Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1912 edition. Excerpt: ... the ball squarely between the panther's eyes and it dropped dead upon the body of the dog it had slain. No doubt my readers will recognize this story. Where have you seen it? In Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales. This incident in the life of Foster, it appears, the famous novelist has woven in the fabric of his thrilling adventures of Leatherstocking. But I believe this is the only incident in Foster's life that can be discovered in Cooper's works. In a foot note in the book "The Deerslayer," this incident is credited to Otsego county. But Foster's family say that it occurred in Herkimer county, and near Salisbury. Simms in his book calls Foster "the modern Leatherstocking." He seems ignorant of the fact that in a sense he was the Leatherstocking of Cooper. And indeed, I have every reason to believe that Foster was the identical character used by Cooper in his "Leatherstocking Tales." One of his descendants made this assertion to me, which I was at first inclined to discredit. But frbm the similarity of the two characters, I uninentionally obtained in gathering the facts of Foster's life, I became convinced that Nat Foster is Cooper's "Natty Bumppo." I am not alone in this opinion. The late Judge Hurlbut, who defended Foster at his trial for killing the Indian at Old Forge, and who had known Foster for years, was of this opinion. His son, Gansevort de W. Hurlbut of Albany, N. Y., is also of the same opinion, based upon statements of his father, and his own comparison of the two characters. In a letter to me bearing on this subject, Mr. Hurlbut says: "James Fennimore Cooper having known Foster in his lifetime (at an early age) it seems not improbable that he took Foster as the original of his famous scout and trapper, commonly called...
