The sun. [volume], July 24, 1898, 1, Page 10, Image 10

About The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916

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HpiiilHI
10 THE SUN, SUNDAY, JULY 24, 1805. - -,
K W THE OLD YESTltY BOOKS.
Bf Qumtn xutcoiws of the rnn-nsro-Bk
xurxosAitT cmntvum is rinaiNiA.
W? Tobaeeo Was nine In.Thoae ays-Selon
ML Mod Sweeper I'nlil In Tobneco-Hlnnem
I Fined Certain roundsThe Tradition
of the ITnnt Brothers nnd Their Sister,
BcnrouD Citt, Va.. July 22. In the vestry
book of some of tho oldest Episcopal churches
of thU country-those whloh antedate the
revolutionary period may bg found much to
Interest the student of history an well as many
rateable data for tho future historian. Even
those not particularly fond of historical re
search may find much therein In which to be
eomo Interested. Tacts which to-day seem
strangely out of placo In church records nre sot
down In these old vestry books In language so
quaint as to Irresistibly appeal to our modern
senso of humor, while theyconvov to us warn
Ins and lessons which none of us can afford to
tenors.
These old vestry books piny be unearthed In
many of those parts of tho country where the .
Church of England was tho first to obtain o
foothold In those places whoro It managed to
unrlve tho attacks mado upon It by the teach
ings of tho Wosloys and Whltflelds on the one
band and the popular disfavor ongondcrcd by
the IloTolutlon on the other. For Instance. It
ha boon claimed for Islo of Wlcht county. Va..
I j that within her conllnos may still bo found
I J1 tomt remarkably roadablo vestry lltoratnro of
. the period In question. This olaltn In probably
I'ff' well founded. But In this respect Islo of
Bf Wight county. Va., Is not peculiar, since
m- In not ft few other parts of tho Old
M , Dominion similar records nro known to
M ' exist. Evon outside of tho Old Dominion
nay they also be found, as Is evidenced by the
! dt fact that tho old parish church of St. Mary's. In
H tho little village of North East, Md. right In
"E the hoart of Cecil Calvert's Catholio colony to
ft day poBsossas vestry records which go book
, Into tho seventeenth century, and throw onrl
f ous light upon tho manners and morals of
i mankind at that day. Up as far as tho year
&' 1702 it must be confessed that these records
3. ore sadly fragmentary, by reason of the old
9 church building, as well as tho rectory, nnd al
if most everything that thoreln was. having boon
S. destroyed bi Are somewhere about that year.
4) But from 17o2 up until fnr into the Revolution
s', err war. the vestry rooorda of old St. Mary's are
toferably complete , . ...
tt Perhaps It may not be out of place, to state
5 hore that the present well-preserved though
, antiquated church building of.Bt llary'B, horth
V East, has something more to be proud of than
if- ner ancient vsitry books and the strango things
i7 they tell, It wan at St. Mary's that tho Imraor
ifc tal ''lather of His Country" used to worshlpon
'I' certain occasions. Not onty Washington hlm
ft self but his father and other.niembors of his
I? family ownod an Interest in the i'rinclpto Iron
t Works, situated at no great distance from
'& North East, and when business matters took
if, them to that nelghborhooa or to tho works
',J at Prlnclplo they invariably attended dlvlno
I; service at St Marys: for Washington
if. and all his peoplo were, at that time
I' at least, assiduously dovout churchmen of
tho Angllean.cult. Just when this .Protestant
I colony-was roundod at North East, In the very
jaws of Catholicism, cannot be exaotly deter
mined. It must have existed early In the seo
ond half of the seventeenth century, for more
L than one gravestone lathe pariah churchyard
bears ithe date of tho 1080s and ICOOs. Upon
one moss-ooTOrod gravostone nro figures
f which, in spite of time's oroel ravages, look
susplalously like 1834. But they must repro
' sent eomo later date, since, as almost every
body Is aware, the first party of Calvert's eolo
; nlsts did not reach Maryland until 1U33.
, Tobacco, of oouree. figures prominently In
1 the voatry records of old St. Mary's Church.
, from the fact that It was largely employed as
money" in the early oolonlal days of Mary-
t land and Virginia. In the church books ara
f, many records almost similar to the following,
; the names of tho persons alone being ohanged:
"Husnnna Brown has been engaged this
- Easter Monday to sweep and keop clean the
,, church antj the windows tnoreof for tho spaco
If of one rear, she to bo paid 250 pounds of to-
f bacco for her sorvl tya y .
J: Then again, under the same date. 1704:
i1? " JamOB Martin was on this Enstcr Monday
It hired as sexton for the space of one yoar. he to
be paid 600 pounds of tobacco for his sorvices
for that period. lie Is to keep tho churchyard
' clean and In good repair, to join audibly In tho
responses ana the singing, to hire all necessary
help for digging craves, at the price of 75
, pounds of tobacco per grave, nnd to ceo to It
i that Susanna Brown does perforin her work
well and faithfully.'' .., .
i It Is worthy of note that Easter Monday was.
in far back days, as well as now, tho beginning
of tho business part of the ecclesiastical year.
But none of these old records give tha faintest
hint of the market value. per pound or per nun
V dredweleht of tobaoco. Even modern his
f torians are not united upon this matter.
iff Mora ourlous entries than those already
,E given are such as:
"JIay3.l71tJ. Wl llamuowan was di rooted to
f- be paid the amount of 100 pounds of tobacco
;i, with which to purcbase a newsurpelouslsnr
lf plioo ?J for the rector."
f,f And the following:
f "Apttll'4.1723. Tho sexton was directed to
It expend 80 pounds of tobacco for bread and
!wine to be used at tho Holy Communion."
- A largo numberof the entries In many of these
old books those of Bt. Mary's and elsewhere
appear to have bosn made by the Chairman of
t the vestry, whilo some nro evidently in the
handwritings of the rector and of tho sexton.
i Theynotonly record the growth or otherwise
;' of the churches, but they often doal In curious
', and minute dotalls of church affairs and of the
; moral condition of the community. Laxity of
morals and of conduct bavo often been alleged
; against communities of tho AngJIcan Church
$ durinir tho colonial period, and. judging from
the old records in question, these allegations
r would appear to bo not altogether without
jr foundation. The fact remains, howovnr. that
; In tho Investigation Into these charges the rec
tor seems to have taken a prominent hand. In
those days he was certainly a man who. Inhlo
time, played many parts. In addition to brine
f spiritual pastor and master." he often repre-
Y- seated the Government ns collector of tobaco
I- dues and other Imposts payable In tobacco, lie
i was a rigid censor of morals, and In many cases
s united under his hrond-brim the functions of
; Judgo. jury and jailor. In the old vestry books
1 are many entries llko unto the following, tho
; names ofthn accused parties balng females as
; often ns males:
" To-dny there was brought before tho rector
i ono named on the charge of living
a lewd, lascivious and notorious life, detrimen
V tnl to the morals of the community at large.
., The accused was fined pounds of tobacco.
i and threatened with more sorioua punishment
P' ttllllf hefailodto at oneo begin to lead a more
Bk correct life."
95 The fines In casps of this kind ranged from
IS 300 pounds to ns high ns 1.000 pounds of to
ft bacco for each offenco, tho amount of the flno
ft probably depending primarily uton tho cralty
It of the charge, the condition of tho dominie's
J. temper and genoral disposition nt the same
Ic time playing a secondary part When thene
ijr cused was a married woman, as waHsomotlmos
It tho case, there was added to tho sentenco Im
f nosed by tho rector a rider to the affect that
& her husband must' see to It that she mnndod
W her ways, or tho husband nUo would find him
w self In a bad plight. Though In some inhtnnces
K the rector was. as Is often tho raso In England
Mr to-day. n public magistrate sworn to admin-g-
Ister the law, it W prolmblo that most
Ti of these cases of misdemeanor recorded In
fa, such old oolonlnl vestry UnokR ns thoso
Jjf of fit. Mary's. Korth East, hud roferenco
fr to members of tho rcetor's own church, tho
a, npouserH being also members of his ohurch.
h The principal charges made ngnlnst persons
5 and recorded In these old books are. In nddillon
t to thoso of Immorality, such offences ns
I. ''slander," "garrulity." and "theft:" there bo
" Inn no charges, so far as ran bo aseortnined. of
ielihor drunkenness or murder. If crimes of
this nature were committed, thoy woro prob
ably passed upon by another court. Nor Is
there any record of any ono hning been ex
pelledfrom the church for misdemeanor.
The salary of the rectoi s of Rt. Mary's soems
to have ranged from 10,000 to 1(1,000 pounds
of tobacco per annum. More than ono histo
rian tollB us that "Fomo clergymen wont to
law to obtain tho dlfferenco between the mar
ket price of tobnoco and tho piieo ltxod by tho
statute." But the dominies of Cleorco Wash
ington's old church appear to have been alto
gether freed from litigation of this sort, since
nowhere In the vestry books nro legal proceed
ings o this ond mentioned.
