The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1868-01-07

inemoraiae aHair io which i directly
apd ain s. Immediately lead. The grea
Wool Hpat oa Ir. HE. ID thc win
teg IL is0s
+ up s. ihat time il was not known
wilh ans oaYtaiaiy that there ser,
wolves in this eesiou 81 tho country =
/ seserrl settlers il tie vicinity Of ia,
extensive mountain forest called Irisl
Han had losi sheep, bat whether they
wera Killed ly bears, catanounts ol
wolves, was 5 alaitef u conjecture Bul
the boy story 81 bis terrible advcntur,
as ADORE described, which spread rap
! Idly among tie nearest settlements, and
Which was implicitly believed al once, ,es
tatliahea th fact3n Tho minds ofAll that
the4t nas really Wang Of wolves in the
len. Nh~ - eat anWbsr fifteen oi
sSeflty ,Mlo y frish HIAwas prOhabl,
their chef randezyons, And the settlers
t0whon tie news came. one and ALL ca.
gcrly expressed thier wish 10 JOIN in i
I hunt for the determination Of these dc.
strnetlys animals A rally Of the set
tiers was accordingly made on the fol-
loving Tuesday; but not extensive
enough 10 form a ring around any large
/ portion oi the forest where the wolves
we're supposed TO be lurking. Having
assembled at Berlin meeting house,
they however marched into the woods,
and shot two wolves and the postponed
further operations till the following
Saturday, when grand hunt was pro-
posed, ia which all the settlers from the
adjoining towns within twenty miles
were to be invited to participate, what
they had done being considered merely
as reconnisauce
All this was done, and early Satur-
day morning. the well armed settlers
having ambltiously responded to the
call they had received, gathered at the
house OF Esquire Abel Knapp, the Town
Clerk, living very near what was then
termed Berlin Centre Meeting House.
The assembled forces, numbered four
or five hundred, then formed them.
selves into two equal divisions, and
chose leaders or captains for each with
a general officer to remain at the start
ing point, and give out the orders or
signal cries to be passed round the ring
proposed to be formed The two can
tains then led off their respective diyls
ions, one TO the south along the bor-
ders Of the woods, and the other to the
north, each leaving man every fifty
or sixty rods to keep his staion till or
dered to march inward when the ring
was completed. After waiting nearly
an hour, to give time for the two diyis-
ions to station their men so as to form
an extended ring round the forest pro-
posed 10 be iuclosed, the word was
gwen out by the general officer "Pre-
pare TO march /" This was uttered in
loud cry,at the starting point, and re-
peated by the next man at the South
and so on, if the ring had been perfect
ed by every man round the whole ring.
As had been expected the sound Of
this watchword gradually grew fainter
and fainter III the distance, aud then
ceased to be heard at all Then follow
a moment oi anxious waiting with those
at the starting point, for if the watch
word was not soon approaching from
the West it would show the ring not
perfected and all success in enclosing
thepeputed wolves hopeless affair.
Butthey had not long to wait. In a
moment more faint sound was heard
on the West side of the ring, and al
most instantly the next watchword
"march" rang through the forest and
each man as he repeated it advanced |
rapidly INTO the interior of the ring,
a quarter Of mile, as near as he could
Judge, and then commenced the "halt /
as agreed ut the outset. This word. 1
too, was at once sent onward and re-
turned like the others, when another
to march was uttered, and I
all again advanced towards the sup /
posed centre of the ring. And thus
rapidly succeeded the watchwords
march and halt, till the ring was SO
nearly closed that it sas seen and an
ounced that there were several wolves
IN the same, which ran galloping round
the centre, as If looking for a chance to-
escape through the ring, now become q
hne Of men. But the fright
tened animals could find no outlets. and
were shot down with every trial to es-
cape. Two wolves and a fox or two
we're killed in this way, but By this
.lme bullets flew so tBickly across the
rng that If was seen that some
change OF plan must be had, else as
many men as wolves might be killed
by common consent at tins crisis tie
ate Thomas DAVIS, a well known
and man Of steady nerve.
vas requested to 20 inside the ring ana
shoot the wolves. This lac did. and ac-
,ompilsbed all that was expected Of
nm. He shot five wolves, aud endan-
sered no man. The whole number OF
ne victims OF the hunt was then found /
Q be seven wolves aud ten foxes. The
company then took off the scalps Of the
wolves and took up their line OF march
or the house Of the town clerk. where
'ounues Tor the slain wolves were 10
'e allowed, aud ~ the ayails some dis
position made. Ii was announced that ,
money 10 the value adequate had been
'dfaneed sufficient to pay for sup
'er Tor the whole company These ar
iihsemenis we're soon effected, aud I
'hi'e the supper was being cooked, a
.eg oi rum was opened and distributed
'hich beng taken ia her exhausted ,