The progress., 1904-05-28
WON SEAT BY COON HUNT.
Congressman Who Got There with the
Aid of Roman Candles
and Nerve.

| The democratic leader on the floor of
the national house of representatives,
John Sharp Williams, is a man of great
originality and versatility, says Wash
ington report. There may be ADLER men
in the house, there are more who have
stronger hold upon their constituents
and who can count more certainly upon
a denomination and reelection. He has
just formally announced his candidacy
time when he had an opponent for con-
gress in the person of Wash" Gibbs, a
prominent citizen of his own county.
This was some ten or twelve years ago,
and it was the first race Mr.. Williams
had made for the office.
Maj Gibbs was in those days a man
OF splendid physique, and in his home
county was famed for his prowess as
mighty Nimrod. One day while prose-
cutting his canvass he reached the town
of Scooba, in Kemper county, and some
of the citizens of the town took him
out that night on coon hunt. Fully
40 men were in the party, and Maj. Gibbs
"SNo eiAS oNOiioI PCiAOi uCi. llC WlOiNOu
an ak with unusual skill and chopped
down no less than 40 trees in which
coons had taken refuge during the night.
The news spread through the county
that Maj. Gibbs was powerful coon
hunter, and it was practically conceded
that he would carry the county. A few
days later John Sharp Williams ap-
peared on the scene to present his claims
to the Kemper county voters. and his
little handful of friends told him, with
many misgivings, of the prowess of his
antagonist. They said that their only
hope to carry the county depended upon
beating the coon-hunting record of Maj.
Gibbs, and their misgivings were re-
doubled when they viewed the small
hands and slight physique of their ia
vorite. who perhaps had never even used
an ak to split up kindling wood.
That's all right, boys" cheerfully re-
marked Mr.. Williams. "I'll go COON
hunting with you, but want these folks
to understand that am scientific coon
hunter, and don't intend to enter into
the sport in vulgar and laundering
way, like Maj. Gibbs did. Go on and
gather up the dogs and I'll be ready
when you are"
Mr.. Williams then hied himself away
to the city drug store in town, where
he purchased large stock of Roman
candles which had been left over from
the Christmas season. The druggist
sold them to him dirt cheap, and the
young congressional aspirant was in
high glee when the party left town.
Hardly an hour passed before the first
coon was treed, and all looked on anx-
iously to see what Mr. Williams would
do. Without any preliminaries he
opened up bombardment on the coon
with the Roman candles, and the first
brilliant ball of fire hit the coon square
ly between the eyes and caused him to
drop to the limb just below. With equally
good effect the remaining shots were
fired, and in less than ten seconds the
coon was on the ground and had been
pounced upon by the dogs.
Throughout the night the perform
ance was kept up, and the coon hunters
quit only when the dogs were too ex-
hausted to fight any longer. The news
of Mr.. Williams and his methods of
coon-hunting spread like wildfre
through Kemper county, and he car
ried every precinct by overwhelming
majorities