Under date of Aug. 17, 1775, appears this
alarming entry: , ,
"A British warship Is reported to havo beon
sighted sailing up Chexapciike Bay. In conse
quence of this fact tho -estry of Bt. Mary's
u deem It advisable to hold no more mootlnga for
.flf theprosent."
jf The entry Is evidently in the handwriting of
wr t!8r0toon'B0m0Oth',H,ue,,,0l' man. But
m the report was undoubtedly none tho less a
WL ' canard. A furthor entry, mado several years
M after, the Declaration of Independence, states
SL that tho vestry had decided to put fn order tho
af graves of tho Hunt brothora, And thla lends
m to the narration of a brief chapter In American
K history, which as yet exists, ns it has dono for
SL many years, In local tradition only If truolt
lsono eminently worthy of figuring In tho na
Br flop's annals. But. apart from Its correctness
m or Its Incorrectness. It Is hero then for what It
M Is worth and for. tho purposo of throwing light
j& upon the somewhat obscure entry quoted from
W the vestry records of St. Mary's Church,
m The Hurrig wero soveii young fnrmors who
m lived together In nn old-fashioned log farm
s' house ftn the northern shore of t'heHaiHako
W jlay. a few miles vast of the mouth o( tho Bus
y quehannn Illver. 'J'hey were pnrentless bnehe
K' iors. and their housuhold wns preside) oerby
fr an only sister, who was also unmarried Ono
U day In thofallof 177.r. so runs tho xtory. while
the brothers were awny from home, n "regl
M me nt ' of BrltUlt soldlon landod near tho Hunt
Gf homestead, wbpao pair occupant at the time
K wtsthsalaUr. hr brothers being encaged at
some distance from the house. On arriving at
tho farmhouso the soldiers shot the young wo
man, nnd after plundering tho place of ovory
thing of value, sot fire to, the houso and,
the otiior buildings about It. Being over
taken by night ,tho soldiers wore una
blo to regain their vessel and accordingly
camped In tho woods, where they pro
tiosod to stop until morning. When the
Hunt brothors reaohed home, nnd found
their sister murdered and thoplacoamassof
smouldering ruins thoy started upon jhp trail
of the marauders, having first nrmed them
sehes with guns and a liberal supply of ammu
nition. In due time they reached the soldiers'
camp: and nnderooverof night as well nstho
nrotoctlon of thotmnksof somo large trees, tho
brothers opened fire upon tho.ploeplngmon
with such deadly aim that In a little more tlinn
nn hour the ' regiment" was totally annlhl"
lated. Three of tho brothers were killed on the
spot: tho remaining four received suoh ln
iurles that they survived for a fewdaysonry.
Eight graves are still to be scon on a high knoll
overlooking the bar. nnd those are said to bo tho
gTaves of the brothors anu their murdered sis
ter. As to what bocamo of tho vessel, reports
differ. According to some, thosewho remained
on board whon the "regiment" landed also
camo on shore next morning and took tettiois
vengeance upon everybody tbey found for too
slaughter of their companions. AocpMlng to
others, however, they were believers in discre
tion being the bettor part of valor, and accord
ingly set sail at full speed down the bay so soon
as they heard the guns of the Ilunt brothers
openfjre upon tho'rcglnieril." So far as tho
Hunt brothers are concerned, tho Btorf Is prob
ably two; but thero are doubting Thomases
who prefer to boll the "regiment" down to a
small scouting party. Although tha story docs
not figure In any of tho local, hlotorles, somo
respectability must be attached to it from the
facfthat It Is, alboit tersely, referred to In tho
old vestry records of the, parish.
From the frequency of tho records reporting
appropriation of tobacco for tho purehaso of
sacramental wine, thero must have boon many
more communicant in Uio churches In thoso
days than thero are to-day. No mention is
mado of tho kind of wine employed at that
sacred function, nor In fact. whence It was
obtained. It may havo been the conventional
sacramental wlno. brought from England for
the purpose, or It may havo been tho crudo
blackberry juice, still often used by other de
nominations In very rural districts of the fair
Southland. Ono thing, however. Is certain
the famo of Bt. Mnry's had reached the mothor
country, and King Goorgo III, graciously be
stowed upon tho llttlo ohurch tho silver set of
sacramental vessols it still uses. .
In spite of the record of Aug. 17. 177C. already
quoted, the entries In tho vestry books wore
still continued, nt more or less length, through
out tho Ueolutlonary war and far beyond It
Tho repudiation oaths, whloh bound tho clergy
to cut loose from all English control and swear
allegiance to tho State government, nro given
In extenso, and are about as Ironclad In their
language and tone as were tho famous "Iron
clad" oths administered by Gen. B. P. Butler
to tho Confederates and their sympathizers at
New Orleans during our own olvll war.
On tho whole, old records such as the one
guoted from are eminently Interesting reading,
o far as ths churches to whlohthey belong are
concerned, their value Is not to bo gauged by
money they nro absolutely priceless, far above
and boyond any Idea of peonntary equivalent,
llo is indeed a lucky mortal who can even
temporarily fora brief houror so aln posses
sion of them, for tho purpose of peering into
their ourions contents. It would be none tho
less n happy day In which they would fall Into
the hands of somo Government institution, or
Into the hands of somo of our responsible his
torical societies. In such keeping they would
receive all duo care, and at the same time their
contents might be turned to somo good service
for generations of American citizens yot to be
Tim ritATT JlBSmUAltY ESTATE.
DeeUlon That It Mutt Go to the Shophard
and Enoch Fratt Hospital.
BAZiTTMonE. Md.. July 23. Judge George M.
Sharp, in Circuit Court No. 2. to-day delivered
an oral opinion on the litigation over the Enoch
Pratt-Shephard Asylum bequest to the effect
that the Shophard and Enoch Pratt Hospital,
the now name of tho asylum. Is entitled to ths
51.000,000 residuary estate of tho late Enoch
Pratt. The decroo was as follows:
"The four cases Involved are consolidated.
Tho Shophard Asylum is entitled to tho Pratt
bequest. The executors of the Pratt estate are
entitled to have the estato administered in this
court, and the receivers appointed are there-,
f ore discharged. Tho bill of the next of kin
claiming the roslduo of ths estate is dismissed."
Judgo J. D. Cross and W. Irvine Cross, who,
with Abner McEinley, brothor of President
McElnley. represent all the suitors for tho
residue of tho estato, announced their inten
tion of appealing. Tho will of Mr. Pratt, who
died over a year ago. aftor providing llborally
for his relatives, bequeathed a $1,000,000 resi
due to the Shenhard Asylum on condition that
Its name be changed to the Shophard and
Enoch Pratt Hospital. Tho last Legislature so
amended the charter of tho institution after a
spirited contost. In whloh charges wero made
on both sidos to the effect that moqey was be
ing used to affect legislation. Meantime suits
tor tne residue nau Deen instituted ny tno
Massachusetts relatives of Mr. Pratt, who had
been made the alternative legatees inthe resid
uary clause of the will.
A suit was ulso instituted by the noxt of kin,
Isaac Pratt, Jr.. of Boston, Mass., and Mrs.
Susanna K. Toboy of Wareham. Mass.. the tes
tator's brother and sister. Theso complications
caused suits by tho trustees of the hospital for
tho conveyance to them of the residue under
tho authority of the will aod legislative enact
ment, and a suit by tho executors.of the estate.
Messrs. James A. Gary and Arnold S. Hydo. for
adjudication of all the .claims by tho Circuit
Court.
The grounds on whloh the residuary clauso
was attacked, which wero the somo in all the
suits, were that Mr. Pratt's will attempted to
create a trust that cannot bo enforced, and a
perpotulty and a trust In favor of a class of
beneficiaries, the Indigent Insane, too Indcllnlte
to oak the enforcement of tho trust In their
favor. It was also claimed that Moses Shepherd,
tho founder of the asylum, did not leave hi
fortune to found a charity hospital, but an insti
tution distinctly different In character. A letter
written by Mr. Shephard to the trustees of the
asylum on Jan. 15. Ib55, was quoted lu the bill
of complaint in support of this allegation.
SOCIAL DOISOS AT XEUTPOnT.
Attentions Paid to the Count of Turin by
the Cottagcri.
Newpobt, It. I July 2,3. To-day was a busy
one with society in Newport, particular atten
tion being paid to the Count of Turin. This
noon Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Wysong gavo a lunch at
Gooseberry Island In his honor, their guests
being the Count of Turin, Major Carpeneto, Mr.
and Mrs. I. Townsend Burden, Mr. and Mrs. J.
Thompson Spencor, Judge and Mrs. J. C. Gray,
Mr. and Mrs. n. M. Brooks. Mrs. William Pol
lock. Misycarter, C. M. Depow. and Buchanan
Wlnthrop.
This afternoon tho Count visited tho golf
clnb. watching tho mutch In progress with
frout interest. This ovenlng Mrs Potter
'aimer gave a dlanor In honor of tho distin
guished visitor, her guests being the Count of
Turin. Mnjor Carpeneto, Chovnller Locca, Jlar-
?uls and IInrqulo D Mnnstlers-MerlnTllle.
laronesi Solllere. Mrs. William Astor. Mr. and
.Irs, E. II. Morse. Mr. and Mrs1. C. Astor Brls
ted. Mr. nnd Mrs. F K. Pendleton, Miss French,
Miss Grant, Mis Louisa Potter and Honoro
J'nlmor. The Italian colors were used in tho
tnblo decorations.
