It happened in Carmichaels, in the early winter of 1912, although the actual date has been lost to history. A group of men and their mounts came down from Pittsburgh to have a fox hunting meet-up with many of the local old timers from Cumberland Township. Hunting for necessity and sport had long been a tradition in rural Greene County and the sophisticated Pittsburgh folks were in for a surprise.
The morning of the hunt, wealthy gentlemen paraded around the town square in Carmichaels in regalia befitting the nobility of the English countryside and were greeted with the gaze of awe from the residents. Soon thereafter, an aged and rugged Greene County gentleman by the name of James Flenniken, called by many “Daddy”, arrived in drab clothing and with an insignificant grace in attire, but his lack of grace was reduced by a great sense of class and humble confidence.
Now, the men with their mounts and hounds were all assembled, the rules of the hunt had been defined, and it was time to head to the hunting fields. Immediately a wily old fox was stirred from his gaunt refuge, making way for a chase across the hills and valleys of the countryside. The scene could have come right out of an 18th century novel. “Daddy” Flenniken stayed to the rear, giving preference to the Pittsburgh noblemen.
The hounds carried on with the chase. Many hours were passed crisscrossing the glens and dales, and the riders scattered across the countryside. This was when Daddy chose his time to shine. Decades of partnership with his equally aged and rugged mount gave our hero an edge that no wealthy man from Pittsburgh could possess.
Daddy and his mount moved out to the front of the group, leading the pack with a glorious stride and good cheer, with the same grace and decorum exhibited by Henry V at the Victory of Agincourt. The fox chase was over, and the game had been won! In crystal clear hearing of the hounds, “Daddy” and mount locked down the fox and went in for the kill. One of the Pittsburgh hunters was recorded saying after the hunt that, “All was going well until an old man on an old plug stole the show.”
This old hunting story was related to Samuel Flenniken and is recorded in archives at the Greene County Historical Society, though few accounts remain of such adventures these were once the staple of our culture in times long sense past.
