Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-06
MEETCH DIARY TELLS
HUNTS FOR BIG GAME
Many Thrilling Experiences in the Open Noted Briefly by
One of Cy's Noted Sporismen

During his big game hunts the late
William b. Meetch. whose funeral oc-
CURED this afternoon. kept diary
and many of the entries throw light
on his love of adventure in the open.
His son, Harry w. Meetch. accompan-
led his father on most of these out
ings in the great hunting areas OF the
North American continent and could
tell many an interesting s-ory Of the
happenings in AlCska- the Rocky
Mountains. Mexico and the Canadian
moose region.
A Telegraph representative was
permitted to-day to glance over some
of the entries in the several pocket
diaries which Mr.. Meetch left among
clude tests of his guns-the range,
trajectory of ball and other details.
all showing the care with which the
dead hunter prepared for his search
for the grizzly, the moose. the Alas
kan bear and the other big trophies
which bear witness to his prowess
One entry refers to hHnt II1ns on the ne
1908 when the Big Horn Mountains ds
were covered with snow. In May iSuo'
the entries show that he was in Alas-
periences and brought down several
big specimens of the Alaskan pear
The diaries are punctuated mere anu
there with interesting comment on
guides the topography of the country
the places visited, the weather conal-
tions and characteristics or the Coun-
try and customs of the people. Ihose
who knew Mr.. Meetch can appreciate
the thoroughness of his studies on
eyery question and the entries IN
these personal diaries constitute an
interesting narrative or MS many ols
game hunts.
Smell of the Woods
Tbero were times when the hunters
were confronted with serious prob
lens. Here is an extract from one OF
the entries: MANY years. experience
has convinced me that the man VINO
carries a gun for pleasure is almost
always a gentleman at heart regard
less of the elegance of his language
or the length of his purse; Lhere +her are are
rare. What is the reason? can't
give any; l never met anyone who
could; it is so written 1t Is in the
smell Of the fields and the woods in
the sight and sound of the water
(whe ther it be the ripping brook, the
rushing river or the ceaseless pulse OF
the ocean,; it is in the bigness of the
prairie and the grandeur of the noun
tains; It gets into the blood and 1T
stays there; it gives a man kinship
with nature; teaches him to revel in
her beauties and makes him unatraid
even OF her solitudeS.
He tells in one of his diaries of his
encounter with a big Alaskan bear on
a high mountain range and how after
a long chase Bruin frequently lying
down in the snow the hunters got into
q favorable position and finally killed
him. This chase was under conditions
which tested the endurance of Mr.
Meetch and his party. the hunters be-
ing almost exhausted through sinking
deep into the snow as they followed
the big bear in his efforts to escape.
Bear and men advanced in lines
hnes tRe entr1 e@Sn uptf f"S we
within about 15O yards when we
s0uatted in the snow, waited until he
was within about 40 yards coming
opened the ball. This was a little
after 1890 p. m. a cloudy night and
no moon. Once l looked up to see now
much darker it would likely be and
saw only one star. We were on the
open snow in a country where it
never gets very dark during the short
summer nights"
the testing of the sights on the guns
and he continues: The chase had
lasted more than three ee-and-ahalf If
feet in the deep. soft snow with the
sharp Behring Sea wind in our faces
numbered with heavy rifles, ammuni-
ton. field glasses, long rubber boots
necessity be Obliged to take when
there was likelihood of his being
obliged to remain out on the noun
tain in the snow over night. The snow
was soft and deep and l was pretty
we'll done up by the eNhausting
climb. The bear was coming down hill
almost directly toward us, always \
bad feature at close quarters, and it
was surely a time to do our very best
to stop him, disable him, get him
down. for the tremendous vitality of
this great brute will enable him even
after having been mortally wounded.
to travel several times the interven-
ing space which separated us from
him. and one blow from his huge paw:
armed with its cruel claws. would
either leave a hunter in very bad
shape at midnight far from warmth
mercitully send him in the twinkling
grounds over the great divide"
Many Shots Needed
Here the diary contains n diagram
of the bear and the hunters at the
opening of hostilities. The bear was