Following tho dinner there was a dance, nt
which a largo part of the cottagors attended,
muttlc being furnished by tho training station
orchestra. Tho lawns wore illuminated with
fairy lamps and n tent was used for smoklnp;
for tho gentlemen.
Dinners wore also given by tho Hon. J. B.
Eustls, ox-Ambassador to Paris; Mrs. Stuyve
eant Fish. Mrs. Harry.P. Whitney, and Senator
George Peabody Wetmore.
mis. aiunnocir wants $sso,ooo.
A. California Woman's Claim on on Old
Note Against Her Coutlh'a Estate.
Bin Fbincisco, July 23. A suit wns begun
to-day atChloo, Butte county.agalnstthe estate
of the lato William Murdoch to recovor $.150,-
000 on an old noto for $100,000 upon whloh in
terest is alleged to havo boen accumulating for
sevontesn years at 1 per cent, a month. Tho
cult is brought by Mrs. Minnie Murdoch, a seo
oud cousin of Mr.Murdoch.wholshalt Spanish.
Sho claims that seventeen years ago. when she
was a llttlo girl, her consln cavo her tho note,
saying:
''Minnie, take good care of this note, for
twenty years from now It will bo very valuable.
1 would rather you should havo my property
than any of my relatives."
Shortly before Murdoch's death, four years
ago, he learned through detcctivos that a note
for n large amount against him was but. De
tooth es wero hired to got details concerning
the note, nnd they learned that Mrs. MlimJo
Murdoch had hypothecated it to some one In
Ohio, Murdoch declared that tho note was a
forgery, and said he would compel those who
held it to surrender it, but ho died soon aftor.
The note purports to have been drawn on Bopt,
f. 1877. and. to bo payable la twenty years.
Experts who havo seen it say it is a forcery,
but uio lawyors for the Murdoch estato oxpeot
a hard light.
Injured on Ills Loooinotlre.
The cylinder head of a locomotive was blown
out ut tlioCulvor Ballroad depot at Coney Isl
and ysti-rday afternoon, while the engineer.
Henry Baird of Woodhaven, was oiling tho pis
ton rod. llo was lilt by n piece of Iron, and foil
uuootisclous besldt his locomotive. It is
thought ho will &
WOODCHUOKSASTHEY ARE.
niaABinnro rruvcxs KnuiTimBna
Aim ins wats Ann wilt.
Hew England Is nU rnrndlae, the Most De
Ughtrnl Tart of Which If New Ilnmnililre
Bounty Lam of fitates-Connectleut's
YToodehnek Dogs Devices to Kill Ttaent.
CnrsTsn. N. V.. July 23. A person will havo
t travol far In this land of ours It ho Is seeking
a spot where the woodohuok has no abiding
pines. Tho woodchuck is the ground hog of
local nomenclature, although tho creature is
In no way allied to tho swlno family. Tho
.woodchuck Is of tho same fanllly as the rnt, tho
squirrel, the prairie dog, the hare, tho gulnoa
pig. the boaver In short. It Is of tho order ro
dentla (gnawers), "oharacterircd by having two
largo incisors In each Jaw, separated from the
molars by a wldo space and having enamel on
their front surface only, so that tholr posterior
border bclnu worn awny more than tholr ante
rior edge, thoy asealwayskoptsetllko nohlscl,"
The prairie dog Is thu woodchuck's nearest
relative, for ths prairie dog Isn't a dog any
mors than the woodchuck Is n hog. While
New York, Now Jersoy and Pennsylvania nro
garden spots for the woodohuct. somo of tho
now England States, notably Now Hampshire
and Connecticut, nro its paradise. In New
Hampshire tho woodohuok long ago forced ths
State to rJcognlte It as an Important factor
In the political and domoatto economy of
the Commonwealth, for. more than a dec
ade ago. the woodchuck's efforts In an
ticipating tho farmer In tho gathering of
his clover orop, his turnips, his oabbagos, and
many othorof his products, lod to Investiga
tion that startled the economists among tho
local statesman. Amateurstnttstlclans beeamo
Interested in tho subject. Based on careful
esthnntos from the averago wookchuck habitat.
a census of tho busy rodont was taken in tho
State, and tho number was found to bo. oann
Inside total estimate, 470.000 in round num
bers, although actual figures made the number
482.000.
It was figured by a Now Hampshire student
of economlos that one healthy woodchuck and
there are no unhealthy ones would consume,
between May 1 and Bopt 1 of any year. 500
pounds of red clover alono. first and second
crops. It was oasy then to domonstrato by
figures, which are proverbial forthelrnrbttrory
fealthy to tho truth, that If one woodohuck con
fiscated 500 pounds of clover In a season 470.
000 woodchucks would do tho same to 235.
000.000 pounds, the equivalent of 117.500 tons.
At the rock-bottom price of $0 a ton it was
shown that tho annual tribute leUed on the
hay fields of the patient Now Hampshire hus
bandman amounted to the snug sum of $705,
000 a year.
There was no apparent way of getting around
those figures, and the woodchuck at once be
came the vital Issue In New Hampshire politics.
The farmors doclared that the State must corns
to their aid by placing a substantial bounty on
woodchuck scalps, so that Interest in removing
tho burrowing clover stealer might be so
qulckoned that suppression if not extinction
of the wary animal would result Others held
that It was the farmer's duty to rid his farm of
Its pests himself "skin his own woodohucks,"
us one eontentlous layman oxprossed It and
not dopend on the poopla at large to do it for
him. Then there arose the Bounty and the
Antl-Bounty-on-Woodohuoks parties In local
polities, and. It Is hardly necessary to say, the
anti-bounty men woro routed.
At tho first session of the Legislature after
the woodchuck issue came into the affairs of
tho State tho suppression of tho woodchuck
was tho paramount question for consideration.
A bill fixing a bounty of 25 cents n head on
woodchucks was introduced, but a compromise
bill, by which the price to bo placed on the
head of tho woodchuck w as mado 10 cents was
accepted and passed. Since then tho returns
from the various county treasuries have shown
that tho average annual kill of woodchucks in
New Hampshire on whloh bounties have been
paid Is 125,000. Tills Is a goodly number, but
It nevertheless loaves a good working wood
chuck majority of .'145,000 a year to contest
with the farmer for his crops.
"And that is about as near as thoy will ever
eomo to putting down tho woodchuck," says au
Orange county (N. Y.l farmer, who annually
removes many of tho pestiferous llttlo beasts
from his farm, although Now York State does
not tuko such paternal caro of hor husband
men as to pay them for elenring their own
farms of woodchucks. " It Isn't an easy matter,
even, to keep the woodchucks' number within
ordinary bounds when theso animals once colo
nlte on your farm. Bosldos the protection
their wily and cautious nature assures to them,
the female woodchuck brings forth two fami
lies of young a year, of from six to eight in
each family. Tho young mature quickly nnd
become parents before tho first year. Thus
two woodchucks starting In one year may lia o
seventy or more descendants to begin tho eoc
ond s year campaign."
The woodohuok is shy and suspicious, con
stantly on the watch for possible danger, and
quick to flee from eeu tho distant npifroncb of
man. Any ono who knows noodchucks knows
that there is no animal more nlort. keener of
scont. or more acute of hearing than this busy
burrower. A man with a gun cannot get with
in range of woodchucks feeding In a field
or posted at the entrance to tholr bur
rows. They nro shy of u gun, and
know ono ns far nway as n crow doos.
The woodchuck rarely goes moro than ten
yards from its burrow to feud, nnd with overy
mouthful it crops It rises on its haunches ana
scans tho surroundings on ovory side, holding
Its head high in the ulr and ampllngoory
scunt that is borno to It. At the first intimation
nt dnnffftr It receives, either hrslffht nr snfmfc-
thc woodchuek scampers to its holo and disap
pears Into it with a chuckle, to remain thoro.
with the tip of its nose just far enough out to
keep It informed of what is going on, as long as
thero Is tne least suspicion of dangor still lurk
ing ncir.
Sussex county. N. J., dwellers among wood
chucks declare thntovnr tlinre tho woodchucks
poBt sentinels to watch thodllTorontnPProaehes
by which dancer may eomo. tho sentinels sig
nalling by a sharp whistle it dangor doos eomo
that way. Thero is porhaps no better npplo
jack mado anywhere than in tho woodchuok
district of Sussex county. Applejack Is largely
the tipple of that salubrious region. It Is n do
light to tho palate, but it dallied with unwisely
It voaxes strango sounds into the head uuu
fashions odd sights to tho eyo.
The only way to Insure oso's getting a wood
chuck with a gun Is to hide bouind a fence, or
rock, or bush, within easy gunshot, and wale
until the animnl is satlMlod that It can safely
eomo out to feed, A rifle is tho surest gun to
kill a woodchuck with, and the bullet must hit
the animal In some vital spot, for it is most
tenacious of llfo, and must be terribly wounded
if It Is nnablo to get into Its burrow before tho
runnercan Intercept It. A man jsneorRureof
lis woodchuck untlll It falls dead aJ; his shot.
