The Turnbo Manuscripts
by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925
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AMONG THE COONS
By S. C. Turnbo
Some of the interesting stories of catching coons is as follows:
The Jones boys—Fate and Frank, sons of John Jones—told about
catching 13 coons one morning before breakfast while they lived on the old
Mat Hoodenpile farm below Bradleys Ferry on White River. This farm is as
well known is in Marion County, Ark. The most of these coons were caught
by the dogs in the cornfield and the remainder we caught along the sloo
between the river and field. This was done in war times.
Jake Hetherly said that while they lived in Douglas County, Mo., he and
his father and Jake’s brother, Jack, went out one day during the deep
snow in the early part of 1856 and caught 12 coons before sundown. They
were not accompanied by a dog but tracked the coons in the snow to where
the animals had climbed trees and went into the hollow limbs or cavities
in the stem of the trees for shelter, and they would chop the trees down
and capture the coons before they could make their escape from their place
of refuge from the cold weather. Mr. Hetherly said that he was only seven
years old but "enjoyed himself well that bitter cold day while catching
the coons."
The best coon story I ever heard as regards the number of coons caught in one day was told me by William M. (Mort) Ingram who was born in Scott County, Virginia, January 20, 1817, and came to Taney County, Mo., in 1860 and lived near the Five Oak bald hill on the head of Big Buck Creek in the southeast part of the county. Mr. Ingram said that one day in 1871 while he was hunting in the hills on the east side of Shoal Creek he located a lot of coons in hollow trees. "I went home now and brought my ax and dog and hunted for coons instead of deer and caught 14 that day. Also John Ingram, a grown son of mine, in company with John I. Smith killed 11 coons the same day, and Jim Henderson, son of "Chris" Henderson in company with another man whose name I have forgotten killed 9--all the same day, making a total of 34 coons slain the same day. Of course, the weather was cold with plenty of snow on the ground or none of us would have been so lucky at capturing so many of them in one day," said Mr. Ingram.
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