Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-07-08

sufficient game to give the whole out
fit first class New Years dinner. And
a New Years dinner ii proved to be,
that in the game line went the famous
Grand Pacific annual dinners in Chi
cago one better.
Eight men were selected to do the
shooting They left camp with two
shotguns and six carbines immediate
ly after the midday bacon. They
headed their horses for the Santa Cert
rudes ranch. thirteen miles to the
southeast, on the edge of a dense
chaparral, within whose recesses lay
the only pools of water for scores of
miles around. 1t was argued that the
drouth had driven the animals and
birds to the only place in the section
where they could get drink The
troopers reached the edge of the tan
gled mesquite and prickiy pear jun
gle, put up their dog tents, ate frugal
wait until the moon rose.
Now, when men are ahungered for
fresh meat they don't stand on any
punctillios of sportsmanlike conduct to
obtain their grub. The holiday dinner
OF forty men back at the Palito Blanco
ranch, as well as their own provender,
hung on the killing. There was one
man in that squad at least who did
not believe, although he had heard ii
hundreds Of times. that wild turkeys
were fools enough when roosting in
tree at night to stand perfectly still
while they were slaughtered one by
one, provided always that the lowest
roosting turkey was shot first and so
on up to the topmost one in the tree.
That night saw the truth of the story
verified. A Mexican-Texan from the
ranch led the troopers, along toward
midnight, when the moon was high
and full, to a glade in the chapparral
near pool. There in the biggest tree
in the bunch small flock OF turkeys
was roosting. Their dark forms could
be seen distinctly through the light
leaves OF the mesquite. A trooper
dropped to his knees, aimed as well as
he could in the uncertain moonlight
at the lowest bird, pulled Ehe trigger
and missed clean The report did not
disturb the big fowls in the least. The
next shot brought the bird down and
three others were killed in quick sue
cession. 1t was a case Of bird butch
cry, but what is holiday. dinner with
out a turkey?
The dawn of New Years saw the
troopers afoot in the chapparral once
more They found that If ever a place
deserved the name of game paradise
ii was that little section Of Jungle In
old Nueees county, Texas. 1t seemed
as though every manner OF beast and
bird from the whole OF the Lone Star
State had elected to meet there and,
agreeing to meet at noon, struck
through the chapparral in four differ
ent directions. The sergeant COM
handing and his companions headed
for pool, where they were told they
would find wild ducks. They fought
their way for half an hour through the
tangled barrier and then their guide
cautioned quiet" They crept for
ward ntheir hands and knees for 100
yards, until finally clear space APP
peared dead ahead. They were within
thirty yards of miniature lake, upon
whose surface there foated waterfowl
in number and density. like unto that
flock OF which the truthful Nunchaus-
Gu wrote. The guide had double bar
relied shotgun. while the sergeant had
pump" gun. Before that multitude
OF wild ducks and brant succeeded In
getting out Of range six shot eartridg-
es and one Springfield bullet had been
turned loose at them Its mean, z
said the sergeant. '.but we've out for
meat" II fairly hailed ducks for the
better part Of a minute. The shooting
party started back for the rendezvous
| In appearance like heavy laden pack
1 horses
They reached the poin< 81 deparf,:zr