Tho Connecticut local bounties nro paid for
woodchuck scalps under authority of tho town
boards. Irom all accounts the Connecticut
woodchuck his u cheek and persistence that
would frighten Its kind anywhere else, shy and
suspicious nnd wary as It ordinarily is.
"Tho Connecticut woodchuck." saysanstlvo
of that Btate, "doesn't heslthto to Invndn vil
lago dooryaj-ds with his unsightly burrow,
which ho can eompleto In anient, and many a
housewife rises in the morning to find somo
cherished garden spot or well-kept lawn strewn
with the dohris of a woodchuck's excavating,
while at tho mouth of tho cavern from which
It was dug the audacious door of tho
mischief sits and chuckles nt tho good wife's
discomfiture. This Impudence nn the part of
tli ConnoctlOBt woodchuck Is tho more sur
prising from the fact that thoro Isa race of dogs
In that Btate which soems to havo boon evolved
for the purpose of keoplng down tho wood
chuck. Why Connecticut alono should bo
blossed with this i dog is a mystery, but tho
unique specimen is there, and its mission Is
Vfoodchuok
"Tho Connecticut woodchuok dog is appar
romly a cross between a shophord dog and
common cur. Ho will not be trained to hunt
with a hunter. Ho doesn't hunt from training
at all. but from natural Instinct uud lucllnution.
He will not follow a rabbit, and ho spurns a
fox. I have known him to show an inclination
for coons, but thut was perhaps an accidental
strain, for woodchuck is Ills game. He knows
the only way thn woodchuelc can bo bagged
wlthabsoluto certainty, nnd ho takes untiring
advantage of his knon ledge.
"This unlquo dog starts out aftor wood
chucks early in the morning. He plans his
work with system, H faors localities whoro
tho woodchucks' burrows are at tho odso of
stony lots, or where there aro clumps of bushes
noar, The dog knows that anything that gets
to the mouth of a woodchuck'H burrow boforo
the alarmed woodchuek Itself does has to hao
the advantage In thernco, nnd be mighty alort
at that So no steals hehlnd n wall or bush as
Bear to a burrow as ho can get, and peers from
chlnd it cautiously at the hole, lie knows
when tho woodchuck's favorite feeding time is,
and that thf animal will surely appear when
tho time coln.es, ...
"By and by the woodchuck pokes his noso
and eyes carefully to thu surface of the open
ing, Several minutes pass before tho suspU
pious animjil ventures to show Itself openly
By degrees it works Its way to It feeding, placo
In tho field An ordinary dog would rut.li out
at tho first appearance of thu woodchuek, uud.
of course, end thu hunt for tho day, for the
woodchuok would drop back Into his ho o and
toy there. But the Conuactlout woodchuuk
nmrrTTMirftniwnir " -v- '
dog doesn't mnko any mistake lllse that Jle
waits patiently until the woodchuck hasgot at
least ns fnr nway from tho hole as ho Is him
self. Thon he charges from his hiding, place,
not at tho woodchuck, but for tho woodohuck's
hole.
"Tho. woodchuck has heard or soon or
eccntod tho clog tho ItMtant tho dog loft his nm
bush. and. breaks wildly for tho burrow. A
woodchuck invariably goes for Its holo whon
alarmed, no matter what may stand betweon
Itsolf and tho holo. Tho dog always gets thero
In tlmo to meet tho game, and. although the
woodchuck Is a Iloreo nnd gamy fighter, the
dog knows nil Its weak points, nnd soon sinks
his teeth through the rodent's neok, and tho
fight Is over. . .
, The geolun.of the Connecticut woodchuck
dog shines in htssubscquont proceedings. Ho
throws tho woodchuck over his shouldor. trots
homo with It. and places it on the back stoop,
calls his mastor'a attention to It and trots away
after more woodchuck. In the Connecticut
towns where there Is n bounty on woodchucks
these dogs are of groat service to tholr owners,
as it is no uncommon thing for n single dog to
capture and carry homo ns many as 100 wood
chucks in a month.
, I, had, a greyhound onco. though, that
dovolopod a higher orderof coolus as n wood
chuek destroyer than tho best Connecticut
woodehuck dog I ever saw. Tho woodchuck
doglroforrod to belonged to me. His namo
was Bustor and ho was a buster, too. Tho
greyhound was a year old whon I got him. and
every tlmo Buster brought a woodchuck In the
grcjhonnd would aula about Jt and gaio at
Busterwonderlngly. Tho old woodchuok dog
wascxtromely patronising to tho greyhound,
for ho felt his greatness. One day Buster had
brought In nn unusually large woodchuck, and
tho greyhound wondered more than ocr. Iot
lone afterward ho was missed, but ho came
back toward noon with a woodchuck, which ho
laid on tho stoop, to tho utter and unconcealed
amazement of Buster, who had beon .taking n
recuperative enoozo. Again tho greyhound
disappeared, and camo back before long with
another woodchuck, That disturbed Bustor so
much that ho showed his teeth to tho grey
hound, something ho had novor dono boforo.
"Tho old dog went out that afternoon,
though, nnd got a big woodohuck, nnd that
Boomed to restore his equanimity. Next day,
however, ho miscalculated the tactics of a
woodchuck he had tacklod. at least that Is what
we judged, and not only did not bag his game,
but camo homo with one of his ears torn noarly
off his head. Tho grayhound brought in a
woodchuck soon nftorwardTThls was more than
Bustor could stand. Ho pitched Into tho grey
hound and cava him a licking that laid hfni up
three days. And thero and thon Bustor quit
woodchucklng. Ho lived two years aftor that,
but noor went out after a woodchuck again.
Ho found out that the greyhound had a mothod
that waa bound to knock the spots off him as a
woodehucker. so ho had his llttlo revenge by
licking htsrhal. and thon rested on his record "
In southern Pennsylvania, where tho wood
chuck is unplonsantly nbunilant, farmors havo
adopted a novel method of killing tho wily nnl
maL and It conies about as near abating tho
nufianco, as anything can. Bottles are filled
powder, long fuses being inserted in the corks.
Tho bottles are pushed as far as possible into
tho woodchuck burrows and then the mouth of
tho burrow is closed and tightly tamped with
dirt. Tho fuso Is ignited and tho ex
plosion that follows is severe enough to
kill eery woodchuck in tho burrow. Un
sophisticated farmors often think they seo an
easy way of getting rid of woodchucks by clos
ing up the burrows by filling dirt and stones in
the opening. This 1b labor entirely lost, fortho
woodchuck that finds himself thus mado a pris
oner In his home at onco starts In and digs a
way out to liborty. olther through tho ob
structed opening or in another direotlon.
A few years ago a Sussex county farmer's
gonlns led him to adopt an entirely original
and. as ho asserted, offectivo method of clean
ing out woodchucks from his farm. One day
he stumbled upon a land turtle In ono of his
Holds and ho amused himself in a rnther cruel
way by lighting matches and holding them close
to the tall of tho turtle to seo how It hurried the
reptile on Its way. This gavo the farmor an
Idea, llo mado the turtle captive, got a ball of
candle v. lck, saturated it with korosone.fastened
it to tho turtle's tall with a pieco of wire
two feet long, placed tho turtle at tho entrnnco
of a woodchuck's burrow nnd touched a match
to tho korosene-sonked ball of candle wick.
Tho inflammable stuff blazed up instantly.
Tho turtlo felt tho heat and at once started to
get away from It, nnd dlvod Into the wood
chuck burrow. The burnlng.brnnd followed
it. and tho turtle kept right on into tho
underground passage, trying to csenpo.
Tho farmer, armed with a heavy club, Btood
at the mouth of tho burrow, waiting re
sults. Ho had waited but a fow seconds when
out rushed n woodchuek, wlld-oycd. and nil
caution gone. Tho farmer settled the wood
chuck with ono whack of tho club and wnltod
for moro. They camo. and In less than two
minutes after he put tho turtlo nnd its trail of
Ilia Into the burrow ho had six woodchucks
dead at the entrance. If the turtle over camo
out again tho farmer novor saw it. '
Aftcrdcmonstratlng tho success of his highly
original woodchuck exterminator, tho farmor
spent nil of his spare time looking tor turtlos;
but as they woro scarce no was unablo to uso
his exterminntor as largely as hu wanted to
until ho captured n turtle that provod, to bo a
retriever of Itsolf. This turtlo invariably eame
out of a bnrrow after circulating through it
with its fiery tail and drhlng the tor
rifled woodchucks out to their death, so
that it could be loaded again and turned
into nnothar burrow. This turtlo served
the farmer nn.d hl neighbors ns a
destroyer of woodchucks for several seasons,
until ono day. while not on duty. It got in tho
way of n reaping machine In a field and had its
head cut off. Tho farmor pover found another
turtlo that would return from a burrow to be
used again, nnd to servo his purpose ho had to
depend on tho casual finding of such as ho
could get. This mado the work of woodchuok
extermination dssultory. and consequently it
has noer been as successful as It otherwise
would hjue been.
