The Turnbo Manuscripts
by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925
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SOME INCIDENTS OF HUNTING
By S. C. Turnbo
A pioneer citizen of southern Missouri who lives near Dit post office
in Taney County gives the writer a few incidents of hunting which is worthy
of mention. The old timer referred to is Jesse J. Rhodes who said that he
was born in Decalb County, Tenn., June 4, 1838. His father, John Rhodes
moved from Tennessee to Adair County, Kentucky, when Jesse was only 6 months
old. In 1856 he went to Pulaski County, Mo., where he afterward lived on
Bear Creek 8 miles south of Waynesville and one mile from the Gasconade
River. "One day when I was large enough to go hunting I went with Cornelious
Moseby and my two twin brothers, John and Jim Rhodes, who were boys. Moseby
shot a deer which fell and while the animal was struggling Mr. Moseby told
John to catch and hold it and the boy took hold of it and the deer got up
and ran with John 15 yards down hill before Moseby could overtake the boy
and deer and cut the deer’s throat. John was determined to hold to
the wounded deer and did.
I well remember that on another occasion when I was just big enough to carry a gun I went out on a deer hunt with Mose Johnson, Isaac Riddle, Jess Golaski and Bill Smith. We had a lot of dogs with us and we all separated and stationed ourselves wide apart and waited until the dogs started on the chase of a deer. My stand was on a bluff on the north side of the Gasconade River. It was not long before the dogs run the deer close by me which proved to be a fine buck with an enormous set of horns. As the deer come running toward me I layed my gun down and darted up a tree but the moment it was gone I slid down the tree and picked up my gun and shot the same as if I had shot at the deer. Several years after this I and Martin Williams was employed by Bill Smith who lived on the Gasconade River to make rails for him and after we had finished our job as promised we started home with our axes, and when we had got one mile from the river and was 3 miles from home, we found a bee tree and we cut it down and I went from the tree several yards and pulled off my shirt and spread it on the ground and Williams took out 3 gallons of rich honeycomb and put it on my shirt and I carried it home. I dared not go up close to the bees. I recollect we passed a widow lady’s house named Mrs. Reeves and we gave her daughter, Miss Leomi, a lot of the honey."
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