The Red Cloud chief., 1878-04-25

capped from some asylum, Who. IL was
said. had takento the woods. and WAS
committing d~repreda,ions upon the far
mers.
lie was described NJ n very large and
powerful man. armed with q huge blud.
geon. said a. be larger than q three.
years sapling. with which he had killed
several oxen. and desperately wounded
u man who hal had the hsrdihood to
attack him.
The day before we started for the
logging. camp we were all startled by
the intelligence that q man answering
the description Of this supposed myth
had been q only ten miles distant,
and the morning of our start. q mcssen-
ger from our next neighbor. three miles
away. summoned us 10 aid him In the
capture 81 this creature. who. just nj
dusk. the evening before. had. In full
sight Of one ~ his men. stolen n sheep
and rushed ip the forest with il. utter
ing wild yells.
A fierce mastiG had been set on HIM.
which he instantly killed by n blow
from his heavy club. and entered thick
undcrbrush. into which no one dared
follow him. Here he uttered such
terrible shrieks as startled the bravcst
among the men who had started in pur-
suit.
Although II caused n great disar.
rangcncnt ~ our plans. we responded
10 the call. and twelve men, I among
them. started the next morning on
sn%owshoes (for the snow was two or
three feet deep 10 the aid Of our afflicted
neighbor.
Arrived there. we found everything
In confusion. for the mailman had en-.
tered the stable during the absence Of
the men at breakfast, and ridden of u
horse Mt full speed up the road. which
had afterward returned. covered with
foam. and so thoroughly scared that
every slight noise caused him To
and trcmble.
We all adjourned to the stable 10 look
Mt the horse. and then started In the
direction the destroyer of our peace"
had taken. We each wore shoes.
and carried u gun, though we were
strictly forbidden to use them unless il
became absolutely necessary for our
W safety. A supply Of rope was also
taken. 10 bc used In cas- Of his cap
turc.
We had proceeded up the road for
half a mile or more, when We came to
an %indentation In the soft snow by the
side of the road. where the maniac
had evidently been thrown from the
horse.
A rail fence near had been dragged
down and evidently hurled ut the re-
treating figure Of the animal.
From this place We could easily fol-
low the trail Of the man, who had sunk
deep In the snow mt every step. and On.
tered the woods but a short distance
from the road.
Hither We eagerly followed. and very
shortly were painfully made aware OF
the presence of the object Of our search.
who had secreted himself behind a
large pine stump. When the first man
passed him. he sprang upon him and
bore him into the snow. We all togcth-
er dragged him of, but tried in vain
TO hold him down. He threw us all
on. and. knocking two or three men
down. disappeared into the thick forest.
The man whom he had so savagely
attacked was not seriously hurt. but we
all agreed that II would be useless to
follow the wild man. rs we could not
effect his capture without some Of us
being severely injured.
We accordingly returned home and
carried out the programme Of the day.
and by three o'clock had arrived at the
lumber camp.
Here everything went we'll for awhile.
and we were just getting we'll under
way with our logging, when the wild
man again made his presence known in
an unexpected, and, rs II proved. fatal
way. We had thought it barely posi-.
bic that he might visit u camp, but rs
two or three weeks had passed, and we
were eight or nine miles from where he
had last been seen. we had entirely given
up the idea.
Our method Of logging WAS to cut a
road from u timber to the nearest
creek. and haul the logs on to the ice.
there to wait for the spring frcshet.
The snow IN the sides OF these roads
often became six or eight feet high, and
It was then impossible to turn out on
either side, hence We had switches" At
regular intervals, where each empty
team waited till the loaded sled passed.
II was about four o'clock. and already
becoming dusk, on Thursday Of our
third week, that l was taking my last
load down to tho ice. A short distance
behind came Jim Hayden with another
load. l was but a few rods from the
''switch" when I heard q terrible
cream Of boisterous laughter.
The thought that II was the mailman
instantly forced itself upon me, and
upon looking around, ! saw the six
yoke Of oxen tearing madly down the
road towards me. III was down grade.)
They were heavily LOADED. and atop the
logs stood the mailman, plying the
whip and uttering such fearful wells a.
fairly made my blood run cold.
! Immediately perceived that II I did
not get my load into the switch before
he passed, a terrible catastrophe would
be the result, and l therefore hurried
the oxen ~ much ~ possible; but des-
pite my efforts, ! had only succeeded in
getting partly In when the twelve oxen
struck the end Of the logs with q heavy
crash. killing the OF X Of the two
middle teams instantly. and throwing
my oxen down.