Newspapers / The Waynesville Mountaineer (Waynesville, … / July 21, 1955, edition 1 / Page 17
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THE WAYNESVILLE MOUNTS TNFlF.P I Medford Was 'Master Bear Hunter Of Balsams' V. c: MEDFORD Lstone Branch and on a > of the lower spurs of ain, about five miles Vaynesville, stood the ie of Wld (Israel) Med the Master Bearhunter ams. There's little left I handiwork ? some it he cleared, two or >ple trees and the cold, [ which he fixed up ind from which he tot a wooden bucket and i a gourd. There is of the three-room log ch he built-dog-trot I inter's Paradise somewhat hemmed in ae he could look north westward upon many i of almost unbroken rest?of peak and ridge tnd Wid Medford also ky in the direction that Mew?Old Bald, The nnessee Bald, Caney lins, the Pisgah range, e inviting. It is said ower of nimrod, teller and mountain guide ?nt to stay at home for e. He would help his (there were fourteen it lived to maturity) ing planting and help ition of the crops and off to the mountains hunting on his own for some hunting or Its an abundance of ose days; there were foxes, wild hogs, rac turkeys, and a few d Wid Medford (who w up on the trail") ?ep mountain recesses here they were most found. He knew their I tracks and trails; also i bedded, - when they habits and their likely I being chased or run pgs. i For The Chase rtefly after one big mis tough, mountain I was ready for the leven at an advanced ?eed. he went ready* It most of the time? Kirt, cook-skin cap and m?,Jiis hunting knife I its place on the gun per strap. So ready [we can Imagine when lived and he cast his eyes in the direction [est, Dellwood and Ad THIS PICTURE of VVid Medford is from a painting of him done by Hal Morrison in the '80's at the request of James R. Thomas, Sr. Morrison was a guest at the White Sulphur .Springs Hotel where Medford often acted as guide for the tourists. The painting is now in possession of William Medford. Tate mountains, or eastward to ward towering Likckstone, the urge was irresistable. Because these deep and distant solitudes had but one meaning, one voice for Wid Medford; in the language, to a hunter born, they were always whispering, "Come! Come!" It was the voice of his enchantress, his love?and to whom his heart is turned one must go. In The Ll*ht of the Campflre On the hunt, or acting as guide to sightseeing and tourist parties, this old mountaineer was equally "at home"; for, after all, was he not living the glorified life of the hunter, entertainer and guide? By the light of the campflre, on these hunting trips, after that sup per was over with, Medford's rem iniscences of the hunt, dramatical ly, uniquely and often humorous ly told, would continue way into the night. They would go on as long as he had listeners (Wid liked to be the center of attraction) or until some wearied member of the party might say, "Wid, that's enough for tonight?for goodness sake let's get some sleep!" As a teller of hunting tales he had few equals; and whenever he got well into the telling of them he would brook few interruptions and no contradictions whatsoever. For had he not hunted "further and wider", also longer than any of them? Sitting cross-legged before the fire?cap thrown on the ground, and broiling a piece of fat pork over the hot coals, Wid Medford was as happy as he cared to be. Here he would tell of encounters I with the "varmints" of Plott Bal sam, Old Bald, Cold Motm&in. the Plsgah range or elsewhere. And, although these tales sometimes seemed, figuratively, as tall as these peaks, Wid would get mad if the veracity of them was at any time questioned. With his knowledge of the woods and wild animals, together with a ready, r.alve wit and good mimicry, Med ford. although he had no "book larnin,," was an Interesting talker. "I have gone through la'rl thick ets whar I had to crawl," said he; "I've clum the Chimbleys (Chim neys). sometimes I've cut my way and brouged it through Hell's Half Acre, and cooned it over cricks." " 'Cooned it'?what do you mean by 'cooned it," Wid?" asked some one. "Why, jist like this, down on yore hands and feet ? Jist like you'de do, ef you made it across