The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-07-06

GENERAL PUTNAM.-Few men have
been more remarkable than General
Putnam, for the acts of successful rash
ness to which a bold and intrepid spirit
frequently prompted him.
When he was pursued by General
at the head of fifteen hundred1
men, his only method of escape was pre-
c~ipitaing his horse down the steep de-
of the rock called Horseneck
and az none of his pursuers dared to i'm
itate his example, he escaped.
But an act of still more daring in
trepidity was his yenturing to clear in a
boat the tremendous waterfalls of Hud-
son River. This was in the year 1856,
when Putnam fought against the French
and their allies, the Indians. He was
accidentally with a boat and five men on
the eastern side of the river, contiguous
to these falls. His men, who were OF
the opposite side, informed him by sig
nal that a considerable body of sayages
were advancing to surround him, and
there was not a moment to lose. Three
modes of conduct were at his option
to remain, fight, and be sacrificed to at
tempt to pass to the other side exposed
to the full shot of the enemy ; or to sail
down the waterfalls, with almost a GER
tainty of being overwhelmed. These
were the only alternatives. Putnam did
not hesitate, and jumped into his boata
the fortunate instant, for one of his COM
panions, who was at a little distance,
was a victim to the Indians. His enc
mics soon arrived and discharged their
muskets at the boat before he could get
out of their reach. No sooner had he
escaped this danger through the rapidity
of the current but death presented itself
under q more terrific form. Rocks,
whose points projected above the surface
of the water large masses of timber that
nearly closed the passage absorbing
CULTS, and rapid descents, for a quarter
of a mile, lett him no hope of escape but
by a miracle. Putnam, however, placed
himself at the helm, and directed it with
the utmost tranquility. His companions
saw him with admiration, terror, and
establishment avoid with the utmost
GOODNESS the rocks and threatening CULTS,
which they every instant expected to
deyour him. He disappeared, rose
again; and directing his course across
the only passage he could possibly make
he at length gained the even surface of
the river that flowed at the bottom of
this dreadful cascade. The Indians were
no less surprised. The miracle aston
ished them almost as much as the sight
of the first Europeans that approached
the banks Of this river. They considered
Putnam as inYulnerable; and they
thought that they should offend the
Great Spirit if they attempted the life of
a man who was SO visibly under his i'm
mediate protection.
Soon after Mr.. Putnam removed to
Connecticut, the wolves, then very nu-
merous. broke into the sheepfold and
killed seven fine sheep and goats, besides
wounding many lambs and kids. The
havoc was committed by a she wolf,
which, with her annual whelps, had sew
eral times infected the vicinity. The
young we're commonly destroyed by the
vigilance of the hunters, but the old one
was too ~sagacious to come within gun
shot; upon being closely pursued she
would generally fly to the western
woods, and return the next winter with
another litter of whelps. The wolf at
length became such an intolerable
nuisance, that Mr.. Putnam entered into
a combination with five of his neighbors
TO hunt alternately until they could de-
stroy her. Two, by rotation, we're to be
constantly in pursuit. 1t was known
that, having lost the toes of one foot by
a steel trap, she made one track shorter
than the other. b. this popularity the
pursuers recognized in a light snow the
route of this destructive animal. Hay
ing followed her to the Connecticut
River, and found that she had turned
back in a direct course toward Pomfret,
they Immediately returned, and by ten
O'Clock the next morning the blood
hounds had driven her into a den, about
three miles from Mr.. Putnam's house.
The people soon collected with dogs,
guns, straw, fire, and sulphur, to attack
the common enemy. With these mate.
rails, several unsuccessful efforts were
made to force her from the den. The
dogs came back badly wounded, and re-
fused to return to the charge. The
smoke of blazing straw had no effect
nor did the fumes of burnt birthstone,
with which the cavern was filled, compel
the wolf to quit her retirement.
Wearied with such fruitless attempts,
which had been continued until ten
o'clock at night, Mr.. Putnam tried once
more to make his dog enter, but in vain.
He proposed to his negro servant to GO
down into the cavern and shoot the
wolf, but he declined the hazardous en-.
terprise. Then it was that MI. Putnam
declaring that he would not have a COW
ard in his family, and angry at the dis
appointment, resolved himself to destroy
the ~ferocious beast or perish in the at
tempt. His neighbors strongly remon
strated against the perilous undertaking
but he, knowing that wild animals ar,
inundated by fire. and having provided
several slips of birch bark, the only com
bustible material which he could obtain
that would afford light in this deep ant
darksome cave, prepared for his descent
Having Invested himself of his coat an
waistcoat, and fixed a rope round hi
body, by which he might, at a concerted
signal, be drawn from the cave, be en-
tered head-foremost with the blazin,
torch in his hand. The aperture of tn
den, on the east side of very high ledg
of rocks, was about two feet square
thence it descended obliquely ffteel
feet; then running horizontally abou
ten more, it assembled gradually sixteen
feet toward its termination. The side
of this subterranean cavity were com
posed of smooth and solid rocks, whicl
seemed to have been driven from eacl
other by some earthquake. The top an,
bottom were of stone, and the entranc
in winter, being covered with ice, ex
ceedingly slippery. The ave was in n,
place high enough for a mar to stant
upright, nor in any part more thai
three feet wide. Having CROPPED hi
passage to the horizontal part of the den
the most terrifying darkness appeared il
front of the dim circle of light afforded
by his torch. 1t was silent as the tomb
None but monsters of the desert had eve
before explored this solitary mansion o
: horror. Mr.. Putnam cautiously pro