The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1914-05-08
HOUND JIM'S
FOX RACE
A Story of a Great Race
on Bays Mountain

Q
we'll during summer, but when frost
came he gave most of his time up
to hunting. This gave him the
name of Hound jim.
Albert Kent, who lived in an adj
| joining county, and kept pack OF
hounds, sent a challenge to Jim to
hunt together, and test the speed Of
their hounds, jim accepted, for he
knew his two white and black spot
ted hounds, Trail and Muse, could
out run any thing in the shape of a
dog in the State, He only brought
these two hounds along. They
were his runners. He depended on
Kent to furnish tn trailer and start
the fox.
Just after dark the four started to
the fox ground. They did not go
into the ridges but just skirted them
over hill and valley. They tied the
runners and led them, and sent a
boy out with the trailers, who, as
so IN as he got the trailers started
came back to the other three. They
then walked along just fast enough
to keep from getting chilled, for it
was pretty cold.
They had walked thus for a long
time, when one of the boys says,
Boys. what time is it?" There
was no watch in the crowd, but one
Of the boys said he could hear the
chickens growing for midnight.
Another one said he was tired and
wanted to rest. Some one remem-
bered an old dilapidated log shack
near the foot Of the mountain not
far off, 30 they decided to go there
and build fire and rest till nearer
day and possibly fox would tror
along that way in the mean time.
Kent insisted that his hounds
could out run Hound Jim's. Kent
insisted that he had ox.hunted all
his life, and his hounds could catch
a grey fox, in a fair race in two
hours and twenty minutes. Hound
Jim said that was real good running
but he had a pack some years back
that had caught three foxes in five
hours and forty two minutes. II
never heard of one pack catching
more than one fox in one night"
said one of the boys.
Talk about catching foxes"
said Jim, Il want to tell you about
catching the biggest catch I ever
heard of, I was living on the
Houser place, near Bays mountain,
and had been very busy building a
barn for old man Crews; had not
hunted for two weeks.
One night l concluded / would
take a little round to give my dogs
a little exercise, / was tired and
didn't feel much like running after
hounds, but for the good of the
hounds, / went. I mapped out my
route, and thought IHwouldn't go
more than two miles, but / had not
gone more than three quarters of a
mile when old Troop, he's my trailer
He can't rcn much faster than
Kent's hounds. Troop jumped a fox
without trailing. Rock and Trail
and Muse overlook him and soon
passed him. The fox took square
out from the mountains, across the
valley and into the hills beyond and
out of hearing. I waited about
twenty two minutes, listening. I
heard them coming away down the
valley. still running. When I first
heard them they were about six
miles off angling across the valley.
And gentle-MEN! / never heard
such runningl Trail and Muse in
the lead. Rock and Jep close after,
with Troop coming on behind.
They were all. fox and dogs, doing,
heir best, The two foremost with /
heir fine, high keyed voices - !,
syow. how. and the next
;wo a little longer and on lower
key, Yow-oo-h how. then old Troop,
till behind, Bow-oo-oo-how. / got
excited and yelled. ! yelled like a
10Y and then yelled like a Com
soooabn Thnv "a into and ocrors I