"Thn idea Is all right" tho farmer declares to
this day, "but turtlos Is too scarce to keep It
workln "
The result of this fnrmcr's succoss at destroy
ing woodchucks by means of turtles and burn
ing candle wick was published in tho news
papers, and in tlmo met tho eye of a farmer
out In Steuben county, who had boen bothered
greatly by woodchucks. He resolved to ehe
tho thing a trial himself. He succeeded In get
ting a turtle, and ho turned it loosa into a
woodchuck burrow, dragging the ball of fire
after it. Tho farmor had armed him
self with an nx, and when the tur
tlo went down into tho ground with the
blaze behind it he raised the axe and braced
htmsolf to smito tho woodohucks as thoy came
trooping In terror from tho hole. A long tlmo
passed Nogroundhog appeared, Tho farmer
lowered his axe to rest his arms. He had no
soonerdonoso than nut of the holenwool
cuuck rushed like n flash, nnd It was n flash,
too. for tho wire that had hold the blazing ball
to the turtle was fast to tho woodehuck some
where, and the .dazzling firebrand was sailing
along after him llko ahot-alr balloon.
Tho furmor bad been cutting his whenttho
day before and it was stocked In sheaths In tho
field near by. Away tho torriflcd woodchuok
dashed as fast as Its loplnc gait would let it
and plunged Into one of thostaoksof wheat,
evidently thinking to hide from lt blazing
pursuer. Instantly tho dry straw was afire,
and . tho woodchuck rushed out of the
burning stack and wormed Itself Into
tho stack next to it. This ono was Im
mediately ublazo. and an ay the wood
chuek raced for another Btnek. the Incendiary
hall of eandlo wick In oloso pursuit. And thus
this woodchuek opplicd tho torch, so to speak,
to u dnzon or more of rim farmer's stacks of
golden grain before tho ball of Urn exhausted
itself. The last seen of tho woodchuek It was
making the best tlmo It could toward a wooded
hill a mile away Whatever became of It or how
the fireball becaino detached (rem tho turtlo
nnd attached to Iho woodchuck tho farmer
never knew. But In ridding his farm of that
ono woodchuck he lost a good share of his sea
son's wheat crop.
Tho flesh of tho woodchuck is not of a quality
or flavor that commends it to tho palate of tho
average mnn, nnd If it is not carefully nnd
properly prepared for cooking it liccomcs posi
tively offonsfve. In tho Pennsylvania Dutch
counties, however, eseclally Lanc.ister and
Berks, the cooking and serving of woodclniek
has beon redticod to a culinary science, nnd
"groundhog lunches "nro among tho favorlto
dishes of tho opiouro thoro. under tho manipu
lation of the thrifty housowlvcs and careful
restaurateurs thereabouts tho woodehuck bo
comos n morsol that tho most fastidious gour
met cannot treat with contompt. Tho tondor
est and sweetest broiled chicken Is not superior
to " groundhog, Lancnstor style,"
Anothor use to which the woodohuok is put
In that part of Pennsylvania cannot be recom
mended as highly ns the cooking of It. The
animal Is taken nllvo by patient and expert
trappers and is kept for a sport similar to the
nneo-faorlte English sport of badger baiting.
Dogs ro trained purposely for this. They nre
cither unbroken bird dogs or dogs that are a
cross between a foxhound nnd n beaglchound.
These baiting matches aro said to rival the
fiercest encounters between blooded bulldogs,
fortho woodchuck, when cornored, is u terrible
antagonist. If onco it thrusts Its long, rodont
teeth Into a dog thsy pass clear through and
lock into the flesh, nf.d the hold can bo broken
only by tearing the fiesh awny. It takes a good
doc to master a woodchuck in those matches,
and mnro than one good ono has been known
to be klllod by a woodchuck before it Itself met
its fate.
Custom Tailors Demand Free Shops,
Tho members of the Journeymen Tailors'
Union of America, composod of custom tailors,
will on nnd after Oct. 1 demand "free shops."
At present journeymen who work for employ
ing custom tailors must supply their own sit
i lug rooms. Most of the wnfk is done at the
lomesof thn workers or III llttlo roomsn-onted
iyfourorfle men who club together for that
purposo. The journeymen want tho employers
to provide tho shops.
Two Drowned at PeeksUIl.
pgEKfPiciLi, N. Y , July 23. Morris Conklln. a
truckman, 45 years old, was drowned in tho
Hudson ltlver to-day while trying to savo 10-year-old
Thomas (iuggerty. The boy had gone
In swimming near Smith's dock Conklln
heard his cries for help and dove after him,
The boy caught him around the neck, and they
both sank. The bodies were recovered later.
Conklln leaves a wife aod aevsu children.
WOODCOCK TIME HAS COME.
OUNNBIIS AltB UAl'IXa SPOItT IN IL
LINOIS cormtTs.
rienty of Birds nnd Some Wonderful Dog,
If Yon Believe the Sportsmen Pursuit
of the Woodcock In the South A' nun
ter'slilea of the Way to Cook the Birds.
Chicago, July 22. Tho woodcock season has
opened. Birds are plentiful. Dokb nnd gun
ners havo had a long rest All along tho Fox.
Illinois, and Kankakee rivers tbo doublo bar
rels aro cracking. Thoy usod to bellow, but
that was In the old days bctoro tho Invention of
tho nltro powders. Now thoy havo a spiteful
snnc, which sounds like nothing nt all to old
fosblonod sportsmen, who llko to hear tho gun.
The woodoook country of Illinois is difficult.
It Is marshy and grown up with underbrush.
Tall willows fringe tho streams or spring from
tho damp places. It la n rare thing whon tho
shooter gots fifty feet of cloar spaco In whloh
to ccntro his bird. Generally tho quarry Is In
open, unobstructed sight for not more than
twenty feet In consequence It Is almost
wholly snap shooting, Tho gun Is pitched to
the Bhoulder nnd fired In tho tenth part of a
second, and tho woodcock goes on about his
business. Even whon hard hit, ho falls Into
some scomlngly hopeless tangle of bushes,
reeds nnd willows, ami the nicest art of the re
triever is needed. It takes an old hand n very
old hand to loso cock aftor cock In this way
with never a croaso of tho forehead or tighten
ing of tho lips. The only mnn In Chicago who
has over reached the point whoro a long day of
disaster is a subject for mirth Is Bolla Organ of
tho Macksawba Club, who went to tho Kanka
kee on July 15. tho opening day. oxploded
thirty-six cartridges, lost thirty-six birds and
has not got through smiling over It yot Mr.
Organ, however, is a philosopher of so subli
mated a kind that ho is running for Congress
as a Democrat In a district that Is Bepubllcan
by 15,000 and he is having a good time doing It.
In a topographical way Illinois is possibly
the most uninteresting Btato In America. It
has not a decent hlU In It It In prairie from
ond to end. and a prairie country Is prover
bially the hottest In summer and the coldest in
winter. Tho Bun beats down upon the open
these days and Is thrown back from tho broad
surfacos In lines of quivering hazo. An egg
would roast In tho sand. No man has ever had
the nerve to hang a thermometer whnro tho
rays could get at It. Along tho rivers, howover.
a slow breczo almost nlways blows and a damp
coolness rises from the Blinded black soil under
neath the willows. It Is breathloss sport at
best, but It Is endurable when sheltered from
the scorching Bhaftsot boat. Sometimes tho
sportsmen of Cook county hunt tho woodcock
with cocker spaniels, tho dog of dogs for tho
pursuit but oftenest they uso pointers or set
ters. Tho latter are tho better for tho purposo.
since their heavy coat gives them more pro
tection from tho briars, and there Is plenty of
water for tholr thirst Por contra, they bo
come overheated more easily, and under this
condition their scent Is not so good as that of
the pointers. Tho cover is so thick that tho
shooter cannot seo dog half the tlmo. As tho
animal Is supposed to be trained and will not
flush when his point Is made, a small bell Is
hung about his neok. When the bell stops
tinkling ths owner knows that his dog has
found gamo. Ho pushes his way cautiously
through the undergrowth and finds him maybe
lying still in a mudholo with his tongue hang
ing out Thon things grow warmer. If thero
really Is gamo thoro tho man with Uio gun
stops as if on eggshells. Slowly and moro
slowly he moves. Ho is In front of the dog
now Ave. ton, fifteen feet Tho scoundrel Is
lying. That's what's the matter with him. Ho
didn't do this last season. Must have been
spoiled by folks on tho stroot. A halt hour of
whip will do him good. Whlr-r-r-rl A brown
object that seems as big as a balloon bounds
thirty foot straight into the air. then whirls to
theleftnndisgone. In tho hundredth part of
a second it has decreased from balloon size to
oocoanut slzo, from coooanut slzo to base
ball size, then to walnut slzo, then
to plnhead size, then to notning. The gun has
Bono off home bow. and light green willow
leacs havo fallen to the ground. Tho dog.
which has charged as a dog should, with his
hoad between his paws, glanoos up reproach
fully. U is caked with mud from foot to back
bone. Ho Is scratched by briars. BalUa
trickles steadily from his open jaws, nis ex
tended touguo is a flory crimson. He is too hot
to think. Dog talk cannot express his dis
gust. He sees nothing In it for him or any one
else, but he gots up and limps on, determined to
glvo its worthless master ono moro chance,
then jump the reservation.
