Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1919-03-20
PIONEER STORIES

toid TINS hunting story to the writer
when only little boy.
| will give the names of those old
men: William Day, Adam Coontz,
Samuel Harris and Noah Corley
all who were born more than one
hundred years ago.
These old pioneers lived to great
old age and were great hunters.
Every winter they always went to
what they called Casady quite a dis
lance from here. One fine winter
day they arranged for hunt leaving
home at an early hour and arrived
at the old slab camp post as the sun
was setting. They had all the hills
and creeks named so when they start
ed in a different direction in the
morning they would all have GER
tain place to meet at about twelve
O'Clock; this hunting was done in
their early manhood.
So one morning they started in
search of game, had not gone but
short distance through the pine
forest, this was on Painter fork nm
till they sawon the opposite side oftbe
creek what they thought to be q
bears track so they crossed the creek
and sure enough it was. The bear
mad come out of his sleeping quarters
down to the creek to get a drink of
water and had gone back. Uncle
Noah Corley had large hound so
ne said ne would send him in to see
where the bear was lying. The dog
was gone for some time and came
OUT railing to locate the hear. ITncla
BIZ Day sent his dog in and waited
70 see what he would do. He was
SNAP dog, one Of the short leooad
KIND In few minutes the trouble
commenced and here came the doc
with the bear close at his heels. He
got one stroke at the dog with one
front paw which left cash in +ba
dogs side, and knocking the doc
clear out OF the cave. The bear went
back again under the rock.
They managed to scare the baar
on the other side of the rock causino
MN TO break for the hole into which
ne mad gone. Three of the men wero
there watching and fired At hin,
leaving him dead at the edge of tho
rock. s'ie
lie was a large bear and son,o
distance from camp but thew mar
aged to get him in just about darL
ihey dressed him and hung him on
a pole for the night. After eat;na
supper and talking about their davs
work, and making good fire tbsv
stretched themselves out before 49,
IRE. About the middle of the n;oht
oicie Din was awakened by the low
WINNIE OF their large dog which was
always left at camp as a p,.rd
ms camp was made of slabs and
puiie against large chestnut loo
. ust over the log they could hear
something chewing bones which thau
nau thrown over there. Thew untied
,'e dog and it leaped over the
iog without even touching if h
found himself mixed up with two
large partners. One of them leaned
up tree within twenty feet of The
amp put was soon brought down
dead. They took the skin off ~
,iiaue frame out of sticks on which
'ney stretched his hide It measured
eieVen feet from the tip of the ta;l
70 the end of the nose
Inc next day they started ont fo,.
snotner hunt They had not gone
iaf from camp when they came ..
e e Two deer's tracks They were |
loiiowlng them along SLOWLY who,
'hey came to an open space in the |
woods that ran along side a Iedoe
u rocks about fifteen feet bipb and |
upon TINS was a large panther which |
leaped from the ledge down upon tho
ia DUCKS back crushing his sbarn
claws INTO the back and his fron+
claws into the deer's shoulders .na
a spite OF kicking and jumping the
sioer Kept his seat. The panther
stretched out his long neck and got
me deer by the throat and in = few
the deer was dead. The
hunters were watching and as soon as
'hey saw the deer was dead and the
panther still sitting on his prev thav
.eing at close range took aim and
lred leaving the panther and daer
lead together.