Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-11-01
A PROTEST..

Editor Clinch Valley News:
see in your issue of last weel,
Il letter from Il former Virginian, now
suffering exile in the wilds of North
crn Texas, in which he refers to the
minutes of the old Burkc's Garden
Hunting Club, that unrivaled aggrc-
cation of good sportsmen, good fell
/ lows and warm friends, and i'm which
he actually offers TO send you these
minutes for publication.
protest! In the name of all the
proprieties and for the sake of the
public peace, | protest, and again pro-
test! Such an act would be Il be-
trayal of that confidence which alone
made possible the "tall yarns" that
enivencd the circle around the camp
fire, Not only that, but this offer to
publish these intimate records of by
gone days is nothing but thinly
yelled attack on the character and
standing of men who have almost sue
ceeded in Giving down" the reputa
tions they then established.
Think Of some of the things il
would reveal! A trial, held i'm the deem
darkness of Il black night on uppcr
Roaring Fork, presided over by In,
present Ncstor of the Tazewcll Bar
with another distinguished attorney,
tnow in the Happy Hunting Ground)
as prosecutor, the culprit, well
known citizen of this county, charged
with the heinous offense of leaving a
bear stand in pursuit of the tantaliZ-
ing gobblcr, whereby the hear was
able to pass thru unscathcd, while
the jury was "packed" for certain.
conviction. Even the terrible penal
ty inflicted would be given.
Again, it might be revealed how
sceptical of human nature was GER
tain prominent farmer (now IA staid
grand-father), when, while on his
first deer stand" he refused the
kindly advice Of Il wcll-meaning old
hunter in those woods who happen
ed to pass by, that he was not at Just
the right place, that the "stand" was
little further on. The deer had
been Started" the pack was in full
cry, sweeping along the "bend of
Clinch," and the potential grand-fa
ther, thinking the stranger was try
ing to "fool him Off the stand" rath-
er curtly said: "lf you think that is
the stand, you so to it," This the old
hunter did-and killed the deer.
| Then it would come out" that
there was once a conspiracy against
the deer killer" the one man who
was always i'll the right place to get
Il shot, whereby he was sent far down
the valley (for Il Committee always
assigned the stands), far away from
any probable course of the expected
buck; and it would further appear
that the aforesaid "deer Killer got
sore, disgruntlcd and rebellious, but
rode on TO the appointed place, and
breaking all precedents, went to hunt
ing squirrels, in which petty past
time he WAS rudcly interrupted by
the deer, which apparently followed
him up so that it might fall before
the right man.
In those minutes is also recorded
the hunters tragedy of that prince of
woodSnfcn and among men, now crest
ing under the shade of the trees
"over there" who, for years and
years helped cook venison, with
out ever having had even IL shot
at deer, and then, when the biggest
buck Of all did come his way. early
one frosty morning and long before
it was expected, he was building a
IA hastily inflicted wound.
The "bread riot" even, would be
disclosed, and the near tragedy of
that dark morning on Hunting Camp
would again Gloom up" in all its orig
inal colors.
1t would be shown how one envious
Nimrod Ca man who is mighty
hunter" every winter in SUMMER
cline than this), asserted that the
shortest legged man in the Club could
stick gobblcr's beard on his chin
and scratch for chestnuts with the
flock without causing one "tuck" of
alarm.
Perhaps worst Of all, the passing
of an old bachelors (he is still bach
olor) carefully guarded reputation for
truth and veracity is chronic!ed in
those minutes,-how he rushed INFO
ccmp, wild-eycd and garrulous, just
at day-break one morning, and de-
clared that his party of coon hunt
ers nightly contributors to the lard
err, had "trccd" coon about d IN &c
from camp, that they had "..aid by it,
all night, that it was "the biggest
'un that ever wuz," and that il was in
! the very tip-top of tree 400 fee
. high.
So, Mr. Editor, protest agains;
publication suggested by your west
crn correspondent, for l am sure that
suggestion was born Of the inevita-
BILE deterioration that ocurs in any
man who voluntarily leaves cole Fer
ginny" for any other place whatso-
ever.
ONE OF THE BOYS.
e x,c ,r,c , mn c,,,