Tho chance comes near a little spring that
gushes from under the rotting roots of a syca
more. The ground about it is dark and
marshy. It Is filled with llttlo round holes
from which worms have been exlraoted. Tho
bushes grow sparsoly hero, and thero Is some
grass. Tho bell ceases its thin jangle. The
dog-form is rigid as an iron bar and tho eyes
glow llko molten gold. The banner-tail waves
slowly to and fro. tho legs arc planted far apart
and the sensitive pink nostrils expand and con
tract within an Inch of the ground, drinking
draughts of a porfumn that is not tangible
to human olfactories, but is attar of roses
to tho dog. Onco again tho bird thun
ders up almost between tho feet of
his pursuer, but there is no willow thicket and
ho goes straight away. Tho gun cracks behind
him nnd he pitches forward from a height of
twenty feot turnlngoverand oor. As ho lies
upon his back, with his slender legs drawn up
close to tho body, ho seems all bill and breast.
Indeed, the rich mottled ohest of him stlcksout
like tho front olovatlon of a pouter pigeon.
There is flesh boneafli the beautiful feathors.
much of it the richest, tendorest. juiciest, most
delicious of ull flesh. Tho mnn with tho gun
Sicks up tho dead thine and rubs it against his
og's noso.
Aha 1" ho says. " you woolly fraud I Thought
tho old man vi as out of It, did oul What do
you think now, eh? Ain't I ono of 'em, oh?
Ain't I the wholo thing, eh?" .
The dog's oyos gleam with joy. Ho Is stiff
with dirt and tircu, but he ossaya a gambol.
tloviould llko another smoll of that delightful
Ird, and gets It. Ho utters three short, tremu
lous barkh, which say moro plainly than printed
words enn: "Them can bo no posslblo doubt
whatever that of all masters this master Is tho
most excellent and agreeable. Ho is also
tho best shot in the world. I mil fortunate
to be permitted to go about with him
sometimes, though I would like to go
oftenor." Tho man with tho gun looks at him
as ho stuffs tho woodcock into his shoot In:
cont and muses. "Just like a woman," ho
says. " If his brain wore as big as his heart ho
would own me." Chicago sportsmen tell tales
of invuluablo pointers lost along tho Fox and
Kniiknkeu rivew. Thn bells stopped tinkling;
tho ilores could not ho found; thoy were too
stanch to break; thoy starved miserably to
death waiting for owners who novor enmoj
their orect skeletons wero found fivo seahons
after, a little hide still clinging to tho frames,
tholr heads still lowered ou tho point.
It is not at all difficult for a man at tills season
to obtain forty shots in n day's hunt If ho bags
u dozen and n half of woodcock ho lias no right
to bo cross, Later on tho birds will becomo
shyer and scarcer. By tho mlddlo of August It
will bo difficult to flush more than a dozen on a
ten hours' tramp. Early lu September they all
fly southward. They winter in South Amorica
in swarms. Great shooting Is had along tho
Orinoco. Thousands of birds, however, stop in
our Southern States and may ho shot on any
day between Octobor and March in Mississippi.
Louisiana, and Texas. .
fn the low-lying lands of East Feliciana
parish, Louisiana, tho negroes sing this song:
Ole Mr. Woodcock, cotton iu high ;
(llo Mr, Wonilcoc t, .bint 'Ira in 1 eye
Olo Mr, oodrnck, ilUl ran na-t-ar
Did you -ay " (ioo 1 1)rtlr'
It was made by n thing of shreds nnd patches
whoso namo tradition holds not. nnd It Illus
trates the manner in which ono of tho noblest,
most toothsome and scarcu of gnmo birds la
butchered by tho Africans and 'Cadlan French
men iu that part of the country, )own there
the woodcock Is a night feeder. Being gifted
with a hill of enormous longth, ho bores Into
tho ground In search of tho norms that are his
diet. Ho has a round head nnd large, very
bright eyes. After dark he is found In tho
Holds between tho rows of donuded cotton
stains, wuere tuo ground is niwnys cnimn aim
soft The negroes hunt him, just as a deer is
sometimes hunted, with a big naming braiiur
of plno knots. Thoy "shlim" thoi'yoof tho
bird not moro than throo Inches awny. Ho Is
blinded, nnd his throo inches of bill Is In tho
.earth A thimbleful of ponder and a pinch of
TBci, 10 shot no tho rest When Mississippi
steamers land nt Baton Kongo the French and
negroes board them wreathed round with deud
woodcock, which they call Kcane, Tho birds
aro strung through tho neck on heavy twlno
that has a bagging needle at ono oud of it The
ends are united, u loop is formed, sometimes
six foet long, nnd this is thrown acioss tho
shoulders. It Is picturesque enough, hut it
makes a sportsman indignant Tho birds nro
sold to tho stewards ut cents uniecu, Ju
Chicago thoy nre suapiod uput tT a dozen,
Th woodcock is singular in ono rorfpocl
tho fomnlfl Is much Inrger that) the initio.
They breed eurly in tho spring, going north of
thoSt, Luwrenoe. butliku thu lauksnlpe. they
luno been known, iu rare instances, to rear
young lu tliU latitude. The female lavs from
four to live eggs and Is especially careful of hor
brood, whoso members aro plump, downy
"t?lh MEm4 fc.w.w tt nil. .1 rta.. . - ,r rn 1.1 li. . i -
things, not unllko Leghorn chickens Just out of
tho shell. At one tlmo thero wns an Idea preva
lent, not only nmone shotgun people but also
among naturalists, that the woodcock crossed
tho Atlantlo each year, going to hnglnnil to
mate, and returning In tho mhlsummor, ll Is
n strong flyer, but not equal to tho trip, Tho
bird has another peculiarity hi, call to his
mato is a soft wooing gurgle, but ho
cannot utter it while on tho ground. He tries
it sometimes, but his bill drops to earth and his
,tnll tilts spasmodically up Tins eccentricity
camo up for discussion nt tho last meeting of
tho C, 0. 1. A. O II, Cook County Independent
Association of Oood Hunters commonly known
ns tbo Cook County Industrious Aggregntlau of
Untno Hogs, nnd Most Supremo YNorthy Custo
dian Mitchell expressed regret that somo hu
man singers wore not similarly nflllctod. Tho
woodcock's mild pluck-cluck when feeding hns
been translated by tho negro Into" Good l,ord."
and It Is supposed to ben prnjerfor worjns.
. Taken by nnd Inrgo. this bird furnishes more
difficult shooting than anxthlnu that filesnx-er
American soil. This is duo partly to Ids habits,
which, except at night, keep him in thick
woods, swamps nnd canobrnkes. nndptrtly to
his flight, xxlilch Is rapid anil spiral. Tho bird
Is easily stopped when contred, but tho cen
tring process hns its drawbacks. Of nil guns,
tho lu-gaugo Is preferable Tliowoodcook is
killed nearly always nt short range, nnd tho
lack of weight of this wcaiion I'liables ono to
hnndlo It quickly. The barrels should b
cyllpder-borod. In the South tho quarry Is
found In tho catiebrakes. xx hieh crow to a height
of forty feet. Tho cocker spnnlol Is used. This
smnll hunter yelps continually. His sire, or his
lack of it onnbles hint to make his way into or
through plncos that would slop tho pointer or
sottor. , Tho ehnoter must bo ou tho alert ns
tho birds aro routod out In front of him, nt his
back or on cither sldo.ns chance may direct.
Jle can hear, only tho burr of tho xylites nnd
judgo from tho sound tho direction in xvhieh to
turn. Tho, bird xxhlrs upward with a twist ns
pronounced ns that of a corkscrew, and when
he clears tho lopof tho tnno dlxos Immediately,
It tnkos quick es to mnrk tho flight nnd
ready fingers on tlio trigger to stop It Ex
perts count upon ono bird iu tin- bug to every
llvo shells expended, nnd this Is a high ax-erngo.
Tho spaniel Is au excellent rotrlox-r, uud fow
dead birds are lost.
There Is another form of woodcock shooting
whloh is confined to Louisiana and Mississippi
nnd is even more difficult At tho back of overy
plantation Is a wooded swamp wherein tho
birds lie hidden In tho daytime. Thoy fly to
tho opon fields between sunset nnd black dark.
At such time their height from tho ground is
from 00 to lot) feetaiul thoygo)lkohulTot. In
the hnlfllght they look llko black balls. thosizn
of a man's fist shot from small cannon. The
shooter stands with his back to the xxoods and
takes the flyers going from him. That is. ho
shoots nt thorn going from him. Success nt
this sport Is exhilarating hi proportion to its
difficulty. In thoso latitudes tho dark seems
literally to fall from tho sky, and shooting tlmo
Is brief.
