Connecticut western news., 1878-02-14
A DESOLATE LIFE.
The Northwestern Trapper. and the Man.
 ner in Which he Secures his Game.

The trapper of the far Northwest leads 8 desolate, solitary and dangerous life. To be alone in the widest solitudes of unknown wastes demands courage of no ordinary kind. His keen eye scans every mark upon the snow for the tracks he seeks ; and he reads the signs left behind as easily and truly as if he had been personally present and seen the passing of the animal. When he finds the footprints of 8 marten, or fisher, he unslings his pack, and sets to work to construct his deadfall, or wooden trap, in the following fashion: ........,. p -.
 Having cut down number of sap ings, he divides them into stakes of about yard in length, which are driven into the ground so as to form palisade, in the shape of half an oval, cut trans versely. Across the entrance to this little enclosure, which is of @ length to admit about two-thirds of the animals body, and too narrow to allow of its fairly en- tering and turning round, short log is laid. A tree of considerable size is felled, stripped of it's branches, and so laid that it rests upon the log at the en- trance in parallel direction. The bait, generally bit of tough dried meat, or of partridge or squirrel, is placed on the point of a sharp stick. This is pro- iected horizontally into the enclosure, and on Bhe outer end of it rests another short stick, placed perpendicularly, which supports the large tree laid across the entrance. The top of the trap is then covered in with bark and branches, 50 that the only means of access te the bait is by the opening between the propped-up log and the log beneath. When the bait is seized the tree falls upon the animal and crushes it to death. An expert trapper will make from forty to fifty of these traps in day, and fre- quently extends his line of them over a distance of ten or fifteen miles.
 Between these deadfalls wherever a favorable place presents itself, are placed the steel traps with which the larger fur bearing animals are caught. The steel trap resembles the ordinary rat trap, except that it is larger, and has two springs instead of one. In the large traps, used for foxes, wolves, beaver and lynx, these have to be made so powerful that it requires all the strength of a strong man to set them. They are placed in the snow and carefully covered over; fragments of meat are then scat tered about, and the place smoothed down, so as to leave no trace. To the trap is attached chain, with ring at the free extremity, through which short stake is passed. When an animal is caught he carries off the trap for short distance, but is soon brought up by the stake getting entangled in the trees and fallen timber, and is seldom able to travel any great distance before being discov- cred by the trapper. The wolf or fox is generally caught by the leg, as he digs in the snow for the hidden morsels, and sometimes by two legs at once. The hunter prefers the latter method, as then there is not the slightest possibility of the animal escaping. When foxes are caught by leg they often bite it of close to the trap, and escape on the other three. The stump heals over and becomes covered with hair in very short time. Wolves are often so saga. cious that they will scrape all round e trap, let it be ever so we'll set, and after eating the bait walk off unhurt When the trapper discovers case of this kind ho places two traps close together; while the wolf scrapes at one he may perhaps get his foot in the other.
 It must not be imagined that the ful hunter has it all his own way. There are animals that beat him at his ow1 game, his greatest enemy being the vol verine, or North American glutton. This curious animal is rather larger than { fox, with long body, stoutly and com pactly made, mounted on exceedingly short legs of great strength. His broae feet are armed with powerful claws, anG | his track in the snow is as large as mans fist. The shape of his head anG his hairy coat give him much the ap pearance of a shaggy brown dog. Dur ing the winter he obtains livelihood by availing himself of the labors of tn, trapper aud such serious injury doe he infict that he has received the nam, from the Indians of kekwaharkess, O. "The Evil One" With untir1ng perse verance he hunts day and night for tn, | trail of man, and when it is found fol lows it unerringly. Arriving at one o the wooden traps, or deadfalls, he avoid the door, but speedily tears open an en trance in the back. and seizes the bal or animal with impunity. In thls man ner he demolishes the whole series o traps, and when once a wolverine ha established himself in trapping walk the hunters only chance of success is t. change ground, and build fresh lot O traps, trusting to secure few furs be fore the new path is found out by his in dustrious little enemy.
 MEANT BUSINESS. J. F. Downey editor of the Louisiana (Mo.) Journal having been assaulted by Alderman w
 W. Anderson, publishes card contain ing the following business-like proposi tion "I will meet him anywhere hi friend and my friend may select, both t. be unarmed, and if I don't thrash him in side of five minutes I will make publi apology and admit am no man. I an in no condition to struggle with a man but I am strong enough to whip hypo crite and 8 coward