boys appearance Indicated
something more or less serious.
"Killed a moose. Put salt on his tail.
He's dying over a Mud Brook" fairly
howled the youngster, who was in state
Of excitement bordering on Mysteries.
Now. old man Ward knew better than
that but he knew also that Johnnie had
had some sort of mx-up with a moose,
and grabbing his rifle the two started on
the run for the brook
And the elder Ward was astonshed TO
find a big bull there-not dead, but appa-
rently paralyzed He did not stop 10 make
any inquiry, but blew the bulls heart out
and then discovered that the moose had
not run away because he couldn't The
animal was actually frozen in the snow.
The salt and snow Influenced by the warm
sun and the constant motions of the moose
had congea,ed into one mass as solid al
most as ice, firmly imprisonng the lower
parts OF the unfortunate bull.
A simple phenomenon, easily explained
suggests the freezing Of ice-cream, its SO
different.