Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-12-17

abundant farm lands. There are few
farms in Maine which are not being
used much just now and the famous
Belgian farmers could do little better
than to settle in Maine. However,
there is likely to be no quarrel with
California on that score. The fact
that New England farms are attrac-
tive to Europeans is brought out
pleasantly in the following excerpt
from an interview with Balshazzar
Kurkjian by a representative of the
University of Maine Campus.
My first year in this country was
spent attending school and working in
the cities of Lowell and Somerville,
Massachusetts. This fall / desired to
take a course in literature at Harvard,
but being unable to speak English
fuently l was unable to do this; so as
second choice came TO the University
of Maine to study agriculture
In closing the interview the Armen-
ian said, Il like my agricultural course
very much. At its completion | would
like to return to my native land and
practice farming, but owing to the
oppression of the Turkish Empire
snail be content to select small New
England farm and enjoy life with my
books and animals"
The Bangor News publishes the
following remarkable story dated at
West Enfield, Dec 14:-"Fred st. Peter
is some hunter. He chased and caught
big buck deer on skates, cut the
deer's throat with a jaek-knife and
has. the deer to show for 1t.
f,,J etc foH 70
river about four miles from the town
but the falling of the water had left
the ice steep and so slippery that the
deer couldn't get up the bank. Fred
chased the deer back and forth and
finally get so near him that he could
jump on his back and grab the deer
by the horns. Then there was some
fight and first Fred then the deer was
on top. The deer struck with mis- hoofs
and Fred's clothes were ripped but he
hung on like a good one and finally
reached his knife and cut the deer's
throat. after he had got the deer down
on the ice.
The deer dressed $50 pounds. Fred
was somewhat cut and bruised but he
got the deer"
This yarn provides many topics for
discussion. In the first place, it is not
at first apparent that St. Peter is en-
titled to the noble sobriquet, some
hunter" He was not hunting; his
meeting with the buck was a pure
accident. No matter how loudly st.
Peter may declare that he was hunting
for that deer, he can never make
Daniel Boone believe that he was out
after big game with no weapon save
a jack-knife. 1t cannot be denied, how
ever, that ST. Peter is entitled to the
sobriquet, some speeder 1t Is most
difficult to overtake a deer afoot any
way, and when the deer is a $50 pound
buck and on skates it would seem to
be quite impossible. 1t is likely that
the big buck was doing the figure s.
at the time and did not notice the
swift approach of st. Peter.
1t is easy to understand that the ice
was steep, for though ice is not so
steep" at this time of year as in July
when the supply in the local ice
houses is fast melting, yet everyone
knows that the market always shows
rise in ice following a fall in water.
But the unsophistieated cannot under
stand why the ice should be slippery.
This was a most unprecedented con-
dition and should attract the attention
of all the iceielegists in America,
The Society fer the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animafs should investigate
this story, The Statement is made that
St Peter cut the bucks throat after
he had got it down aen the ice" Not
to kill an animal until it is placed in
cold storage is cruelty, if cruelty ever
existed. St. Peter might try defence
in the plea that during the struggle he
was fighting for deer life, but the
evidence tends to show that, had he
released the deer, he would have skat-
ed off on the slippery ice blithely.