The New York herald., 1875-12-22
A FAMOUS HUNTERS DEATH.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH HUGE cATAMoUNT-THE
BODIES OF HIS CONTESTANTS FOUND UNDER
THE sNow-rHR SEARCH FOR THE MISSING
MAN AND HIS COMPANIONS

THE sNow-THE SEARCH FOR THE MISSING
MAN AND HIS COMPANIONS.
MARrNsvILLE Pa Dec. 81, 1875.
James Bloom, his brother Joseph and Jackson |
Frailey, OF this village out on Thursday 70
hunt bear which had been seen on Welsh M1untan,
four or i've miles from Martnsville. They did re-
turn at night, as It expected they would but
supposed by their friends that the giving them
long chase, and the three men being experienced
hunters and woodsmen, no uneasness was felt as 70
the result Of the hunt All day Thursday passed. how
ever, without anything being seen or heard OF the
hunters, and binding snow storm having
prevailed all day accompanied by q heavy
wind sense Of uneasiness began "a
be felt in the village. Still great was the confidence
the skill and foresight Of the absent men no steps
taken that day to ascertain their whereabouts and
situation. Thursday night turned OFT bitter cold and
Friday morning broke with the thermometer four de-
grees below Zero and the wind increased to gale The
hunters had yet returned and their friends and
families, now thoroughly alarmed for their safety, be-
gan active
PREPARATIONS SEARCH
for them. Twenty strong and hardy men, working in
the lumber woods and river men, volunteered TO
the mountains and swamps In the direction tho hunt
had taken Equipped for the occasion they started
At early hour toward Welsh Mountain This
Is . high, heavily wooded ridge, broken into
1
length separating Cawskctta and Rash River valleys.
II abounds in extensive laurel and hemock swamps,
some OF them inaccessible to the wild animals that
still infest the section II into this wild region
that the three hunters went in search Of the bear that
had been seen.
The party Of men who in turn went to the hun
ters. whom the circumstances plainly indicated had
met with catastrophe, started into the wood at
the extreme northern end Of the mountain, and sep
araed in pairs so as to take IN the whole area OF the
ridge The that had fallen Thursday
covered covered inc tno ground on ane Level aevel about ABOUT SIX SIX
the wind not Tended of there drifts from two
to four feet deep The men marched in this way Tor
about mile, occasionally firing gun Off but receiving
response At the end Of the above distance their
progress interrupted by Little Tamarack Swamp,
around which they were forced to walk going in oppo
site directions and meeting side No sign
OF the missing hunters found about the swamp and
| the party again separated in pairs. Two Of these,
William Shearer and George Walker, went OFF oblqucy
down the face of rather steep encampment of the
mountain. They reached the bottom Of the hill
a small alder swamp, and about to ascend again
| when their attention was called to little mound OF
| snow a few rods ahead on the edge OF the swamp
Going toward they before reaching 1t tnat
THE BODY OF MAN
showed under. Hurryng on to the spot they lifted up
the body and were horrhed to find II to be that OF
Jackson Frailey. From his throat down his clothing
was torn almost completely of him. and his flesh ter
ribly lacerated The ground upon which he lay was
covered with blood and he dead 1t evident
to the that the wounds he had received were not
the direct OF his DEATH but that he had been
by loss of blood and the cold, from which he died
There being sign OF struggle where the hunter
| found IL concluded that ho had been hurt
some other part Of the woods, either in q hand
to-hand contest with bear wild cat,
which he had wounded while IL was at
bay, but failed to kill BY the firing of
guns others OF the searching party were summoned,
and three of them sent back to the village with
the body OF the hunter and the search
continued. From the tact that tracks leading in any
direction could be found It was plain that Fraey must
! have received his wounds before the fell and
was probably trying to reach some place of shelter.
half mile further Frazer's clearing, which
he doubt endeavoring 10 reach.
a
giving the slightest indication OF the spot where Fraley
had had his fatal contest throwing the least light on
the fate OF his companions Finally however, the re-
mains Of fire, but built before the snow, found
little further on, but to the left quarter OF mile,
another OF the party found rifle standing up against
tree Both barrels were empty II was Identified by
brother in-law of of the lost hunters Fraiey's
search was made in q circle among the aures and
underbrush for distance. and from a hollow,
drfted two feet with snow was exhumed the body OF
ImMENsR cATAMoUYr
II was shot behind the left shoulder and had cuts
about its head and stab on II made with hunting
were al The scene Of Fraiey,s encounter with the
animal which had proved to be catamount By
scrapng away the snow near where the ride was found
the hunters knife and other accourements we're dis
covered The knife covered with blood,
the ground several feet around The only explanation
that the men could give for the rifle standing up against
the tree that Fraiey had probably discovered the
animal in tree as he passing along, ready TO
spring, and bad shot him The catamount had
fallen to the ground and stunned by the
fall, lay cas- If dead The hunter, being
one the surest shots In the region not for moment
doubling that he had shot the fierce vital spot
placed his rifle against the tree and had stepped up
take closer view OF his game While viewing IT, and
probably STOPPING TO turn II over the catamount had
revived and with the ferocty Of its kind sprang upon
the hunter In the that ensued the hunter
ceved his terrible injuries but succeeded In nictng
fatal wounds on the catamoant but Il bad crawed
away some distance before it died The fate OF Fraey
being satisfactory revealed, the
SEARCH OTHERS
again taken up For hours the woods ravines
and swamps as much as could be- secured by the
faithful men, Once the track ofa huge bear seen,
coming out of thcket on one side of open space
crossing the opening and disappearing IN dense
anywhere around An old cabin, recently occupied,
with fire still smoudering INSIDE, and fresh tracks OF
| two men about 10, was found on the top Of Hunts
| Ravine about the middle Of the afternoon, the
southern extremity of the ridge fresh trail Of
men, walking side by side away from the cabin,
was found leading toward Martinsville This fol-
lowed by three Of the party in hope that might prove
! to bo that Of the Bloem brothers II continued as
direct possible toward the village When the
| searching party had come 10 within two miles OF
Martinsvlle they met Joseph Bloem coming back In
few words he told them that he had just como from
the village where he and his brother arrived hour
before He said that they and Fraey had hunted
all day Wednesday and had two shots the bear but
having no dogs he finally eluded them Tamarack
Swamp. They therefore, made up their minds stay
TO Us0T the village aSa So he's doS He
away for Lone CABIN about five O'Clock.
They remained at the cabin and il showed hard next
day that they did not 90 out, and did not think IL
strange that Frailey did not return with the dogs
| Friday morning they went out and hunted some, and
Frailey not coming back they concluded to go home
give up the chase or Fraeys sad they heard
/ first on getting home Bloem said that there was no
load in Frailey's buckshot barrel when he left there
being something the matter with the tube which
| plains why both barrels OF the gun were empty
when II found Frailey brother in-aw OF the
Blooms, and leaves wife and nine children, In
Portable circumstances Hc was buried on Saturday
Fraey famous hunter and was known through
out the State the "Deer Sayer and the ,Nmrod OF
the Conewago" few days before his death he stated
that he had killed in his life 900 deer 200 bears
1 20 catamounts panthers and numbcrless wolves
and foxes In his tenth year he killed bear and
six deer His experience in the woods embraced many
handto-hand contests with bears and wounded bucks
from all OF which he victorious and his body
covered with scars the result OF battles He
only forty years Of age but had followed the calling
| oi hunter and trapper for thirty years
MORE MASKED PIRATES.