Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-11-29
How we Caught the wolverine.

How we Caught the Wolverine.
About half mile to the westward Of my
old home in Oxford county there was rocky
precipco they used to call the fall off," It
fell off at the end Of the ridge, upon which
the half dozen farms which made up our rustic
neighborhood were situated.
Going out through the pastures, you come
suddenly upon the very brink Of it, and look
down a hundred and fifty feet into a wild,
inky looking sheet Of water, called Winonas
Pond" For Winona, pretty Indian girl,
jumped over here into the pond lat least that,
what they say, years ago.
Some say it was because her lover had de-
serted her for another pretty squaw. Aud
another story is, that he had been taken pris-
oner and burned to death by band of Mo.
hawks, who sometimes used to come down the
kennebeck and Penobscot in their war canoes
Whichever is true, the poor maiden must have
been in a desperate state of mind for a bare
glance over it into the waters beneath i.
enough to make ones " hair staud.n
Down some fifty feet from the top there is
narrow creyice, or rather shelf, running
along the side, only a foot or two in width
but always damp and messy from the trickliug
waters Ana here pine tree tall, slender
trunk, almost rubbing against the rocks, has
grown up the green boughs OF ITS top Just
visible as you come out through the pasture
toward spe .,. prlnk OF 'ne crag'
pIauula'ner i-ril was 'ne IasI one on inc
rluge' Tue @ one nearest nearest ,ne ., ia'i,ohi ana the
SnGeP-pas.ure EXTENDED out 10 H.
~ was III harvesting time LAST oil sep
'enioer' l hau gone Gown 70 Salt the sneep
Que e "lorn,ng' e ur@nuia'ner naa small mock
., Sou'uuo"ns' oreeu iately imported
o' ", wnlcn ne was very proud
lney were great pe's' very tame ana al
ways unue! loo'' as granoiather USED 10
say Du' 'uis m'o'nipg ,p 'ney ialleu 10 appear
~ N"s"o' " oah' inlIN'ng tnoy nau per-
nap Junlpou vac ien,e' l Aep' on' GAZING as
l went uo"n toward tne lower side OF the
pasture Nnsn' on coming near the euge OF
'"e M, rag sau s'gut n1' my eyes
ino.e s. lIy sng "uo,e nocN' huuu'eu 'oge'her,
a. nrsl @ 1aa 'nougn' tney were asleep ana
"a "a" 'owaiu 'nen' 10 scare 'ueu up Du'
suey ueu a uo' sur anu soon sa" Una, 'ne'r
"n''e neeoes were ur"oo,eu win p'oou MOI
on, .O,n ~ P'eeeSi no' naug.eu out eacn haa
srea1 sHPius oi'e ~ Tue nocN' "here the me-
O'ooV TI. nav G1eu g1olI sugeeu ou''
W. na' ,o.; UoGu,en'rs:y s:, peas nau ooue tn's
.o,,,I DsS L,. 9o'ls.'in'S NJ. saeIp put no dog
Felt snre Wolves nerbans onS .or ho y
N the bopsa with tho sad t;d;nas C.aaJ
father could scarcclv believe nv .,ory e anJ
~ ''Ni - "hN
Mains 10 nrocuro ,bcm that IL was No.,
disanpoiptment ~ '''''
10 no - be said c,y;oo sorror,G,i ,ii,. u.o,
his dead ovorites /. Not 4olrss, worI o, ,Po,
tear and mancle
DPerbans Il was = bearn said Ind M
wards nbe Edwardsos owned tho Earn, ahora'
who had rnn 10 the na.ture with n" - '''''
" Not n hear either heor sonldn,,
have killed more than one or two ot Tina
and Won wonld have soon Tho nal, 49,, "a
and rolled IN as nicely os \ butcher conIJ
have done il II was soma crea,nro of ,hs
cat kind II ought 10 bo destroyod or Il ,&s;I, &
kill all the sheen in the neigbboybooJ -
might leave one of the deod sheen hore
over night and we'll come hero and wa,or
for him. aid ind
" Yes We can do that - soid ,rordc,,hor
81 have no donbt tho crea,,ro ,,;I1 ha haal. -.
soon as il is dark Load vonr auns an, :,
n GOOD orist of bcavv sbot and r. hd 5o..
coma beck do,,, e,;f Lu L.
:. c.1,,, ''''
..,,,sI ' Soon - y was lairiy uorA, 1uu ana
sA',,oI ou', WIN our oiu "nlht,lock guns
- er1I seu' aIu , 'ns uo"n oeninu ah oi'
,og seven OF eignt rods from the dead sheep
oosan our ''ghs'
Au nout passeu' II nad grown dark
po"h uy inc GIN We coulu distinguish The
"nlIe neece' ana we kept our eyes on 1t.
isn ,here somelhing there whispered
'ua' at leng'h. LOOK sharp y
a uarK opJeet seemed occasionally to come
between US and the white wool and by-and
by we heard sort of craunching noise, as i
bones were oeing gnawed.
Hes there muttered Jud. Lets fire.
Taking as good aim as we could over the
log, we blazed away.
a wheezy grow followed the reports, and
the dark form g.ided off toward the crag a
moment later we heard the boughs of the pine
rustic, and there was a scratching noise as il
the creature were descending the trunk
We didn't hit him :" shouted Jud. "lIe's
gone down the rocks by the tree -
We ran up az near as we dared to get
but there was nothing to be seen or heard,
now.
I" He has den down among the rocks,
probably" said grandfather, on hearing the
result of our watch.
The next morning we all went down to re.