ABRAHAM MOON

Abraham was a  blacksmith and farmer.  While mining coal for the shop a large rock fell  and broke his leg, mounting his horse, he rode home a doctor was called,  but it became necessary to amputate his injured limb.  For the remainder  of his life Abraham walked with a "peg" leg.

Even after Abraham Moon lost one of his legs he continued to hunt. He sometimes hunted bears armed only with his homemade, two-pronged pitchfork and barlow knife, assisted by his two faithful dogs. The dogs were trained to seize the bear by his jaws, one on each side. The bear they were following climbed a tree. Abraham Moon managed to climb up after the animal and give it a jab with his ready fork: the wounded and desperate bear fell to the ground, but was caught and held by the dogs until the hunter climbed down and killed it with his knife.

Abraham was once hunting some distance from home, riding his horse. The dogs caught or treed two large cub bears, which were killed. Satisfied with his day's work and dreading to fight with the enraged mother bear ,the hunter hastily tied the hind legs of the cubs together and slung them over the horse's back, making them fast to the saddle; he then mounted his horse and rode away but had gone far when horse and rider passed under a tree on which several wild turkeys were roosting. The noise made by the frightened turkeys scared the horse and Abraham was thrown, catching his peg leg in the bridle rein as he fell; the horse dragged his master until the bridle broke and came off the animal's head. Much bruised, Abraham followed his horse, but the creature would not allow his master to come close to him; so the poor hunter hobbled home but the bear meat was saved.

The country about  Chisholm's mill in Ryan's Glade, was, in the early days, a favorite  resort for wild animals.  On one occasion Abraham Moon, when hunting  there stopped at the mill and was told that a heifer had been killed the  night before in the neighborhood by a panther.  Abraham and his dogs  traced the marauder up Mile Run to a tree which had fallen against  another tree.  When the dogs came close to the inclined tree the panther  sprang at them; they jumped aside, then closed with the big cat, seizing  its jaws or cheeks, and so holding it until Abraham killed it with his  knife.

Abraham Moon's voice was strong and clear.  It is said  that he could call his dogs when they were two miles away, and that they  would hear and obey his call.

The pioneer Abraham and his wife  were buried in the farm graveyard, which was the family burying ground  until the death of the wife of Benjamin Moon, when a better location for a  cemetery was selected on Benjamin's farm.  The old graves are unmarked.