The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-02-24

no particular reason for it. Just a
habit, | guess All winter long
hiked and hunted and reported for
| 1924 practice feeling fine. My legs
were built up in great shape and
never troubled me at any time last
season. have hunted since l was
| big enough to aim rifle.
Back in Kansas we used to start
on a coon hunt early in the eve
ming and keep going until the fol-
| lowing noon. We always had fine
| dogs along. A coon hunt all but
cost my life in 1915 when thin ice
cracked and / went through. The
water was fifteen feet deep and cold
as the North Pole The dogs got
out of the mess without any trouble,
but If it hadn't been for my brother
| in-law. Russell Tongier, I'd have
been goner. He only weighed 100
pounds and weighed 210, but with
the aid of a log and plenty Of nerve
he dragged me to safety.
Another time / was coon hunting
and when / remained away all
night and the following day, Mrs.
Johnson thought / had met with
an accident. She organized a res
cue party but what really needed
| in that case was an alarm clock.
A coon is a great fighter and as
a rule can lick half dozen dogs.
On this particular occasion, / had
four dogs and we were after the
toughest coon / had ever met up
with.
We had been tramping all night
and was nearly exhausted when
coon, in flight before my dogs,
turned around suddenly and caught
my favorite hunter by the neck
and strangled him to death. The
other dogs were powerless and in
the darkness the coon got away
and went for a nearby tree. I
fired but missed my target and
the coon scooted up the tree to
safety.
1t was nearly 1880 the following
evening when my wife and her
rescue party discovered me, snor-
ing away under the tree. / must
have been asleep for several hours,
because the last / remember, the
sun was shining brightly. Not far
away. lay the motionless body of
my wonderful dog and my folks
understood why hadn't come
home.
The frightened coon was still up
in the tree and to reach him, we
finally cut down the tree and shot
him, as he leaped at the throat of
another dog.
l have never hunted just for
the satisfaction of killing, but
Workmanship. There is a pen"
in our back yard at Reno where
injured ducks and quail are
nufsed and fed. Every time l
! hunt, bring back some bird or
animal with an injured leg or
wing.
At one time in Kansas I owned
a dozen greyhounds. This pleased
Mrs. johnson, because / did my
hunting in the day time, chasing
rabbits on the open prairies. After
that owned some wolfhounds.
Those are the boys that can run
coyotes down to earth.
In Nevada the mountains are full
Of big game and animals, such as
| deer, bear. and mountain lion.
Ogden and Zahniser, Washington
pitchers, were there after the last
| world series.
They claimed / was not a good
waiter, but my idea Is to go out
we started for what we call the
rim rocks, a ridge about fifteen
! miles distant The boys took an
| other direction. and as / afterward
| found out, went to sleep under the
cottonwoods. Close to the end OF
the day, after circling around, ]
| came up them. still under the trees,
and nearby lay two big bucks.
| Facts are, / had chased the animals
| right into their arms, but they got
the credit Of bringing them down.
There's a little fellow who lives
nearby and who owns an Aire-
dale. / borrowed his pet one day
and went out to set some geese.
The birds were plentiful, and
everything went ssOng fine until
| the middle Of the afternOOn-the
little boys dog was missing. l
whistIed and called, but there was
no dog!
/ forgot all about the geese and
searched high and low for the
Airedale. If / went home without
the dog ! could imagine the little
fellow dying of a broken heart.
( was all tired out. but the Airedale
must be found.
| a thicket and there was the missing
pup. Sound asleep. And alongside
! lay the lifeless body Of a skunk.
| Anyone who has been within two
feet of a skunk can well imagine
how the air was perfumed in that
particular vicinity. My dog friend
awoke and stretched. His tail
wagged merrily. The odor of the
skunk meant nothing in his young
| life. but / was almost suffocated.
| My car was on the road. nearly
two miles away. We reached it al
last and the dog hoped in. A lit
tie later l returned the borrowed
pup to its youthful owner, but re-
greet to say my family was unable
to ride in the odorized motor car
for nearly week. And even then
gas masks were needed badly.
copyright, 1925, by the Christy
! Walsh Syndicate.)
Next Chapter: Clark Griffith
Pitcher, Manager and Owner.
Five Brothers FIGHT