on a log." "And, men, I've slid down the Shainies! Now do you think you'de hunt whar you'de have to slide? "I have hunted B'ars from Dark Ridge to the head-waters of French Broad?an' fit 'em too. Yis, sir, I say fit 'em. "Now you see ? what I don't know about these hyer mount'lns haint no profit to man or devil. "Yes, an' I've been with Guyot and Clingman over ev'er peak from hyer to the South Ca'liner an' Georgy . line?through a thousan' la'rl thickets an' brier-patches, yes sir-ee!" Medford's Narrow Escape The hunt which he liked best to tell about was the one the time he had to drop his rifle and use his hunting knife on the "b'ar." It seems that the shot from Med ford's long-barreled flint-rock rifle failed to stop the on-coming bear. "He's a thick-skulled varmint, thinks I," said Wid. "On he come ?didn't pay no more 'tention to me than if I'de been a stump. So I drapt my gun and pulled my knife. I drawed back a step, an' as he brashed by me I lent over him, grabin' the b'ar on his neck with my lef hand?as 1 staubed the b'ar deep in the side with my knife in t'other hand. That's all I knowed fer a long time," he con cluded. "Did you faint, Wid?" someone asked. "Faint!" sneered the old hunter. "You reckon I'de faint? Women faint. I reckon I was jist knocked out fer a while. You 9ee, all the blood in me jumped over my heart an' Into my head, an' o' course, hit finished me fer a time." But Wid Medford had finished the "b'ar." Wid died about 1898 or '99. He was buried on Allen's Creek. And, as Stevenson says: "Here lies the hunter, home from the hills." When the bicycle craze ended abruptly early in this century, some of the manufacturers turned to experimenting with the auto mobile. NELSON AND NF.AL, the famous two-piano team, will give a concert here Friday night for the btnefit of the Library. This is the second of the group of civic concerts. Mess Helps Church WORCHESTER, Mass. (API ? Perhaps one way to increase at tendance at church is to tear up the streets around the church, says Rev. Ofccar B. Anderson of Wor chester's Belmont St. Baptist church. Railway underpass construction began beside his church, causing the street to be closed and dug up. making the area a dusty mess and parking miserable, he says. But attendance went up?10 to 15 per cent in the church, church school and midweek service. A typical American family spends 15 per cent of its food budget for milk and milk products which provide 30 per cent of the family's nutritional needs. i Bring Your Own Cushion There will Ik- 500 chairs avail able at the twilight concert sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce Friday night. But more than 500 music lov ers are expected for this top quality two-piano program by the famed Nelson and Neal team. A special area will be reserved "down front" where young peo ple will have the privilege of sitting very near the stage. It is suggested that they bring their own pillows or blankets for sitting on the lawn. Program begins at 8 o'clock. U. S. production of coal in 1954 averaged 212 tons for every per son in the country. Famous Piano Team Will Give Concert Friday At 8 P.M. For Library Fund Nelson and Neal, the Australian- | American two-piano team, who will be heard here Friday night at 8 o'clock on the lawn of the old Fer- S guson home, are one of the most popular concert attractions ever to tour the United States. Although still in their twenties Mr. and Mrs. Neal have probably fulfiled more concert engagements during the past few seasons than any other two-piano team. The de- j mand for Nelson and Neal contin- \ ues unabated from year to year, since a great many of their per- ? formances are return engagements either for the second or third sea- i son in a row. I During 1952-1953, the young couple made over 107 appearances in recitals and as soloists with or chestras. Their program in Waynesville will consist of numbers by Bach. Schubert. Brahms, Copland, and a group of waltzes by Johann Strauss. A nn.?kin?li,w i 1 n wiiiuiuauuu ui idle IIIUMtdi genius, youth and charm" is the description given these artists by the Progressive Times of Australia. Metropolitan daily papers and small-town weeklies