The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1904-09-13
ESSEN.
Snake Catches a Hawk-Mr. toss
Kills Both The SoFa Season The
Drummers- Other Notes.

Drummers- Notes.
Dunnsvile Va, Stpt. 7th, 1904
Mr. I.rWis togg, Il this vicinity, had
ia strange experience Monday morning.
/ Mr. Fnrg iellH n thus, ou hnow
aumetimes come through the wllte oak
aWamp ON my WAY To tbs canning lac
tors. it btiDg nearer that way. We'll, Mon
dAy morning IA ! was walking near "A
growth Of huckebefry bushes, | saw
something jumping up out OF the bushes
and then seemingly falling back or being
/ pulled back. 1 picked up a stick and
| went near To il and saw that IL was
/ large hawk. Without noticing what
was holding il or what Was the matter,
/ | Just iraird down on the haEk and
/ knuc ed il over Well. just ss the hawk
/ fell. large black snake sprang Al it and
caught il right back OF the head and
pulled a whole mouthful of feathers out,
/ / then went 10 work On the snake and
killed him. lie wRs a black snake, and
was fully yard and three quarters long,
/ | then finished the hawk, and here be ia
now" as he took the great 4i inch from
tip to tip chicken destroyer out OF his
! basket. al believe that the hawk had
caught the snake and was trying 20 take
him off when the snake coiled around
the hawk and held him down in those
huck leberry bushes Anyhow, | killed
both of them. You can see here where
the snake pulled mOuthiul of feathers
from the back Of the hawks heal" And
sure enough we could see where the snake
had bitten the hawk even alter Mr. FOgg
had struck the bird down. This must
have been battle royal. and we wish
that we could have watched IL t0 "a iin-
ish Mr. F0gg and the rest OF us may
walk the v hitc OAK swamp woods aud
all the other bodies of woods for years
without number, and we arr not likely
70 see such another hattie as this
The sOrA season is in. but the tides are
not high enough 10 admit OF good hunt-
ing vet. The birds, too, are poor until
the autumnal WndA blow the wild oats
down. IL il thought that the delicious
flavor of this mysterious bird II due
largely 20 the wild oAt The summer or
wood ducks, OF our marshes have very
different flavor from that OF the same
bird in the South where there ia no sea
celery or wild oat Epicureans place the
sora first, and the canvas back duck
second among the good things TO please
the palate, but we are inclined 20 think
that there never was morsel more
tempting than a brOiled young summer
duck isttened on the wild oats OF our
marshes Among the huntsmen We no
tice Rev Edward 4. Bagby, OF Washing
ton: Mr.. Russell Williams, of Richmond
and sir Noel Lewis. of MerFigold. The
fret good tide, from far and near they
will fOck 20 the creek to hunt this pride
Of Epicures. Before the present game
Jaw many from other States used 10 visit
our county during the sora season, but
/ the license fee seems 20 check them
Mr.. A. Ransone, OF our town, showed
W live sora, which his son had caught
/ 10 his field few days ago. The BIRD
was Gagged and seemed 10 be doing well
considering it's captivity. We hate killed
thousands of sorA, but this is the hrst
one we have ever seen Gagged. Whether
| the sOra remain here all winter and
hatch a. other birds. or migrate at the
! first frost, is an open question. 10 is GER
tain that some OF them stay here, Tor
frequently they are caught In steel traps
set for musk rats in the winter.
The canning factories are busy with
tomatoes. though the crop is said TO be
short. Some late peaches are coming In
too, but they are not az good as our
fruit usually II.
There was sn ice cream festival at
| DunnsviIle yesterday afternoon, given by
the Junior Builders Society )i the Rap
DahannCck church, and a few days ago
| the ladies of Ephesus church had fe5ti-
val in this town. Both were literally pa
tronized.
Mr. Charlie Field, OF the travelling ira.
ternity. WAS in Dunnsyille last evening,
The merchants are now preparing 20 go
/ North and lay IN their winter stock, and
/ the faithful drummefs are looking after
them tenderly, and kindly suggesting the
best places to buy the cheapest hnd Dest
selling goods. Who would live where
there were no drummers to come and
tell us all OF the new jokes and the old
iDkes over agsn, all along the lineY A
drummer gete fat because he has learned
NOT TO worry, and he has seemed IN
| ,ood humor so long that IL has become
second nature. And then he can say such
nice things and mean them. Who ever
heard OF merchant having anything
but a beautiful baby in the drummer's 9
eyes' And how solicitously he enquiries
after the merchants health. A great TEL
| low is the drummer. May he live long
and prosper. .
We have not said word abont the
railroad in this letter, but we are think
ing il all the time. If there be but one
thing needed to make this 'the hecountry, "
that one is a railroad. We have the
best people in the world in their way,
but maybe their way Is not lu.t what
is needed for the full development OF Our
aeetion's resources. We need more snap
and vim, and little more money wou'd
not 90 amisa. In less than year we
hone that our ca pitsl city will be In lesr
| - A.. k,urol rida of na