The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1876-01-27
A Famous Hunters Death.
MARTINSVILLE, Pa. Dec.

on Welsh Mountain. They did not return
at night, as 1t was cxpectei they would
but 1t was supposed by their friends that
the bear was giving them long chase. and
the three men being experienced hunters
and woodsmen, no uneasiness was felt as to
the result of the hunt. All the next day
passed, however, without anything being
seen or heard of the hunters, and blind
ing snow storm having prevailed all day.
| accompanied by heavy wind, a sense of
uneasIness began to be felt in the village.
That night turned off bitter cold, and the
noxt morning broke with the thermometer
four degrees below zero, and the wind in
creased to gale. The hunters had not
yet returned, and their friends and families.
| now thoroughly alarmed for their safety.
began active preparations to search for
them. Twenty strong and hardy men.
working in the lumber woods. and river
men, volunteered to scour the mountains
and swamps in the direction the hunters
had taken.
The party of men who in turn went to
seek the hunters, whom the circumstances
plainly indicated had met with some catas-
| trOphe, started into the wood at the extreme
northern end of the mountain, and separat-
| ed in pairs so as to take in the whole area
OF the ridge. The snow that had fallen on
Thursday covered the ground on the level
about SIX inches, but in every open space
where the wind was not Tended off there
were drifts from two to four feet deep The
men marched in this way for about mile,
/ occasionally firing Il gun off, but receiving
no response. At the end of the above
distance their progress was interrupted by
Little Tamarack Swamp, around which
they We're forced 10 walk. going in opposite
directions and meeting on the other side
No sign Of the missing hunters was found
about the swamp, and the party again
separated in pairs. Two of these, William
Shearer and George Walker, went of
obiiquely down the face of a rather steep
encampment of the mountain. They reached
the bottom of the hill near small alder
swamp, and were about to ascend again
when their attention WAS called TO a little
mound Of snow few rods ahead on the
edge Of the swamp. Going toward it they
saw before reaching it that it was the body
Of 4 man showed under Hurrying on to
the spot they lifted up the body and were
horrifed to find it to be that of Jackson
Frailey. From his throat down his cloth
ing was torn almost completely off him, and
his fesd terribly lacerated. The ground
upon which he lay was covered with blood
and he was dead 1t was evident to the
men that the wounds he had received were
not the direct cause of his death, but that
he had Lean overcome by loss of blood and
the cold, from which he died There be-
ing no sign Of struggle where the hunter
was found it was concluded that he had
been hurt in some other part of the woods
either in a hand-t -to-hand contest with a
bear or a wild cat, which he had wounded
while it was at bay, but failed to Kill. By
the firing off guns others of the searhing
party were summoned, and three of them
were sent back to the village with the body
of the unfortunate hunter, and the search
was continued. From the fact that no track
leading in any direction could be found, it
was plain that Frailey must have received
his wounds before the snow fell, and was
probably trying to reach some place of
shelter
For more than mile further on nothing
was found giving the slightest Indication Of
the spot where Frailey had his fatal contest
or throwing the least light on the fate of
his companions Finally however, the re-
mains Of fire, but built before the snow,
was found A little further on, but to the
left a quarter Of mile, another Of the
party found rife standing up against a
tree. Both barrels were empty. 1t was
identified by brother-in-law of one of the
lost hunters as Fraileys. A search was
made in circle among the laurels and
underbrush for some distance, and from
hollow, drifted two feet with snow, was ex-
humed the body of
AN IMMENSE CATAMOUNT.
1t was shot behind the left shoulder and
had cuts about its head and had a stab on
it made with hunting knife near its heart
1t was now clear that the men were at the
scene of Fraily's encounter with the animal
which had proved to be catamount. BY
scraping away the snow near where the rifle
was found the hunters knife and other
accountrements were discoyed. The knife
was covered with blood as was the ground
several feet around The only explanation
that the men could give for the rifle stand
ing up against the tree was that Frailey
had probably discovered the animal in tree
as he was passing along, ready to spring,
and had shot him The catamount had
fallen to the ground and stunned by the fall
lay as if dead The hunter, being one of
the suret shots in the region, not for a
moment doubling that he had shot the fierce
brute in vital spot, placed his rife against
the tree, and had stepped up to take closer
view of his game. While viewing 1t, and
probably STOPPING to turn it over, the cata-
mount had revived, and, with the ferocity
of its kind, sprang upon the hunter. In
IL contost thnt onSued the hunter raceiyed