The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-08-14


Don't mourn fornc now, and mourn for me-
never. "
For Pm going to do nothing forever and
ever - .E 81.
Putnam's Adventure With the Wolf.
life of General Putnam. "a.
In the year 1889, he removed from
Salem to Pomtret, al inland fertile town
in Connecticut, forty miles east of Hart
ford. Having here purchased a consider
able tract of land, he applied himself
successfully to agriculture.
The first years on a new farm are not
however, exempt from disasters and dis,
appointments, which can only be rene,
died by stubborn and patient industry
Our farmer, sufficiently occupied in.
building house and barn, telling woods,
making teneess sowing grain, planting
orchards and taking care of his stock,
had to encounter, in turn, the calamities
occasioned by drought in summer, blast
IN harvest, loss of cattle in winter, and
the desolation Of his sheepfold b. wolves
in one night The had seventy, five sheep
and goats killed, besides many lambs
and kids wounded. This havoc was COM
united by a .she-wolt, which. with her
annual whelps,. had fol-, several years in
tested the vicinity. The young were
commonly DESTROYED by the vigilance of
the hunters, but the old one was too saga
cious to come within reach of gunshot.
Upon being closely pursued, she would
generally fly to the. western VIC DDS, and
return the next winter with another litter
OfWhelps. r 4 ~ e .E e
This wolf atelength became such a
intolerable nuisance, that AIR. Putnam enn
tered into combination with five of his
neighbors to hunt alternately until they
could destroy her. Two, by rotation,
were to be constantly in pursuit 1t was
known that, having lost the toes from one
foot by steel trap, she made one track
smaller than the other, By this vestige
the pursuers recognized, in lie ht snow,
the route Of the pernicious animal. Hav-
ing followed her to the Connecticut Riv-
er, and found she had turned back in a
direct course towards Ponfret. they i'm
uedlstely returned, and, by ten o'clock
the next morning the bloodhounds had
driven her into a den, about twelve miles
distant from the house of Mr.. Putnam.
The people soon collected with dogs, guns,
straw, fire and sulphur, to attack the COM
mon enemy. With this apparatus, sever
al unsuccessful efforts We're made to force
her from the den The hounds came
back badly wounded, and refused to re-
turn. The smoke of blazing straw had
effect. Nor did the fumes of burnt
birthstone, with which the cavern was
filled, compel her to quit the retirement.
Wearied with such fruitless attempts
(Which had brought the time to ten
O'Clock at night, Mr.. Putnam tried once
more to make his dog enter but in vain
He proposed to his negro man to 90 down
into the cavern and shoot the wolf: the
negro declined the hazardous service.
Then it was that the master, angry at
the disappointment, and declaring that
he was ashamed to have a coward in MS
family, resolved himself to destroy the
terocious beast, lest she should escape
through some unkuown fssure of the
rock. His neighbors strongly remon-
strated against the perilous enterprise
but be, knowing that wild animals were
lntlnldatcd by fire, and having provided
several strips OF baHch bark, the only COM
bustlble material which he could obtain
that would afford light in this deep and
darksone cave, prepared for his descent.
Having, accordingly, Invested himself of
his coat and waistcoat, and having a long
rope fastened 1ossnd his legs, by which
he might be pulled back by a concerted
signal, he entered head foremost, with
the blazing torch in his hand
The aperture of the den, on the east Of
very high ledge of rocks, is about two
feet square; from thence it descends OBJ
llquely about fifteen feet, then running
horizontally about ten more, it ascends
gradually sixteen feet towards it's ,ter,nin-
alton. The sides OF this subterraneau
cavity are composed of smooth and solid
rocks which seem TO have been divided
from each other by some former earth
quake. The top and bottom are also of
stone, and the entrance, in winter, being
covered with ice, is exceedingly slippery
1t is in no place high ,enoug Oh for a man
to raise himself upright, nor in ana part
more than three feet In width. ID
Having CROPPED his passage to the hor-
izontal part of the den, the most teaaify-
ing darkness appeared ia front of his dim
circle Of light afforded by his torch. 1t
was as the house of death. = None bat
monsters of the desert had ever before
explored this solitary mansion of horror.
He, cautiouely proceeding onward, came
10 the ascent. which he slowly mounted
on his hanos and knees, Until he discoy-
cred the glarlng eyeballs of the wolf, who
WIS sitting at the extremity of the cav
ern. Startled at the sight Of fire, she
CRASHED her teeth and gaze su!len
groWl. AS sosn as he had made the
necessary discovery, he kicked the rope
as signal for pulling him out. The
people at the moath of. the den, who had
listened with painful anxiety. hearing the
growing of the wolf, and supposing the
friend to be in. the most imminent dan
ger, drew him forth with such. celebrity
that his shirt was stripped over his head
and his skin severely lacerated. After he
had adjusted his clothes, and loaded his
gun with nine buckshot, holding torch
In one hand and his musketsin the other,
ha n ,l1I j.