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

Putnam's Adventure With the Wolf.
Life Of General Putnam.
In the year 1889, he removed from
Salem to Pomfret, an inland fertile town
in Connecticut, forty masa east Of; Hart
ford. Having here purchased consider
able tract of land, he applied himself
successfully to agriculture
TIE first yearspn 2 new farm >are not
however, e3emps from disasters and Ms
appointing nts. which can only be rene,
died by stubborn and patient industry
Our farmer, sufficiently occupied in
building house and barn, telling woods.
making knossy sowing gram, planting
orchards, and taking care of his stock.
had to encounter, in turn, the calamities
occssioned by drought in. summer blast
in harvest, loss of cattle in winters and
the deselation Of his sheepfold by wolves
In one nfssht he hgd seventy, iya~shccp
and gsaessknled, besides many lambs
and kids wopnded This haV6c was com
mitted bysa sSb, ktolk. which, with her
anaqat &helps, hsa for several years in:
tested the yicinhy Tho young were
coq.m0qRy destkoyad bJ s{he Sigilaaese sof
thahdntsMBFSHH done as TO SI laa Ei 3
cioa SomH within reach sof euns6ot
Up94t ehsely pursued, abe: would:
genex othei WesterHs wtds, aid
retH giater: Nil q another litter
IN &c became such T.
inteeh hais3pcH that Ar. Putnam enn
tsred into . co0Qbanaaion with i've of his
neighbors to hunt alternately until they
could destroy har. Twd pr rotation,
were to be 6osta1tif I'M pursuit j II 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 light snow,
the route Of the pernicious animal. Hav.
ing followed her to. the Connecticut Riy-
er, and fodhd She had turned back hi d I
direct course towards Pomfret, they i'm
nediately returned, and by: ten o'clock
the next morning the bloodhounds had
driven her into 9 den, about twelve miles
distant from TIE hoaisef of MI. ;Patnani.
The people soon collected with dogs. guns.
straw, fire and sulphur, to attack, lie com
mon enemy: With this apparatus, sever:
al unsuccessful efforts were made to force
her from the den. The hounds came
back badly 4Woundsd, end refused to-reeee
turn. The smoke of: blazing straw had
effect Nor did the fumes of burnt
birthstone, with. which the cavern wal
filled, compel her to quit the retirement.
Wearied with sdch fruitless attempts
(Which had, brought the time to ten
o'clock at night, Mr. Putnam tried 'oica
more to make his dog enter but in vain.
He proposed to his negro man to 20 down
nd
negro declined the hazardous service.
Then it was that the master, angry at
the disappointment, and declaring that
he Was ashamed to have a. toward in his
family, resolved himself to DESTROY the
terocious beast, lest she should escape
through some unknown assure of the
rock. His neighbors strongly ren1on-
strated against the perilous enterprise;
but he, knowing that wild animals we're
intin dated by fire, and having provided
several strips Of birch bark, the only COM
bust,ble material which he could obtain
that would afford light in this deep and
darkso'ne cave, prepared fer his descent.
Having, accordingly, divested himself of
bis coat and waistcoat, and having long
rope fastened round his legs, by which
he might be pulled back BY q concerted
signal, he entered head foremost, with
the blazing torch in his. hand 80,
The aperture of the den, On tile east Of
very high ledge of rocks, is about two
feet squares from thence il descends OBJ
iquely about fifteen feet, then running
horizontally about ten more, it ascends
gradually sixteen feet towards its ter min
alton. :. The, sides Of this %snbferraneau
cavity are composed of smooth and solid
ROCKS which SEEM TO have been divided
from each other by some for n1er earth
quake. The top and bottom arc also of
stone, and thu entrance, in swihfer, being
covered with ice, is exceedingly slippery.
1t is in no place high enough for q man
to raise himself upright, nor in aGGx3 part t
more than three feet in width. i.sas, ~ tel.
Having groped his passage to the nor.
i ;aon1., part 9f ths aS3 ia ter1fy
circle OF light afforded by his torch. It
was as s4he,sfouse of 'death..s None but
monsters of the desert had ever before
b, caa1ioaay ploseeseding onward, came
to the ascent. which he slowly mounted
on his b9nQS and knees until, he discov-
cred the giarfng eyeballs of TIE wolf, who
Was sitting At tho extremity of the cav
ern. Startled At thu -aii4ht a 6f1e, she
CRASHED her teeth, 0nis faDSssa sullen
growl.r As soon " he had made the
necessary discovery, he, kick6aifhe rope
as signal for pulling him out. The
people at the mouth Of the den. Who had
listened with painful Knaxiety. hearing The,
growing of the wolf, and surprising the s.
friend RI 10 n fhn roock ;,ann:.o.t a..
ger, drew him forth With such celsritvi
that he shirt was a. stripDed oveE j his head
and hi4 skin eez arelD decorated: After he
had atjusted his efothesi and loaded his:
gun withsGine buckshot, holding, q I tor torch
in one hand and his musket in the other,
he descended the second timst NH II
When he drew nearer than before, the
wolf, assuming still mere fierce and
terrible appearance, bowling, rolling her
s Sss head s1s'$ * "a ss;alps
in the attitude| and on the point of spring
ing upon him. rat ahiS tritical Instant he
leveled and fired at her head. Stunned
with the shock and suffocated with the
moka.hswasi stately drawn out of
the cave. But having rcfreshod himself.
and permitted thu smoke to. di.slpstd, HE
went down the third time. Once more
he came within sight Of stthe VOL, al
pealiDg very passive, he applied the torch
to her1os6 md peree ivin&be1 dead hs
the sSs1 si|d 81 Isl BE- sesf s'ek H.
people Sf6n1a as;ih salossma ne11l $50
dragged them both out 1lt fiji. I'll . .si.s1'f
tail |HdS1TSaG 4