Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1878-08-15
Pntnam's Adventure With tho Wolf

Putnan's Adventure With the Wolf.
"1A.s et General Putnam.
In the year 1889, he removed from,
Salem to Pcmtres, AZ inland t.r,i,, town
in Connecticut, forty mites cast cf Hart
ford. Having here purchasers consider
able tract OF land, Ii" applied himself
successfully to agriculture.
TIE first years on |. new farm arc net
however, exempt from disasters and >"is
appointing nts, which can only b, rene,
died by stubborn and Yat:en, industry
Our farmer, sufficiently occupied in
building house and barn, telling nnov<,
making fences, sowing gram, planting
orchards, and taking care Of his stock,
had to encounter. in turn. the cal:.ntitirS
occasioned by drought in summer, blast
III harvest, loss of cattle in winter, and
the oesolation OF his snecpto!o w wolves
In one might ht haci seventy, five sheep
and goats killed, besides many la,nG.s
o;.d kids wounded. This havoc was COM
mittrd by,a sEe-wolf, which. with her
annual whepS, had for several wears in
tested the vicinity: The young were
COMMONLY DESTROYED by fine vigilancc of
the. hunters, butthe old one was too saga
cious to come within reach of gunshot.
Upon being closely pursued, she would
generally Hy to the western We DDS, and
~etnr1the next winter wieA another litter
vfwhelhxt - s..
This wolf at length became such a.
l,1toierab1e nuisance, that Mr Putnam. elm
Sazed into combination with five OF his
s2,iGhoors to hunt alternately until they
cou:d destroys her. Two, ty rotation,
were to be constantiy in pursuit 1t was
known that, having lost the toes from OF.
z,'ot ny steel trap. she male one track
smaller than the other, Ey this vestige
the pur>uer> recognized, in I; IL hit snow.
the route Of the pe1HiciouS ANIMAL Hav-
'Eg followed her to the Connecticut Rjy
er, and found she had turned back il, ::
',irect course toward, P,mfr>t, they il,
u,euisteiy returned. ana Dy ten O'Clock
the next morning Tie Aiootiluunds had
driven her into {; :trn. about twelve mites
distant from the house OF Mr.. Putnam.
Inc people soon collected with dogs. guns,
straw, tire anC: su lphur, to stack tue COM
lnon enemy. With this apparatus. $. ver-
81 unsuccessful efforts were made TO f.,~re
her from the den. Tie hounds came
back badly wounded. and refused 70 re-
t:2rn. The smoke OF blazing straw h. ?
= effect. Nor uid the fumes Of burnt
birthstone, with which the cavern was
S!led, compel her t. quit the retirement.
Weared with. such tr,!itle~s attempts
which had brought tbs time to ten
o'clock ut night, Mr.. Putnam tried yl.-
more to make his dog enter t,lt il VAIN.
he proposed to his negro man to 90 down
into the cavern and shoot the wolf: the
negro declined the hazardous service.
Then 1t was that the master, angry Ut
the disappointment, and declaring. that
he Was ashamed to have 6 coward N his
family, resolved himself to DESTROY 1l,:.
terocious beast, lest she should escar
through some unknown assure Of the
rock. H's neighhors strongly lcr1pn-
strated against the pcrilous enterprise !:
but he, knowing that = i'd animals were
lntia idsted b!v tire, end having provide,
several str ps If birch bark, the ONLY COM
;cs.!f}'e material which he could obtain
FRAT would afford liGh: in this deen and
Iarksone cave, prepared fer his descent.
HAVING, accordingly, Invested himself of
his coat and waistcoat, and having lcnc
rope 'astencd round his legs, by which
he might be pulled back BY a concerted
slGnai, be entered head foremost, with
The ilazing torch in his hand
The aperture Of the den, on the east >,f
very high ledge OF rocks, is about two
tcet square; from thence it lcscends oi,-
s'quely about fifteen feet, then running
horizontally abouc ten more, it ascends
gradually sixteen feet towards its ter nn-
alton. The sides OF this srbterraneau
cavity are composed Of smooth and solid
rocks which seem 70 have been divided
from each other by some fo,mcr earth
quake. The top and bottom are also CT
stone and the entrance, in winter, being
covered; with ice, is exceedingly slippery
it IS IN no place high enough for & man
to raise himself upright, nor in ans part
more than three feet in width.
Having CROPPED his passage to thc hor-
:zontsl part Of the den, the most terrifv-
sng darkness appeared liz front of his dim
circle Of light afforded by hi; torch. 1t
was as the house of death. None but
monsters of the desert had ever before
explored this sollt ary mansion of horron
He, cautiously proceeding onward, came
20 the ascent. which he slowly mounted
On h's banos and knees. until he discov-
cred the glazing eyeoalls of the wolf, who
WAS sitting at the extremity of the cav
ern. Startled at .the~~sis ht IF fire, she
CRASHED her teeth md, gave "a sullen
growl. AS soon rs he had made the
necessary discovery, he kicked the rope
as a signal for pulling him out. The
people at the mouth 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 celerity,
that his shirt was stripped over his head
and his skin se~erel ? lacerated. After he
had adjusted his clothes, and loaded his
gun with nine buckshot, holding torch
in one hand and his musket in the other,
he descended the second time.
When he drew nearer than before, the
wolf, assuming still more fierce and
terrible appearance, bowling, rolling her
eyes, snapping her teeth, and dropping
her hcad. hetWeen her legs, was evidently
IN the attitude, and on the point of spring.
ing upon him. At this critical instant he
leveled and fired at her head. Stunned
with the shock and suffocated with the
smoke, he was Immediately drawn out of
the cave. But having refreshed himself,
and permitted the smoke to dissipate, he
went down the third time. Once more
he came within sight Of the wolf, who APP
pealiDg very passive, he applied the torch
to hersnose, and perteiving3 her dead, he
took hold Of her ears, and then kicking
the rope ystill tied. round his legs), the
people,abova, with no small exu!tation,
drJgged them both out together::h,'I'.. 4
l haYe offered these fae1s in greater de-
tail because they contsia 3 cdisplay of
character; and because, they have, been
erroneotsly related: in several European
publications. and very much nutilated |
in the History. OF Connecticut, a work as
'eplete with falsehood. as destitute Of
enius lately, printed in London. '"'