According to Mr. Organ. Congrosslonnl ean
dldnto nnd Keeper of tho Oroat Seal of tho
Macksawba Club, thero Is but one way In
which to cook xx'oodeock. He has been shoot
ing nt them for thirty years, and says thnt ho
ought to know. This Is his recipe, tnuen
stenocrnphlcally In tho big gun room of tluj
club down on tho Kankakee the evening of July
IB. when tho day's missing had ended nnd din
ner had been oaten and juien tlmo had come:
"Take a deep earthen dish largo enough to
hold four, ln-as, four woodcocks. I said
'woodcocks.' didn't I? You fellows oln't ns
funny as a funeral. They will be just enough
for you. If your wlfo likes xvoodeook, get nn
otherdlsh. Lay them In tho bottom on tholr
backs. Put in onough xvnter. somo butter, salt
and pepper to tho tasto and ndd a strong dash
of good Madeira. Needn't bo particular to put
it down 'good 'Madeira. Thoro ain't any bad.
Put on a flaky crust and lot tho four bills
stick up through tho centre. Bring mo an
otherjulep. Bako 'em slowly. Don't bo in a
hurry. Don't let the crust get broken.
You want to keep tho steam in. Funny thing
you can't get straws without slits in 'cm. Tnko
'era out ofthe ovon when tho crust is brown.
Bo careful. Cut a circular hole in the crust
'bout as big ns a gun wad. put your noso to it
and smell. They'll bo dono all right, but that
sort of makes you feel more llko doing busi
noss. Lift the birds out by their legs, pour tho
gravy over 'cm and tnko somo of tho pastry.
That's all you want to knqw. I never could
learn that stoward to keop from brulsln' tho
mint"
WATCH ON A KLONDIKE IIOAKD.
Two Brothers Sitting On a Tremure from
Dnwson to Philadelphia.
Seattle, 'Wash., July 23. The steamship
Garonne, which arrived at Victoria this morn
ing with 160 passengors from St. Michael,
transferred 113 of them to tho steamer City of
Kingston, and they reached hero this evening.
Thoy left Dawson on July 1 on the Youkon
Ilixer steamer Seattle No. 1 with nearly halt a
million of treasure. They paid $20,000 In gold
dust to the purser of the Garonne for passago .
down from St. Michael.
Nothing dcflnlto can be learned of tho
amount of gold in the party. The miners havo
mado their statement at Daxvson to tho Gold
Commissioner, paid their royalties, nnd got off
as easily as possible, and now thoy propose to
stand by tho statement Dr. D. W. Ward, xvho
has been in chorgo of tho hospital at Daxvson
City, says that there are many pnssengeia xvith
large quantities of gold and many xvho are
coming out broke. II. N. Jacobson of Sacra
mento. Cal., has $53,000. nnd xvas probably the
largest singlo holder of gold dust on tho boat
A story Is told of two Philadelphia brothors
who woro among tho Gnronno's passengers.
They nro reported to havo $70,000 each in dust
All tho way down on tho steamer they took
turns at guarding tho treasure, standing
watohes of six hours each. They refused to put
the gold In tho steamer's safe, but In turn sat
on It day nnd night all the way. They snld thoy
wore going to carry It to tho Philadelphia mint,
would tako turns gunrdlng It on trains, and
woald not let it out of tholr sight for one mo
ment from Dawson City to Philadelphia.
Edward Aylward, who spent fivo years on
Forty-Mllo Crook, was among tho passongers
on tho Gnronno. no was ono of the few wlfo
remnlned thero when tho report of tho fabu
lous wealth at tho Klondike reached tho camp,
and ns n result ho returns with nearly SSO.tMH)
In Forty Mllo dust taken from n claim on Na
poleon Gulch. During the winter about forty
men mined at Forty Mllo and nil did well. Ho
Boys that a largo number of claims woro aban
doned In tho mad rush to tho Klondike, and
many of Miera will yiold handsomoly with
proper working.
miESLAND ARRIVES DISABLED.
Sbe Limped In Snvernl Days I.nte Becauso
of n Break In Iter Shaft.
Tho Red Star steamer Trlcsland, which broko
her shaft at sea on July 14, got in yesterday
morning with all well on board nnd a pretty
good record to hor credit for tho last 1,100
miles of tier trip, considering her crippled con
dition. Tho Frlosland left Antwerp on July 0 with
eighteen first cabin, thlrty-alx second cabin,
nnd 220 bteerngp passengors. On the morning
of July 14 the thrust shaft broko. Tho ship
xvas hovo to at onco, and tho cnginoors
wont to work to repair the dnmngo,
Tho low-pressuro cngluo was disconnected
nnd thn broken parts of thn shaft wero bound
together xvltha henxyelamp. which xvas wound
with a strong wire cable. It took about twenty
five houis to do this nnd the Frieslnnd then
proceoded undor her other llxo cylinders. Sho
came in at n aovon-knot gnlt
Cnpt Nickels said that tho passongers wero
not at all disturbed when Informed of tho acci
dent and took the dolay good nnturedly. Tho
passengers gnxothreo cheers forCapt Nickels
as they left tho ship ut her dock yesterday.
The Weather.
The blsh prcsiure rcil covered the Jtow Knglind
and mill Jin Atlantlo SUtta, with the centre tut up
the rosit line, caiulna eaaterly wlndi, cloudliiM.i
and hijh humidity in this irctlon.the New England
and south Atlantlo StatiV
Thrre waa au area of low preeaure over all the
northwfit and central Btatoa rait of the Rocky
Mountains, attended by showery conditions; heavy
ahewLTK were reported In Montana, and the DaVotaa.
Thin deprenlon la jirecedwl by a warm wax e, whloU
liaa cauaed tho temperature to run up to between
02" and 100 in Kaueaa, Kebraaka, Iowa, Jll.
aouii, and In Toias and t'ae Arkansas Valley, The
warm wavola moving slowly uaitvtard,
In tide city thero waa a light aprlnLla of rain la
thet'arlyronrnintf.aii tlio dsywaa generally riouJy;
niiw humility 82 percent.! wind northeasterly.
axrruK" velocity 10 uillen an hour; hlsheat official
temperature 72, low eat dfl'i barometer, corrected to
read to ta Irxel. at H A. II. 80.5H, 8 V. M. OO.ar,.
The thermometer at the l'nlte.1 bUtjn Meal her bu
reau registered tho temperature jesterday atfullowa:
JM. IK7. 1 IMS. jjia;,
OA.JI ' 7V HP. M 70J
Ul'.M ... 71 oHltiaili Us 07
watniMiTot ronrcjKT roa tuwiur.
For lIa.uiliueU, ltliode Island, and Connecticut,
clouds, with eliowera near tlio aoutbroat; eaaterly
luils.
for lailtm Xiie York.cloudu in tutl.ern portion,
thuntriaiiJtliUnJtrsUirMi in northern portion; touth
vxndi.
For eastern Penniihanu ami New Jersey, partly
cliiul) . witti a'lowern near the New Jerseyjcoist; ejut
erly winds
Fur thu Dl.tnctof Columbia. Delaware and Mary
land, fair, easterly wluds, Iwjoiuliiic southerly.
For western New York, western PunuajlraaU sad
Ohio, fair, eicept showers near the laiaaj ughteast
, winds.
THE BATTLE, OF THE SNIPE.
A HUMAN BASniriail'S ENComiKn '
WITH AN AUAH.
rower of the Lever ISilifblted Upon the
Rniidxvleh rHnn-Tlnltllmr Up of the Arnb
-Knrh Ciiinbntnnt Awaiting Itelnforcey
iiU'iits-Arhtlrntlon from AVnll Mrretjt.
Somebody had dropped n snlpo In tho gutter.
It was a ery superior snipe, fully two-thirds of
n cigar. In fact, and u fat cigar nt that Any
body might havo been forgiven for oovotln
that snlpu. Two persons did covot It simul
taneously nnd Ht uliottt making It tholr own.
Ono xvas nn ordinary streut nrab. thin, keon
oved. slim p-fuend. nnd Impudontly conrtdontot
hs nbllity to tnko enru of hlnisolf, a confidence
doubtless bred by a long nnd varied course, of
training on tho sldownlks of Now York. To
him tho unlpo meant temporary luxury and th
delicious envy of his companions, or If It was
particularly good he might oven sell It for a
couplo of conts to Homo hlgh-llx Ing panhandler.
