The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1876-01-27

deceived, or deceived his ~ ter. The
tree was cut down, and the dog took his
position near where the top of the tree
fell, and very soon found his game, and
killed it,
When raccoons were hunted in the
summer, the trees were not generally
cut down, as the hunters could encamp
under the tree until morning, and then
shoot the raccoon.
Beavers were abundant in this county,
but they disappeared as soon as the white
men made settlements The Indians
were very superstitiops about beavers, as
they surly approached nearer the human
species in intellect, than any other ami
NAL They constructed houses in which
:hey dwelt, and they could gnaw down
taces, cut them into logs to build houses
and construct dams across the creeks.
The several branches of Symmes Creek
were their particular resort The creeks
were very crooked, and by thus cutting
into the hills formed large low bottoms
in some places embracing twenty or
thirty acres. By constructing dams at
the lower ends Of these bottoms, where
the sharp points reached near the oppo-
site hill, they could form extensive
ponds, where their houses were con
structed Mr. Kirkland, in the year 1888,
said that there were then no beavers in
the State Of Ohio.
Offers were plenty, and am not GER
tain but there may be some yet in the
county. They lived in holes in the rocks
near the creeks, and were in the habit
of sliding down the steep bank into the
creek. 1t was a common saying to COM
pare very smooth place to an otter
slide. The beaver and the otter were
both amphibious. / have frequently
shot at otters in the water, but / never
could hit one. We always used the old
flint lock guns in those days, and they
were so slow in their operation that the
otter could see the fash and dive out Of
danger before the ball could reach it.
Tho fur Of both the beaver and otter
was very valuable
Wolves were the terror Of the early
settlers 1t was very difficult to raise
sheep. Farmers now makes much com
plant about dogs destroying sheep, and
it is annoying; but they should be thank
ful that wolves are gone. They would
kill young cattle near the cabins They |
went in packs, and their bowling was
the most terrifying noise | ever heard. |
They were exceedingly wild, and were
rarely seen in daylight. Sometimes they |
were caught in large steel traps. They |
often killed my fathers young cattle, |
and remember once he borrowed DR.. |
McNeel's wolf trap and had it set several |
nights, but he never caught a wolf in it. |
One morning he went to the trap and
found very large wild cat caught in it.
He killed it with a club, and came home |
with it on his shoulders. 1t was yell |
Iowish color, and was as large as he
could we'll carry. These wolf traps were |
a powerful thing. A mans weight on
the spring was not sufficient to bend the |
spring so as to set it, and the spring had |
to be pressed down with lever When |
the trap was sprung, the great jaws, |
which had teeth fitting between each |
other, came together with clash that
could be heard long distance, and the
trap would almost jump from the
ground.
On the 22d of December, 1922, the |
Ohio Legislature passed law authorizing
the payment of three dollars for each |
wolf scalp. This was an additional in
ducement to kill wolves, and they grad
ually disappeared from this county, the
last one that was seen in the county be-
ing shot by Cary Boyd, about the year
1884, near the head waters of the Black
f ork of Symmes Creek, perhaps in the
edge Of Franklin Township.