The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-20
LOST LIFE TO SAVE HIS DOG
Negro Coon Hunter of Virginia Who
Deserves a Monument.
Canine LHred Into the Pamunkey by
Clever Ruse-GOOd Traits OF the
COIOred 'POssum Chaser.
From the Rlchmond News-Leader.

I from inc hlclm0nQ NeWS-Led0fr.
/ Every coon hunter and 'possum hunter
/ in the South would be willing to con-
/ tribute for a monument to Davie Temple.
colored, who lost his life near Aetna
Mills by jumping in the Pamunkey river
/ TO rescue his coon dog, which was In dan
/ ger of being drowned by a coon. That is
a favorite trick Of the coon. He has the
subtlety OF Satan and a diabolic sense OF
/ humor. and is crafty and indomitable
warrior. When he can catch somebody S
/ good coon dog near water and drown it
/ he is triumphantly and completely happy
/ and doubtless becomes a magnate in the
wild kingdom Of the coons
We never have known a white coon or
. possum hunter who was not a good fell
/ low, nor a negro sincerely attached to the
sport guilty Of any serious crime Only
good people with souls in them. and good,
/ honest, faithful. and sportsmanlike dogs.
I can realize the full joy Of going out on a
I frosty night with the moon securely hid.
rustling among the dry leaves through the
/ mysterious silence Of the autumn woods.
watching the lights dance and flicker
against tree trunks and hill sides and the
dark weird, changing shadows The real
negro huntsman. who has It IN his blood
from a long ancestry of plantation hands
who worked faithfully all day and ranged
all night. is serious on such occasions.
Frivolity and hippancy are far from him.
His own reputation is atstake. and dearer
than that-the honor Of his dog or dogs.
/ Every well regulated country negro in the
South has 1t least one dog to which his
/ faith is fixed unalterably, in behalf OF
/ which. when accused OF running astray
on rabbit trails he viii fight. un'ess thu
/ insult be Withdrawn promptly. A gen
/ uine coon or 'possum hunting negro may
/ be little slippery in d dog trade. here
and there may lift a casual and tempting
/ shote, and his views on the laws Of tres
/ pass and the rights Of owners OF posted
lands may be hazy but his crimes ue1 CT
/ are malicious. He is remote from the
+ darker vices of his better dressed and
/ more highly educated brethren. and is
] supplemented, honest in his general
/ purposes affectionate and loyal as the
/ dogs themselves.
/ He projects his voice into the darkness
/ anXiOuSly. Some mysterious instinct tells
/ him whether Scout and Drum and Tige
/ and Spot are doing their duty and at
\ tending TO business. He encourages. ex-
/ hOrts, and demonstrates. When the tramp
/ is long. and no answers have come. he
/ walls and presently threatens and begins
/ to lament that the neighborhood dogs
/ have been brought along to set evil ex-
ample 10 his, reviling them darlIly,
/ whispering and muttering Of their in
. 7frFf 81 rio .Ir.F=v.
and moral shortcomings. When the first
/ dubious. suspicious yelp comes reverber-
/ ating through the woods and hOllows his
I spirits revive and his fervor grows. With
( the pack in full cry, the varied music of
/ its chorus steady, sure and strong, he is
a man capable Of prOdigies, of activity,
/ strength. and valor. Each negro recog-
/ nizes, welcomes, and echoes the voice OF
/ some favOrite and eXtols his virtues. HIS
/ achievements, and his qualities aloud and
/ with an enthusiasm which no tearing
/ brambles, tripping vines. cold and plash-
! ing swamp water. or sudden deClivity nav
diminish. When the freed bark comes. and
! the dogs are in a frenzy at sight and scent
+ of their mortal foe and In a climax of
! ecstatie, confused proclamation are yell
/ ing their story of pursuit and detection.
and their bescechings for quick help.
/ Tity of the pack established happiness
/ has perched upon her Hottest pinnacle.
and the very contamination Of joy is at
I tanned
Because the coon is a more difficult
/ proposition than the 'pOssum, he is a
greater JOY. Because he invariably makes
desperate fight and leaves marks of his
claws and teeth on hides and ears. he is
/ the more desired Of dogs and men He
/ falls on his back with every stout and
active leg, with its complement of ripping
/ claws, in lightning-like operation. He
bites and scratches everything he can
reach. all the while, with the strategy of
a good general keeping a sharp eye for
/ opportunity of safe and honorable retreat
l When he can roll or jump to water and
/ lure a dog there, his murderous intelli-
gence and cunning are aroused to fun
/ DEVELOPMENT