The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-05-06
THE LAST Of NOBLE HERD.
Killing Of Monster Moose which has
ROamed the Country for over
Twenty Years.
From the Portage Lake Mining Gazette.


In the yeaf 1847, there was famous
herd of moose living in the woods around
the head of LAnse Bay, which, even
then, were noted for their great size, beau
ty and exceeding feetness of feet. This
latter fact was well known and attested
by many ambitious hunters who sought
to add a moose to the list of their tro-
phies. How many days and nights, and
how many scores Of miles were tramped
through the woods, all in vain, it is useless
to recount. But finally the day of tri-
umph and slaughter came the unfort,i-
nate herd were entrapped and all killed
except one old leader stag, who broke
away and by dint of great strength and
endurance eluded his pursuers For a
year or two nothing was seen or heard of
him, but finally there came rumors of a
gigantic moose roaming in the woods
around the head of Torch Lake. Once
or twice year, for several years, some
Indian or adventurous hunter would meet
him, but the old fellow would be crash
ing through the bushes away out of sight
before the hunter would recover from his
surprise. Once a determined party
hunted for him three days from the head
Of Torch L axe, which appears to have
been his favorite stamping ground, west
ward toward Lake Superior, then
back again and off to the eastward, until
they finally gave up the chase Another
time he came out in Beesley's clearing
On Torch Lake, but he quickly disap-
peared upon seeming human being.
This winter some Indian appeared deter
mined to catch him, and finding his track
gave him several lively chases, but until
a week ago he always escaped. Then
halfbreed, Peter Marksman got after him
and there being thick crust on the snow
the man could move about easily, while
the sharp hoofS of the veteran moose
broke through at every leap. Peter f.
nally overlook him, several miles north
west of the Calumet mine, and quickly
closed his career with rife bali. He
skinned him. cut up the flesh, brought it
to town, and found a ready sale for most
of it at fifty cents pound, realizing over
three hundred dollars. The head was cut
off and brought in, and has been exhibit
ed to most of our people at Peter Belle
humer's, during the past few days. It
now belongs to Harry Beesley, G. E.,
who will prepare it for preservation in
the rooms of the Historical Society The
head alone gives token that the entire
animal must have been of such mons
trous size as to recall the days of the ich-
thyaosaurus, megatherium, ptyradactyl,
etc., when monsters occupied both the
land and the water Beside this head
those of an OK or horse looks small and
insignificant. 1t measured thirty three
inches from the tip of the nose to the
clown of the head between the antlers
The nose is of decided Roman style,
and measured twenty eight inches around.
The nostrils, distended. each measured
four inches in diameter, and a large hand
could be pushed up into them over foot!
The front of the under jaw has eight
large cutting teeth, which bite against
tough. mi-horny pad in the upper jaw,
which has no cutting teeth. At the time
he was killed. he was busy stripping the
bark from small, soft sappling. The
head. cut off entirely from the neck, and
minus the tongue. weighs seventy-eight
pounds. 1t is great pity the entirealii-
NAL could not have been preserved. I'm
fortunately it was killed at the seasonsof
the year when the head is shorn of its
greatest beauty-the enormous branching
antlers. The new one just rising out of
the head, still encased in the skin, only
making protoberances of four or FIVE In
ches.