Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-02-06

about to leave Hobgood, as per arrange
ment with P. A. Raspberry, of large hotel
in Scotland Neck, N. G. The carriage and
baggage wagon are in front Of the door OF
our Hobgood quarters to take us across
country about eight miles to the town OF
Scotland Neck, in Halifax county. 1t IS
town of about 1000 inhabitants. Its main
street is about two miles long and about
rs feet wide between the curb lines, one
row of maple trees in the centre and grass
plots, with public pumps at nearly every
block. The teams that are taking us away
from Hobgood are far different from those
we have been accustomed to use here. We
have one canopied carriage with a pair OF
spanking blacks, and one iron-gray to what
is known in the south as Jersey wagon;
this is for our baggage and dogs. We
omitted to tell you in our first letter that
on the train down we made the acqualnt-
ance of Mr.. Dunn, the Sheriff OF Halifax
county, and it is by his invitation that we
are at Scotland Neck, and for the many
kindnesses and courtesies extended to us
by the Sheriff, as well as many of the best
people of the town and country nearby,
we feel that we are under everlasting obll-
CATIONS, and we promise that we will repay
them in measure if any of them should
ever come to our town. The Sheriff has a
pack of hounds that are used in chasing
criminals, and as your correspondent has
always been sceptical about dogs running
the track of man to certainty, the Sheriff
consented to give us an exhibition, pro-
vided that we could get Niger. Our
man, Rachor, was equal to the occasion,
and finally secured the negro, but not
without some trouble, as several that he
asked positively refused, saying they
didn't want to be torn to pieces by them
dogs Finally, with fine talk, assuring
the boy at the stable that he should not be
hurt, and jingling the silver in his pocket,
he was induced to take a trip through the
swamp about mile out of town. A gen
tleman kindly consented to take the negro
in his buggy to the swamp. After they
had been gone about one hour the Sheriff
and our party, followed by several citizens
of the town, started for the swamp. On
arriving near the place where the negro
entered, the Sheriff placed the dog on the
track, the same as we do dogs on the track
of rabbit. They did not go more than
twenty feet before they began yelping
Away they went up through the swamp,
across the road in the swamp, out again,
up the road, down ON the other side, back
in the swamp they had first entered. We
felt sure they were running the back track,
and said so, when our attention was called
to a large white oak tree that was close by
our wagon, and in the top of that tree was
the negro that the dogs were hunting. Out
came the dogs and up the road for about
twenty yards and back to the tree. OH
my, you should have heard those dogs
howl and climb the tree as far as they
could in their efforts to get the man. The
Sheriff then took care of the dogs and the
man came down and took a seat in the
buggy that had brought him to the swamp.
The Sheriff then let loose the dogs. They
had not forgotten what they were hunting
for and at once started for the man in the
carriage, and had it not been for our Con-
tractor Henry, they would have hauled the
negro from the wagon.
Good rooms at this hotel, good table,
elegant service, and everything receives
the personal attention of Mr.. Raspberry
Next morning we were off in the country
hunting "Bob White" Good bags were
made by all and Rachor was very much
elated because he was high man. That
short gun Of his and his luck in finding
the birds was wonderful. Why, after
Henry had hunted out a place thoroughly
along would come Rachor and have fine
Ed. said: "It does beat the
how Rachor can find them"
We made the acquaintance of some
gentlemen who are members Of shooting
club that have a preserve on the Roanoke
River Their invitation was accepted to
have days and evenings hunt on their
Ouoil chnOtipn vuoc not c11aoacc
near the Roanoke River, as they had flood
last May that drowned all game except
turkeys, deer and squirrels. The Roanoke
River is ordinarily about $50 yards wide
between the dykes, but during the freshet
it was said to be Is miles wide
We made stop at the Smith plantation,
which contains about 1000 acres of very
good land, nearly all in cotton. One
hundred and fifty people are employed on
the place. Before the war the owner at
that time of the property, we are told, had
over 1000 slaves. After partaking Of re-
freshments at this place we started for the
roosting ponds of Mallard ducks, driving
five miles to the edge of dark cypress
swamp, then two miles through the swamp.
No road, but between the trees as best we
could, until we could go no further with
our teams. After turning our horses
around while it was still daylight and
hanging lantern on the limb of tree to
mark the spot where our team was left,
having on rubber boots to the hips, we
started in water knee-deep one-half mile in
the swamp to shoot the ducks that came in
at dark to spend the night. Pouring down
rain, dark as the inside of black cat, wet
through, would shoot ducks and hear them
fall, too dark to find them; and Is miles
from our hotel. But to make long story
short, we got back to our hotel that night,
and we must say that the cypress swamp
we were in is an elegant place for ducks to
roost, and this quartet of Jersey sportsmen
promise never to disturb them again.
No one seemed to enjoy it so much as
the two club members that were with us,
and they were the most successful in kill
ing ducks and finding them. Well, this
duck hunt seemed to satisfy the craving
that we had to hunt and kill game, es-
pecially ducks. Next morning found us
packing our traps and starting home.
Without any formal conference as to what
was best to be done, each seemed to realize
that he had enough.
The party hopes to go to Scotland Neck
again, but never to that duck pond. We
thanked the club members for the
many courtesies extended, and we are sorry
that we were unable to attend the coon
hunt that was being arranged for our
benefit in that same swamp.
JOHN M. HENDERSON.
Opening Sewer Bids.
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