all over the country have been echoing this phrase for many seasons. Nelson and Neal have made a real home on the road out of their "chariot" as they call their 32-foot mobile unit, although it looks more like a two-car choo-ehoo train. The front unit is a small van equip ped with living quarters, includ ing a sofa bed, a compact kitchen, bath, room for their baby and storage facilities for their ward robe. The back vehicle is a custom trailer carrying two specially matched concert grand pianos, which were presented to the couple by the Baldwin Company in recognition of their outstand ing professional achievements. Part of the young couple's con tract calls for the sponsoring or ganization to provide "ten husky men" to help unload the pianos. Waynesville's Rotary Club has been asked to take on this task ^ and has agreed to do so. Nelson and Neal's appearance here is being presented by the Cul former Rep. Monroe M. Red den said he is considering a bid for the V. S. Senate nest year but has reached no definite de cision. Redden has been considered a possible candidate to oppose Sen. Sam Krvln, Jr. (D-NC), in the May 1956 Democratic primary. Reports in state political circles indicated Redden may have labor support. A former state Democratic chairman from 1942-44, Redden served three terms in Congress from the 12th District. He did not seek re-election in 1952. When a four-lane highway Is built through a rural area, every mile of road requires the equn a lent of 40 acre* of farm land. tural Improvement Committee, which was set up by the Chamber of Commerce several months ago. Tickets for the performance, which will be held at the old Fer guson home on the corner of Boyd and Haywood Avenues, may be purchased for one dollar at the Chamber of Commerce office. In the event of rain the perform ance will be moved to the auditor- " ium of the new Central Element ary School building lust a short -walk away. a 8 BIG DAYS! JULY 22-30 H, ** K& DON'T MISS THESE HUGE SAVINGS! BUY NOW! IIS CLEARANCE SALE WE ARE "// NG FASHION'S FAVORITE COL- k L. Z^:?i|pi?p^-' D STYLES IN BOYS' AND MEN'S ^ ort Sleeve 1%;^ : M IT SHIRTS $ 1.00 ?iBllllBl >111 pW|:;;jW::;:i=; mfW ^ " '='::: p.sr $i*29 SHIRTS kl81~'? Reg. $2.98 SJ.98 ! DRT SHIRTS Reg. $3.98 $2-98 Beautiful Colors ? Newest Fabrics! I SEE OUR WINNING SELECTION OF MEN'S ALL SUMMER A. Wf ^ Reg. $5.95 $0.95 ?AkW Ivd Reg. $8.95 $5.95 MEN'S SUMMER i THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE ? - ^ MANY BARGAINS THAT ARE AJ E WAITING FOR YOU DURING THIS BIG CLEARANCE SALE AT TURNER'S. ,5 *595 Never Buy Before || *+ You Try IURNER'S STORE Waynesville sxu.rs saujk "Out of college a week and now he's telling the Old Man how to run his business!" THIS WEEK'S BEST SELLERS FICTION Something of Value, Robert Ruark. Bonjour Tristesse, Francois* Sagan. No Time For Sergeants, Mac Hyman. Sincerely, Willis Wayde, John P Marquand. The Good Shepherd, C. S. For ester. NONFICTTON Gift From the Sea, Anne Mor row Lindbergh. The Power of Positive Think ing, Norman Vincent Peale. A Man Called Peter, Catherine Marshall. Why Johnny Cant Read, Rudolf Flesch. How to Live 365 days I Year, John A. Schindler. THE BOOK STORE Dial GL 6-3691 Mala St STOVALL'S 5 -10 - 25' STORES HOME-OWNED Summer ^ Q big O DAYS! lJJ^u July 22-30 I HARGAINS IN EVERY ALL SUMMER CAPS and STRAW HATS y3 OFF ALL SUMMER DRESSES Reg. $1.98 & $2.98 $|55 LADIES' OKEFENOKEE MOCCASINS Water-Proof ? Soft & Light Assorted Colors ? Sizes 5-9 $|00 NYLON - COTTON POLO SPORT SHIRTS FOR ROYS AND GIRLS Values to $1.00 79c o 2 - $150 BOYS' and GIRLS' SHORTS Reg. 59c 2 $100 ONE GROUP LADIES' BLOUSES Assorted Styles & Colors REAL VALUES 77' GIRLS' MATCHED PLAY SUITS SHORTS AND SHIRT Reg. $1.98 $145 CHILDREN'S ANKLETS FANCY TOPS Sizes 3 ? 8'/i 6 $|?? DAVY CROCKETT MOCCASINS Assorted Colors For Boys and Girls $|00 STOVALL'S 5-10-25' STORES OWNERS ? RAYMON STOVALL & A. 1). HARRISON, JR. "It's The Little Things That Count" MAIN STREET A. I). HAR RISON, MGR. WAYNESVILLE
The Waynesville Mountaineer (Waynesville, N.C.)
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July 21, 1955, edition 1
17
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