Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1921-07-27
A FOX HUNT OF THE SIXTIES.
Chapter from "McnOirs OF My Life, |"
Written by a. Zimmerman.
(Republishcd by Request.)


Away back in the sixties, before
was married, when | was living alone
in little log house on Coloncl's
Fork creek, the war just over and no.
There were no towns in the county
at that time except Walhalla, and it
was mostly German. If you went
there you could not understa nd half
that was said to you. TO church on
Sundays or to some party now and
then were the only places we had to
60 Game Of all kinds was plentiful,
having been molcsted but little dur
ing the four years of the war. 1t WAS
quite natural that we turned to hunt
ing. and during the winter time there
was scarcely Il night but that you
could hear the sound Of the horn or
the barking Of the dogs in some di-
rcctiOn.
| procured two nice young hound
dogs. Their names were JEFF and
Rock. enjoyed having these dogs
at that time morG than | would Il
good horse and top buggy now. They
were pricrlcSS-wcr not for sale
and when | think about it now am
amazed how | f0ndlcd and pctlod
those dogs. There was no cotton.
scarcely, grown in the county then,
and our Who'll" time was not taken
up in agriculture as at the present :.
We had NOR" leisure time and spare
days 10 dispose Of than some Of Us
have now.
These do"s were my associates; :;
they were by my side all The day
long my protection and company
by night. Is it any wonder that |
loved and pcttcd them? There wcrc
quite Il number OF foxes in the coun
try. and the sport Of hunting then
was participated in by quite Il num-
Der | knew. And as promised tha!
| would at some future time relate
few incidents connected with Il fox
race | was in, which race was run in
and around where the town of West
Minister now stands, ! will now try to
do so. 1t may interest the boys and
some Of the older men.
One Of the most noted fox hunters
in this county ut that time was War
rem w. Stribling (now DECEASED lie
owned some Of the best dogs. think.
that ever saw--well trained and
feet Of foot. never passed his
house without tonpi'uc aud having
& long talk Witu him. lie had a 5hop
or the side of th" road and was gen
crafty al worN IN Il. ne was an IN
dustrious man. and was never caught
idle, but he enjoyed little sport
now and then as well as us boys. He
was an ideal mana pattern for
boys. Never in his company did you
hear an oath or III unchaStc word llc
was generally the director and ad-
visor in all these pastimcS. Temper
ate and always in a good humor he
was cOurtrd and looked up TO. My
rccOllcciiOnS OF him and his life have
tthScN me W lntlUut nlm IN tnpSt
memoirs. As Il man am glad that
! knew him--a friend thai loved.
and whose memory now cherish as
one Of the fcndcst OF my rccollcc-
tiOnS. He was older than l. but en-
Joycd the company Of the young, and
many time have sat in his shop
for hours and listened to him tell Of
deer lrivcS and fox races in which
he had participated before the war.
TO me he was Il grand man, and |
enjoyed being in his company, and
never let fox hunt pass that | did
not go if | knew he would be along.
| also admired his dogs; they were
the best in the land, and it did me
good to hear them run. IN my field
there was Il large pcrsimmOn tree,
loaded down with fruit. 1t was one
OF the best varieties | ever saw-the
fruit large and sweet. There is as
much difference in pcrsmmOns rs
in any other fruit. and this tree was
an exceptionally good one. The per-
simmons tasted as if they all hai
sugar in them. Maybe that was the
reason the foxes loved them so we'll.
From observation found out there
n