The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-10-28
ALBINO BUCK SHOT.
Brattleboro Hunter Bags the Only
White Buck Ever Shot in Vermont
Eyes Have Reddish Tinge.


White Buck Ever Shot in Vermont
Eyes Have Reddish Tinge.
Brattleboro, Oct. 25-One of the
greatest prizes ever captured by a
Vermont hunter was brought down
this morn ing, on the first day of the
open deer season in this State, by
Howard A. Johnson, of 339 Western
avenue, when he killed an albino
buck deer, the goal of many local
hunter.
The open season on deer began
this morning with rush, and hardly
before the season was under way,
word reached the village that young
Johnson had captured the real prize
of the season, the white deer Three
shots were necessary before the al
bino was finally brought down on the
Henry Sargent farm in West Brat
tleboro, the final bullet being pushed
into the deer at a range of about 300
yards
While many of the Brattleboro
nimrods have journeyed far into the
hills in search of game, young John
son and two companions preferred
to take their chances nearer home,
and they left their Western avenue
home shortly before sunrise this
morning. They went about three
miles westward, striking into the
woods on the Henry Sargent farm.
Johnson and his friends separated.
About $50 o'clock Johnson sighted
a herd of three deer, the albino buck
and two doe. He stalked them care
fully and about o'clock he took his
third bullet reaching the animals
heart.
Naturalists throughout the State
have been expressing great interest in
the reports of the albino deer which
have been circulated in the State dur
ing the past three months, and a
Game Warden Roswell l. Frost, at
tempted to obtain special permit to
hunt the buck out of season in the
interests of science, as he wished to
procure the specimen and have it
mounted. The feasibility of this plan
was questioned, and it was finally
dropped, the albino remaining in the
woods to be brought down by john
sons skill as marksman. Had Mr..
| Frost obtained the consent of the
State authorities, it was his intention
to present the specimen to the Brooks
Library in Brattleboro.
The deer is undoubtedly one of the
greatest freaks of nature which has
ever been captured in Vermont. 1t
measures a little over six feet in
length and weights about $50 pounds
The animal is about three years old,
and carries a well-developed pair of
antlers.
| With the exception of few tawny
spots, the deer is pure white and its
eyes have a peculiar reddish tinge
1t is beautiful specimen of the AM
erican deer with long fur and fluffy
bushy tail. Johnson has made nc
disposition of the skin of the deer
The albino was killed about five miles
from the center of the village Of
Brattleboro.
In connection with the killing OF
the deer, the old Indian superstition
relating to the killing of any pecu-
lier freak of nature again comes into
prominence, and at the present time
among the Indian guides of Maine
it is still in vogue. Their belief that
whoever killed peculiarly con-
structed animal would suffer all pos
sible and impossible tortures for the
remainder of their life does not seen
well founded, and Johnson himself is
worrying very little over the popular
superstitions. So far as is known
there is but one other white deer in
existence, and that is a specimen OF
pure white doe now mounted and
placed in the State House at Montpe.
lier. This is the first white buck ever
killed in this State.