Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1902 — FLORIDA LETTER. [ARTICLE]

FLORIDA LETTER.

Thelma, Fla., Meh. 23. Editor Democrat:—We have been another week in the Woodyard, “far away from the haunts of men” (or women) and have had no chance to mail a letter Last Monday afternoon we left Thelma and drove about six miles along the edge of the Devil’s Wood-yard, part of the way then turned off the road and followed a cow trail through the flat woods and swamps about two miles, then came to the swamp of Fish Creek where there had one time in the memory of man been a ford, but was full of logs and cypress knees and stumps and all sorts of obstructions. Myers took the ax jand cut a road through and just at dark we got across and into the choice turkey ground of the country. So we camped down by the creek and in the morning both got up at 4:30 and set out to wait for the turkeys to gobble and try to kill one, Myers going one way and Mrs. Myers another through the high grass, palmettos, gall-berry bushes, etc., wet with dew and a white frost. And the turkeys gobbled for sure. Mrs. M. was a little slow (as usual) in getting to her place and it got too light before she got near enough to a big gobbler for a shotgun to reach, but she had the satisfaction of seeing him on the branch of a big cypress and saw him walk up and down the limb and strut and gobble, and though she had a turkey call of the latest improved method, he would not be decoyed down off his roost in her direction but went out the other way. Well, we putin the week until Friday, going in the evenings to roost them and staying until way after dark, walking back to camp from three quarters to two miles through the wild woods alone; out every morning at 4:30 and away through wet grass and frost before daybreak, and, sad to relate, we never KILLED A TURKEY. Friday morning it rained and we got out of horse feed and at noon drove out to the edge of the Woodvard to Dannie Monroe’s and there we are still, tired and footsore but still hopeful. This morning Dannie got up at four and rode 1 out about two miles from home and just at daylight we heard his gun and he soon came in with a big fine gobbler, the fifth one he has killed' this spring. So we are roasting turkey and baking light bread for dinner.

When we got here Friday eve an old colored lady from the “Quarters” had brought Mrs. Monroe some things to make a wedding cake for last night. Her daughter Lena, 13 years old, was to be married last evening and so Mrs. Monroe and Mrs. Myers made a big wedding cake and covered it with icing and had great sport making a “nigger wedding cake,” and about sundown two colored boys from the Quarters came for it and trudged off home with it, three miles away and I ’spose they had a glorious wedding. It would have been a “’howling success” if the “moonshine” had been as plentiful as it was a month ago, but since the raid on the stills the Quarters hatfe been very quiet Saturdays. There have been heavy rains here in the last two weeks and through the first part of the week was quite cold and frosty nights. It is nice and warm now and we heard the first aligator grunt this morning. The coming week we have not planned anj’ campaign as yet, only Mrs. M. has to make a couple of wrappers for Mrs. Monroe who has a crippled hand and cannot sew at present. Mr. M. will TRY TO KILL A TURKEY. Our pup run two fine deer just out of gun-shot of him last week. As soon as the moon is past the full enough to make dark evenings, Mr. M. and Dannie are going fire hunting for deer. Mrs. Monroe has a tame deer w’ith a bell on that runs out, and last week one night three wild deer came in sight of the house with her and staid buck while she came in for her supper. They stay around here all the time close to the tame one, and they expect to get a shot at them by fire light Let us hope and pray.

MYERS & MYERS.