The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-03-15
AFTER LITTLE RED. /"
THE MANATUCk MO U
 CLUBS
MO UN2'AIN
First Hunt Results in Three Pelts--
 For Wildcats Next Time.


 This last heavy fall of snow has more effectually tied up Connecticut fox hunters and their hounds than anything else could have done. Too much snow for this sport is worse than none at all. We've had two pretty good storms recently, and they came close together. Just before the first light storm the members of the Manatuck Mountain Fox club sallied forth after the brush of little red. They picked out an ideal morning, one with the thermome- ter at about degrees above. The start was made at about 6 o'clock. The run was up North Granby way" where the mountain sides afford shelter to nothing in its rocky recesses, unless it be the phantoms of old Manatuck Mountain-the wild cats, of which northern and western Connecticut can boast many now.
 Not a few of the members of the Manatuck Mountain club are heredi- tary hunters. Their fathers and grand fathers before them were fond of the sport. One of the mightiest hunters of the club is Charles Phelps, grand son of the famous strong man of Wind sor Captain Phelps, who has left a lifting record of 1,750 pounds in the historic volumes of Old Windsor, Charles Phelps. on this hunt, secured two of the three foxes that were shot, and he picked them up in true sports manlike style.
 The Hartford Fox club has been a little slow this season. only one member taking advantage of the Granby clubs event to join in the chase. Joseph c. Lane of the Hartford Club has been laid up with rheumatism for some time George Deming, Philander Denslow George Clark, and others of the mighty hunters from Hartford and Windsor were notified days before the event oc- cured, but they failed to start with the Manatuck men. In fact the only man from Hartford was Denny Coil, q noted fisherpan and hunter. Chief Phelps and that grand shot and fox tracker, Owen Eagan, from Windsor, were present. Oscar Phelps of the same town had a presentment of a great snowstorm, so he, too, was among the missing on that bright but decidedly cold, morning.
 Among Ille 1FdHpy Hltl were t-iioiltS and Edward Owens (always referred to as the Owens boys); Wilson Griffin, the hunter who always has plenty of information right on his tongues ends; Arthur Case one of the best shots in northern Connecticut, and Charles Phelps There were good foxhounds with the party, and plenty of enthu- siasm to give the hunters an early start. and courage to find firm footing on now-covered and slippery rocks.
 The hunters hadn't gone far before the wall of an old hound was heard | and then the chorus of half dozen mixed voices picked up the tell tale l thread of information that little red" had left at every footfall. Soon the l excitement and the eXertion of climb [ ing the side of old Manatuck began to tell-heavy shooting coats were unbut- toned and even with the thermometer well down toward zero, llandkerchiefs . wereb rought into play to absorb the perspiration that was making this cold winters day as unbearbe as an S0- | degree day in summer. The hunters had scattered in skirmish line fashion, | but< Chief Phelps and Owen Eagan trudged along as social pair. Denny Coil had been foxy" enough to secure a quiet and secluded log, where he seated himself to await the rambles of | little red''
 The dogs were running well up the side of the mountain, and directly to the right of Denny. Not many minutes : elapsed till the sound of the chase i and then streak of red | flashed past the Hartford hunter just as he had placed his gun across his 1 knees in true Kentucky hunter style, and had made preparations to make ! himself as comfortable as possible. He |, realized in an instant that he had let | his chance slip by. as the dogs swept l past hir1 in full chorus. The willy I fox veered Just before he got to Phelps and Eagan and went straight up the He leaped to big boulder and then out onto a shelving rock from which there was precipice 100 1 feet deep. Charles Owen had been lay ing on this likely run and when little -ed' sprang from the boulder he was For an instant in full view to the hunt