The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-08-30
slLD ANIMAL PICTURES
WOMAN WHO PHOTOGRAPHS UNDER
RIFLE PROTECTION

Photographing Wild animals in their
natlYe haunts is certainly a unique
business for a woman but Mrs. A. G.
Wallihan Of Lay Col. has made mon
ey at 1t, says a correspondent of the
New York Post.
The Wallihan ranch composes the
town OF Lay. 1t is the only house
there and is the postoflce and road
ranch comblned-the latter being the
mountain term for hotel. Il Is stu
ated In the wild region on the vest
ern slope Of the Rockies; several hun
dred miles from Denver, 90 miles from
hihe' the nearest railroad station. and
III miles from Rawlins Wyo. Il was
an Old government ranch in the DAYS
when the soldiers used TO 90 to Meek
er during the Indian troubles, and
ranchmen travelling for supplies to
haWlins often stop there over night.
Although there is plenty Of masculine
society Mrs. Wallihan often does not
see a woman for months at time.
About a mile and half from the
ranch the hills begin, and at this point
are the trails over which the deer 90
south in the autumn. Year after year,
when the falling leaves of October
rustic beneath the rabbits tread, and
the slender, white stemmed, trembling
aspens deck themselves in gold the
deer turn southwark over the same
trails that have been trodden for gen
erations. Hundreds of miles these
trails extend, and the deer follow them
as unerringly as the water fowl finds
us way along the desert and illimi-
table air" to the reedy home of its
ancestors.
Then is the time the Wallihans lay
In their winter supply Of meat Years
ago Mrs. Wallihan learned to be an ex-
pert rifle shot, and began accompany
ing her husband on his hunting expe-
ditions. 1t was thus that she devel-
oped an intense love for the forest and
It's denizens, particularly the deer Ten
years ago she resolved to have a cam
era and photograph the deer for her
own pleasure; so she rode many miles
to ask home missionary who was go
ing back to civilization to send her a
good instrument. Since that time the
camera has added a new and fascinat-
ing interest to her life. Together with
her husband, she studied out the mys-
teries of operating the machine, and
they learned the art of developing and !
finishing the pictures entirely from
books. Then they began to take pic
lures of wild animals.
The ordinary amateur photographer |
may not realize quite what it means
to photograph wild animals of the !
tercer variety. In order to make a
mountain lion, a wildcat. or big griz-
Fly sit for his picture, it is manifestly !
necessary to get him out of the brush |
into plain view; either on top of a
tree, or In the open. To accomplish
this he must be stirred up and excit-
ed to action, which is not always a
safe or pleasant performance. When
an animal of this kind gets close
enough to pose properly for his pic
ture he is apt to be somewhat dan
gerously near the photographer. So
the photographer must be protected
while he snaps the shot If Mr.. Will
Than manipulates the camera, Mrs.
Wallihan stands over him with gun.
prepared to take a lightning shot if
necessary; and if she is the operator,
he stands guard. 1t must be no easy
matter deliberately to get the focus
and take snapshot at a raging noun
tain lion or a furious wildcat, as he
comes straight towards one, but much
experience has taught Mrs. Wallihan
to keep cool, study the effect of light
and shade, and examine the pose, even
in this threatening case. She has one
splendid picture of a wildcat just as
1t left the very tip of tree in a
mad spring at the photographer. She
drew the slide just as the cat leaped,
( and the result is probably unique in
Z the realm of photography. A German
photographer, when he saw this pic
lture in a collection of photographs in
New York, almost raved.
Great Scott" he exclaimed. "look
at dat cat in de midair Himmel! hat
you efer seen anything like. dot in your
life, heinz"
Mrs Wallihan has heard at night
the measured tread of 600 deer, and
counted them as they moved, a royal
procession, toward the south land.
Again, in the night, she has detected
the soft swish of the waves as a com
5any swan the river, and with one
binding CLEAN from her flashlight has
taught the picture. BY some seeming
Y mysterious spell Mrs. Wallihan has