Jessie Hughes and the Turkey 

Taken in Part from

Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia

By Lucullus Virgil McWhorter

The following characteristic anecdote goes far to illustrate the great discernment and instantaneous arrangement of plans of this shrewd and skillful Virginia hunter."   It is a general belief that the Indian is exceedingly cunning; unrivalled in the peculiar knowledge of the woods, and capable, by the extraordinary imitative faculties which he possesses, to deceive either man, beast or fowl.  This is true to a certain extent; but still, with all his natural sagacity and quick perception of a native woodman, the Indian warrior  falls short of the acquired knowledge of a well trained hunter, as the following case serves to illustrate. Jesse Hughes was more than a match at any time for the most wary savage in the forest. In his ability to anticipate all their artifices, he had but few equals, and fewer still, superiors. But, to the incident.  " At a time of great danger from the incursions of the Indians, when the citizens of the neighborhood were in a fort at Clarksburg, Hughes one morning, observed a lad very intently fixing his gun. "Jim", said he, "what are you doing that for?"  "'I am going to shoot a turkey that I hear gobbling on the hillside," said Jim. "I hear no turkey,'' said the other. "Listen," said Jim: "there, didn't you hear it? Listen again."  "Well," says Hughes, after hearing it repeated, "I'll  go and kill it." "'No you won't, said the boy,"  "it is my turkey; I heard it first."  "Well," said Hughes, "but you know I am the best shot. I'll go and kill it, and give you the turkey ."  The lad demurred but at length agreed. Hughes went out of the fort on the side that was
farthest from the supposed turkey, and passing along the river, went up a ravine and cautiously creeping through the bushes behind the spot, came in whence the cries issued, and, as he expected, espied a large Indian sitting on a chestnut stump, surrounded by sprouts, gobbling, and watching if any one would come from the fort to kill the turkey. Hughes shot him before the Indian knew of his approach, took off the scalp, and went into the fort, where Jim was waiting for his prize. "There now," says Jim, "you have let the turkey go. I would have killed it if I had gone." "'No," says Hughes, "I didn't let it go;" and, taking out the scalp, threw it down. "There take your turkey, Jim, I don't want it."  The lad was overcome, and nearly fainted to think of the certain death he had escaped, purely by the keen perception and good management of Jesse Hughes.

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