New-York tribune., 1909-05-02
CROKER TELLS OF
HUNTING JOKE
.FOREGATHERS WITH OLD
CRONIES.
Er-Tammany Chieftain Killed Same
Part1dges Several Times-Re-
Iates Florida Fishing ErpJOit.


Club still smiling of the hunting and
fishing tales told at the club the other night, when
Mr.. Croker foregathered with the old set with
whom he grew up in this town.
After things got well warmed up around the din
ner table President Fox of the club said to Mr.
Croker:
"'Dick.' tell Of your hunting partridges and deer
IN the Adirondacks with Eddie Cahin twenty
years ago.
After good natured 'joshing' back and forth the
old Tammany chieftain began as follows:
II never was anything of hunter. and you fei-
lows know 1t. Fox is trying to get the laugh on
me by asking to tell that story out almost
ANYTHING goes at g. time like this. I guess that
hunting trip with Cahill, FOX and half dozen
others Of the old crowd must have been Iuly
twenty years ago, right after hard hi"yo,"''S
campaign. 1t the fashion. even in those days.
10 take two or three weeks off after a campaign
lust as It is now. That year We all went 10 the
AdrondacIzs I'D near Paul Smiths, II L remember
right and we went up there 10 shoot sonethihS'
! don't think there was decent shot IN lhe WHO'S
bunch but what we lacked IN skill we made up IN
enthusiasm. The second or tnlld Gay We paI 0H ''A
TO go partridge hunting.
I'VE we're told that this partridge hunting was
nne-that eH had to do was to go OUT anu
knock them out of the tops OF trees ana al tne'
SORT of thing. Cahill and myself were 1ogeIher'
We didn't see or hear partridge, either on 'le
first or second day. That kind of took the eoge OH
our enthusiasm but Cahil and decided 10 sun
10 It. l asked of the hired men aIouIu 10
all
said there was a hunter eight miles away "HV
pevv where to kill partridges. Cahil and "aiAeu
over there The farmer said he would XIII Us nan
q dozen birds for 81 apiece, and we toIu MN - s.
right out and get 10 work. "hhe We "'
eround orr new friend went out and snot SIX HiIe
h,o artridres It didn't take him any time at an
w. Maid over the money and took the oUos- "o
looked very important that night Wheh "o s. 81
hack 10 the hotel and spread out our DIu9-
man there wanted TO know where we hao Dee1i a.
all
direction. -, taking
"Cahu and I went out again next oay' .AnS -,
o,r birds with US and that night we ~repol ~ 5a 1.u
.i, birds the same as the day before Ihat mau'
,ba gang crazy with envy and suspiCI'''
str,nrer at the hotel said he didn't believe We 81
tbem. We coudnr afford TO be buffed' he SsN91 ~
II he could send his negro with u.s. anu No co.
certainly Cahrl and I had to fool him. we eOt
the colored man IN a thick piece OF Woous, 50"
of our guns once or twice apiece dld Il iol o.
calling and then told the coon where ne Couiu
find some partridges. His eyes STUCK oIl '
naeled onions as he walked around anu p0N7N ~
four birds where had placed theIh' ne iuS'
,,gnt bacl, to the hotel and told his boss that we
we're shooting birds on the level ana 'ii NY
down suspicion for a day.
JOKE BECAME TOO STALE.
-. 20 vrier on the NTH day. however.
77,s vraather was little bit muggy' and We
hadn't figured on the keeping qualities or the oitoS
one Of tho gang. who had been In the PouiL'S
business when he younger, thoushI ne uS-
tacte5 something peculiar about the odor or the
ttr5 u,1an we laid three OF them out on the
dfth night Then the Jig was up. We lied In the
most circu1nstantaI way about shooting thein tla'
very dav and tried to ring In the negro as a VII
,e.s tut II wouldn't do There was the smell ana
assure you II was a case of finding the goods on
ne We confessed the whole business. and OF
course had a rather uncomfortable time OF II TOT
the next day OF two.
Then the camp heard Of a deer close at hand
all went deer
Cahu and I were together again Just to show
what good shots were, want to say that the
dogs finally chased that deer down a runway Where
at least six Tammany district leaders were posted
and we all whaIed away at him IN turn as ne
galIoped past. Not of US touched him lie ran
over behind the mountain, where our friend who
sold US the partrdges killed him with one shot-
I guess the farmer wanted US to know II hrs''
We hustled right over there and bought the deer
IN order TO be able TO tell the truth about
shooting the deer we had the farmer string the
dead beast up. after he vas dangling by ms
heels we pumped bullet apiece into MIN at snort
range That night pretty near broke our packs
Iugging that deer into camp. We were under sus-
picon at once but we had the dead buck. ana
that was something. We swore by all that was
great and good that we had shot the deer ana
offered back It up with the testimony OF an eye
witness We got away with that bluff all right
and gained great renown hunters by sending
portions OF tile buck around TO our friends. Our
comrades didn't learn till long afterward that we
didn't shoot that deer until after ne was strung
UP by the heels"
Then Mr.. Croker switched 10 Florida and in
dwelling on the excellent fishing on the East Coast
said:
you can get all sorts OF fish there. had lot
OF sport fishing from a boat and from a pier.
Kingfsh run from thirty TO eighty or ninety
mounds l caught one weighing over fifty pounds.
Sailfsh also plentiful This fish has very
large fin on its back. suggesting the mainssdl
Of a boat Both kinghsh and sailhsh caught
with a rod and line The rod must be a sub
stantlal one and the line of the best quality. for
there is no telling what Will hit your bait in those
Florida waters. The best lines. while not very
heavy. are so strong that man can scarcely
break them with his bare hands.
81 had great tussle with three hundred pound
shark while fishing uay from the pier. As
soon the fish struck my bait the veteran fisher
mon on the pier knew what I had, and they all
shouted advice. Some said pull Up, and others said
let him It's always that way when you have
a good bite. No two fishermen agree TO what
to do. This shark made for deep water. II he had
kept straight ahead he either would have broken
the line. yanked the pole out OF my hands
landed off the pier, but shark is good deal
Of a fool This chap turned after he had run
hundred yards and then began to tack Then the
weight of the line zigzagging through the water
began to tell on him little. I reeled up he
neared the pier. and when he made fresh
for deep water 1 let him have the line again.
After he had around for about hour he
got tired, and finally I towed him close to the
pier where he gated by one of the boys.
Playing a shark of that size will give an able
bodied man all the exercise he needs for day.
1 have that sharks backbone, and taking 1t
over to ireland TO show the folks Fishing in
Ireland? Pshaw, no! You fish all day there
and If you catch fish weighing pound you
lucky There's fishing in Ireland worthy the
name. Florida is the place to fish"