Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-12-03

| tall lne curious ldllaCy said IL exist III
| New York state and elsewhere concern
ing the shooting Of white deer
What is the secret of the immunity
OF The white deer from the hunter :
Weapon
The recent futile attempt Of The
Smithsonian Institution to acquire the
skin of one of these rare and myste:i-
Gus animals has revived this ancient
question. one thousand dollars is the
l"Ward that the Smithsonian offers.
bat it is doubtful if there is a hunter
in the country who could be tempted
by THAI sum to send a bullet through
4 white deer. And vet. why
FOR many Years the belief has been
general that the slayer of one of thes,.
deer would meet With dire misfortune
80 that from time immemorial such
White deer as from Year to year fitted
CnoSt like through the thickets and
woods Of the All"ghanies We're safe
from the Indians arrow or the white
mans bullet.
There are some hunters still living i'll
tIeartield county. Pa. who to this day
y. lirVt that the experience of one man
bore out the superstition OF the noun
taineers regarding this connection be-
tween the killing Of white de"r ana
calamity This man was Thomas
Bronson. who. with his Wife ana twu
Young sons. lived in the Green Woods
not far from the head uf cold Stream.
Bronson was reckless aud brave. but
IL was suspected that he had propen-
sity to appropriate property To which
the law had not given him clear IT'LL
Early in the fan If 1853. Bronson.
while hunting in the vicinity Of III"
knobs" esried 4 deer whose coat uf
HAN was as white as snow. Possibly
in his recklessnesS he thought W.
would. by killing the white deer have
an opportunity to prove the ancient
belief of the hunters fallacious At
any rate, Bronson's rifle cracked. and
the deer. after a few spasmodic leaps.
fell to the ground With a bullet through
its heart. its white skin dyed red with
it's own life blood.
bronson dressed the dead deer. which
was .5-pound doe. and wrapping the
meat in the hide. carried it home. He
afterwards remembered that a raven
croakcd dismally overhead as he was
tlISSlI9 6IoIlS IKE Nbtulftll'l Ibti'l 'Ii
MS way home in the dusk Of the even
ing, but as ravens We're numerous then
he paid no heed to the sound.
SIX weeks afterward Bronson. while
searching for the den Of a pack Of
wolves that h. knew was somewhere
near the head Of cold Stream. feil upon
= pile of rocks ana broke his ann.
Later he got to thinking about tbs
matter. and in his mind Went over IT,"
incidents that had occurred since the
day he HAD defied the SuperstitiuuS be
lief If other hunters by Staying tie
white deer. He lost Il great deal ol |
his hravado after this and was less
venturesome than in days gone by. "A |
lost his nerve completely. when a year |
later. one Of his sons ran away from |
home ana left no trace Of his where
q bouts and his wife died from a snake /
Rite. Bronson became taciturn and +,
moody. stunning such hunters as came !
into that part Of the Green Woods in |
which ne had his shanty ana living the |
I;fc of 4 semi hermit.
Three years after the killing Of the
''phantom' deer, as the white deer was |
called. Bronson started out hunting /
along the Turkey Path in the direction /,
of Trout Run. He had not gone more |
than a mile or two when he saw big |
buck cropping the tWiSs less than 2oo |
yards away He stalked the buck un- i
til he was within easy shooting dis /
tancp. and then taking steady ann he t
fired The deer dropped in its tracks, |
and bronson FASTENED to its side to cut |
ItS throat. He had approached within /
- fcv feet of th.. animal when tn" lat /
ter Jumped to its feet and flerc"lN at |
tackled him The buck had been only /.
wounded. and. as in such cases. was 4 /
most dangerous antagonist. But Hlon- /.
son drew his hunting knife and fought I
fur his life. The battle he I
tween man and beast continued for /
some time. the sharp antlers and front |
hocCs of the buck cutting Bronson's /
,;esD until th, blood flowed from a /
Genre Of wounds. while the hunter re-
peatedly thrust his knife into the deers
LA, in the cndeavor to finish thr work |
begun by his bullet.
How long the fight lasted nobody /
knows, but that ii was desperate hat-
tla those who know the fer"clty "f
y founded buck can imagine. 1t was a
duel 10 til" death. and IN TINS case Il
double death. I;rnnSon's : diSappeafance.
however. became Il mystery that was
unsolved until tn" following spring
TWO fishermen who were on thelf way
to Trout Run for fishing expedition
carly in April had their attentioh at
tracted to the skeleton Of a deer lying
d few yards from the path upon winch
thev were walking. out OF curiosity
they investigated and were astonlshed