The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-03-23

camp where the council was to be held
with about 100 chiefs and leading braves.
An amicable understanding was arrived
at between the contending forces and
the war came to an end
Wild Game of Early Days.
Cal Sharpnack was famous fox
hunter in western Pennsylvania before
| coming 10 Kansas He settled on Spring
I creek in this county in the sprsag of
I ISL and some time afterward wrote some
Of his former comrades in the chase
that the game in southern Kansas was
/ a treacherous outfit and no good.
/ When Cal settled down in Gypsum
township there We're coons, wild cats,
wolves and deer in abundance. He told
/ some Of the tenderfeet that he was going
/ TO have any amount of fun with the
game for he had sent back to Pennsyl-
Vania 10 have two his favorite hounds
shipped to him. He Invited his neigh
/ hors to come and see the fun when the
( hounds arrived.
In due time "Old Lead" and Beauty
arrived at Wichita and Cal came Up to
town and paid ten dollars back charges
and took the hounds home in great tri-
umph. He then invited Mr.. Dick
| Cogdeu to come down some day and see
( the fun. The next morning after getting
the hounds they went over on the creek
! and freed something. Cal listened and
J said it was a coon.
In very short time several Of the
| first settlers were on the ground TO see
what all the believing Of the hounds
was about as they ran among the
trees on the bank of the creek and the
men began to look among the branches
for the coon or wildcat when present
" two large large coons were seen in
a bush about eight feet high which
leaned over a deep lagoon which had
been formed by the rapid water Of the
creek during the spring rains for many
years previous. Carl Sharpnack said
in all Of his experience he had never
seen a coon take to such a tree as that
before. He ascribed it 10 the fact that
/ the hounds having pushed them so hard
that they were forced TO take TO the
nearest bush but those cOons which had
held their own with the wolves for sew
eral years Of their precarious existence
knew what it meant.
When the men climbed down the bank
to where the coon rested ccntentedly on
the bush they calmly slid down into the
water Of the deep lagoon and began to
swim around in a circle as If they con-
sidered themselves perfectly safe from
harm. The hounds made a dive for the
water and went straight for theic COON
ships The two coons separated and swan
round the dogs when each one made for
dog as If by some sort Of agreement
They would raise their f0reparts out Of
The water and about the time the dog
was ready TO take hold of them. they
would strike him about the shoulders
and duck the dog's head under water
and before he would have hardly time
TO blow the water from his nose and
mouth under he would go again. Il soon
became evident that the dogs would be
crowned and The men got a long pole
and drew the two hounds &c the shore.
They were so weak from sufocation that
they could hardly stand UP. Col sharp
mack went and got his shot gun and shot
the pesky ccons.
The next things the hounds tackled
WIS the wild cats. Fox hounds have
weakness for running house cats any
how. and when they struck the tran of 2
wild cat and We're encouraged to go ahead
they were simply delighted. They soon
raised wild cat in the long blue stem
grass that covered all the prairies south
Of Wichita in the fall Of ISL The cat
did not make bee line for a big tree
on the creek bank as the hunters sup
Tosed he would. He was onto his job
and had not allowed the wolves TO keep
him in tree two thirds of his time.
lie would strike out and run like the
wind for a couple of hundred yards and
then crouch down in the long grass /
When the hound would come along on
the tran ana came near enough. the cat /
would bound onto his back and scatter
the hair seven ways FOR Sunday.
In a very short time those hounds +
gave rprn stakable evidence that they dill
not relish hunting Wild eats. II would I
take tbcr about an hour TO train . cat
fifty yards They would put their noses 4
TO the ground. give an awful ysn and +.
then stop and lock for the cat IL they ]
happened 10 step on a weed that caused (
the grass 10 shake. they would take the I
back track fCr about q hundre3 fefs 4
yelpin- every jump. expecting the cat (
TO alieht on their backs. That ended the /
wild cat hunting with hounds,
The next things u be tried with the 4
hounds was the deer They cared about .
as much for the hounds as the coon and (
the wild cats There was more sater +
in the Big Arkansas those days than
now ana the deer woUld make for the
rrVer and swim across IT, The hounds
did NOT ike the cold water but Z by
urging they were induced 10 swim the
stream and fellow the TRAN The deer
would run about half mile up or down
,he river and recross the stream. The
hounds would soor become stif AID dis
eusted and throw Up the sponge.
Hunting wolves with hounds lid net
prove q success in those early GAYS.
yhen The wolves were hard pressed with
The houuds they vouli run 10 the settlers
house. circle around 81, ana then through
rne Iarn lot. causing The poultry to fiy
"a every direction ana Is the time the
hcnnds would reach the house IN sex
tiers wife vgould be oct AFTER thc;n with
stick or q pan IF hct water thinking
.hat tie hoeads were TRYING r. sin the
hseSfns. for 81 course she Nou.i Eet
the object n their pursuit one day
ca Sharpuack threw ~ his haDas 81