Tho other oMervor of the fnllon cigar was a
human sandwich somo degrees raised. In
other words, ho carried tho boards, whleh In
former times xvould have encompassed him as
a book Is bounded by Its covers, nbovo his hoad
attached ton pnlr of long and supple supports,
this being, in Iho mind of the proprietor of
"Smlkcr's Soleless lloots," n moro offectlva
way of catching; tho nttent Ion of tho public, than
tho older device. Tho standard xvns a long and
heavy one. nnd Its bearer moved xvcarlly undor
it. though tho xvolaht xvas Ingeniously- distrib
uted between tho shoulders nnd tho bolt by a
contrivance of lirnce,s. Hy right this sign
should hax-o kopt to Ilroadway. along tho line
of grentcst reslstnneo. but the bearer had wan- ,
dered off Into a sldo street with tho posslblo Of
intent of sitting; duwn on tho curb for a moment
of rest It wns hero that ho saw tho snipe fall. M
Fow witnesses woro present, and Iho begin- H
nlngof tho netlon which followed is not a mat- OK
torof nccurnto Information, tho principals dlf- U
fcrlng absolutely on tho important ivolnt of who BJJ
saxv it first, llo thnt ns It mny. thoy arrived at
tho spot whoro It lay at almost tho samo mo- H
ment. but tho boy wns tho swlftor to bondover, H
thoslgn-bearor bolnghandlonppedln htsmova- BJJ
monts by tho weight ho carrlod. Just as the
arab's fingers woro closing tho man gavo him a H
shove that sont him staggorlng backward, and H
said savagely: H
" Clot out ; that's mine."
" Ah. go-o wan," crlod tho urchin In that pt-
cullnr threatening xvall so characteristic of hie H
kind. "Uo-oxnin: whaty'pushin mefor?" H
"Chase yorself." retorted tho other, prepar- H
ing to mako n luborious doscent to tho desired (
booty. " Don't pimme any of your tak."
"Dafsmy Hnipo." cried tlio boy. "V gotta M
right fleaxo It bo. I soon It first."
"Clmso ycrsolf." reueatod tho sign-bearer K
with a more threatening accent, as his rival
drew nearer, and ho made au illustrative mo- H
tion with a swinging hand. ,... , H
- Look out 1" proxv(f d tho Arab. " Hit me an M
I'll put a rock through yor bond." 9)
Slowly backing away, he stepped up on the H
curb, nnd at that moment tho mnn stooped ana m
sol7ed the clsnr. It wns done nt nn unfortu- H
unto moment for him, for tho end of tho adver- IB
tlsomont camo within reach of tho boy whore
he stood on tho superior height of tho curb. H
and. quick to seo his strategic adx-antage. the M
nrab grasped tho sign by Its very top nnd bore IP
down until he had it on a lovel with his waist m
and tho bearer was forced to his knoes. the JH
lovoragK behig too grent to stand against lie Ism
sworovlciouslyntthoboy.throatoninguvarlety r
of tortures that did as much credit (o his Im- i
agination as thoy did little to his disposition. Va
Hut tho nrnb felt himself now master of tho S
situation and xvas not in the least disturbed. 9
" Dron it." he ordered sharply, indicating tho W
snine. . . . ...... . rri
"Leggo." snarled tho mnn. I'll cut your fig
heart ont when I get you," (M
" hen y' sit mo." sneered tho enemy. But m
y' don't git me, y' Spaniard. Drop that snipe." a
Choking with rage tho captivo struggled to m
rnlt.0 himself, nnd did succeed in lifting the i9
sign a fow Inches. A sudden jerk by tho nrab i5
brought him lower than ho had beon boforo, fU
Itcnehlng around he strove frantically to un- xt
bind tbo bauds that held his burdon In place. 11
but so cramped xxnshls posture that he could Hi
not get atthe fastenings. Ills captor jeered at jff
Ifnb. y' don't," hn said. "Dls is de time I M
got y' done. Boo? Drop It" , , M
Tho man crouched nnd panted. Presontly he ,t
asked In tones that denotodadostro to arrange m
surrender xvith the honors of war: W
What do you xvnnt mo to do?" ' fa
"Dropdat sntpo &n' ehaso yorself away to for VA
dnt y' can't touch me." jig
" Loggo nu' I will." replied the other. M
"Oh. yos; I kin see myself lottln' go. Y' ftj
wouldu' do a t'lng to mo It I lot y' go. would ;M
yer V" fa
" You can't hold mo here all day." said tho :m
mnn. ,S
"Can't I? Jos' wait nn' seo. Some o my o
gang'll bo along pretty quick, an' dny won't do 'H
a t'lng but kick du Htuffln' out o' ycr."
This presented a very unpleasant possibility, Bi
for in tho Ksition in which he was held the BI
sign bearer wns defenceless to nn attack from Hi
flank or rear. Hut ho found a retort. ll
" If n cop comos ho xvon't do a thing to you B.
but plnoh you." B1
Here x-ns n consideration, too. The nrab B
healtated, and as ho did tho mnn with a sudden I
push sent him hackxvard and almost off his B
foot. Hnd he fallen, all xvould hax-o been up II
x ith him. but he managed to keep his footing. u
So heavy was tho impulse, howovor, that ho , ittr,
xvas forced across the walk and against the li
wall of tho building, whoro his too squeezed A
him grlndlngly, crying: n
"Sow I'll smash jou." I",
There wns plenty of fight In tho boy, Recor- 'I.
erlng himself, ho twisted the sign from sldo to . I,1
side, xvrenchlriK tho shoulders of tho beurer II
cruelly nnd compelling hlin to give over his It
crushing tactics, still tho mnu held the nrab f
against tho wall, and now both wero in a sense A
enptix-es. It xas merely a (juostfon of which V
would come first, the gang or the cop, Mean- fj
tlmo the suipo lay In tho gutter where tho man c
had dropped It iu tho furyof his charge and
whore nny passer might pick It up ut nny mo- 2
ment. This struck both of tlio oombatants at f
tho samo time, and as they worn both decidedly 5
wenrj and sick of their respective predicaments
thoy consented to arbitrate. A Wall street man i
who was passing through tho street, and had 9
stopped to witness tho curious contoat, was ;!
called upon to m uko n decision Toflndaground "
of compromise was dllTleult Knch absolutely i
claimed tho Miirmns his, by right of discovery.
Neither was willing to forfeit the right. An
idea occurred to tho arbitrator.
"I'll put a nickel in this pot," ho said. " and
one"
"flimmntho nickel," crlod tlio combatants in
one breath.
So much for that nttempt. Tho referee, con
vinced that ho had the right hb-a, camo down ,
to four cents. Bamn result Three cents, waa
just ns unanimously prewired to tho snipe,
llut nt two routs tho nrnb wnvored. Ho be
lieved tint ho could get that sum from some
panhandler devotee of tho weed, nnd ho desired
tho moral victory of having thn snlpo. The
human sandwich sold he would tako .two
cents In Hon of his rights lu tho mat
ter, but expressed nn earnest wish to kick
his npiMiuent just onco Tho refereo prompt
ly vetoed thnt nnd suggested nrtfeto of
agreement as follows: The man to take two
cents unci lenvo tho field j tho Iwyto Kct the
snlpn nnd retire with nil tho honors of war: thn
combatants to shako hands publicly nnd depart
nn their respeutixo ways in ponco. Aftor a , i
brief discussion (his wns tipreed to: tho sand- r
xvleh left olT wimlwHihig the nrnb. xvho in turn "
loo-eil his hold nn ' Sinlkor's Soleless Hoots"
lloth drew long liroutha of relief, nnd yod each
other XX Itli suspicion. "'"' .
"tome, shake hands." ordered the rofoioe. ' I
They iidvaueeil slowly nnd sliook hands In a '
glncorly inniinnr, the boy holding hohlnd hit
back the snlpo which hail been handed to him
upon his agreeing to tho articles. Then both
backed olr,
ji"iA.,.l"l,u,L'h'T!,,,B.'!,."r,"W.,d the urchin, "y'
didn't git do snlio, iltd yer?" '
"I'll cateh you one of these days, you little,
runt." retorted tho man. " nnd I'll mako a suli I
out of you." ouii.si
They xxnlknd nway In opposite dlreotlons.
leaving tho refereo to ponder whether arbitra
tion Is all that Its supjiortcrs claim for it i
Silver 00 Cents nn Ounce. V
Tlio price of sliver In the local market Tester- (
day xvns tX) cents an ounce for the first time '
slnco Deo. 7 of Inst xoar. This represents
advance of ono cont an ounce In threo aaa. f
It roflocU n strong sllvor mnrkot In Lonaon,
xvhero there has been a suuouzo of somo of the ' I
dealers who nro short, for July dellvory and I
xxly.ro Spain has agn n boon a large T purehaser '
of tho metal, llnr sllxer In London yostordir 'l'
xvas 'J7fsd. an ounce, against l!7.'d. oh Friday
Iclny on thn llronchvay llond.
Traffic xvas delayed for nearly nn hour on the
Droudway cablo road yesterday morning The '
rcnraxlu of n largo doublo truck, owned by . ,
Charles HonWchol of m-1 Flushing avenue
Iirooklyii. broke xxhllo crossing Ilroadway at
Cortliitidt Btr.wt.loax Ing tho wagon on ths
linrtli-boiiniUrack. Tho wrecking wagon wi?
worofefred: U"r "" h0Ur'8 WQrk' Wrack.
Iseuf aiute Killed by a Trolley Car. i
Mlchaol Decarlo. ft years old, who lived with t
h s parents at 1) Hordcu avenue. Long Island . I J I
Pltr.. w? run oxer nnd killed by a trolley oar In I ' I
front of his homo vestoiMsy, 'lib boy waadart I I
Md.durra,l,nQd "4ot hear tl ii TcVrbailTuC I I
iMt a a., tf t BH W