River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-07-17
AN EXCITING WOLF-HUNT.

| well remember the morning we start
ed after that wolf 1t was an old she
wolf, and she had been doing mischie
for more than year. 1t was about tho
goth of April.
She had been about the farms the fall
before. As many as dozen sheep and
one calf had been found throttled. Deel
had several tunes come out OF the woods
and Joined the cattle in the pastures
through fright, it seemed, at having been
pursued.
During the winter large gray wolf
had been seen three or four times near
the logging camps, ten miles above. One
night man shot at it from his camp
door as it was snatching at some meat
scraps that had been thrown out.
As soon as the snow was off, and the
sheep and cattle had been TUNED out
again, the wolf renewed its deprcdations
The second night our sheep were out
three were killed and partly eaten; and
only t. o nights after this, ii neighboring
farmer lost four. That same afternoon,
too, one of Mr.. Murch another neigh
bor's-cows came to the barn worried
and bloody. as if she had been attacked
by some wild animal.
at Is that wolf" every body said; and
the following morning six Of us turned
cut to hunt 1t down.
Besides my cousin George and me,
there we're Wilt Murch, Ned Wilbur, and
Young fellow named Walt Evans.
Evans was cousin Of the Murch boys,
and was up from Portland to visit them
that spring. Al Churchill, hoy Who
worked for us, was another Of the party
Grandfather was too old for such a
chase; Mr. Wilbur was sick, and Wits
father was not living. The business of
the farm fell largely to us boys, and we
thought it belonged to us to rid the neigh
borhood of that wolf.
/ remember carrying double-baT-
relied duck-gun, both barrels loaded with
b. B. shot and bullet. George had an
old Sharp's carbine. Walt Evans carried,
besides his gun, policeman billy
and knife in belt Ned and Willis
both had guns, but Al Churchill had
nothing but an axe. We were a warlike
party, so far as weapons went, and we
were determined to hunt the wolf down.
George an then owned tao bounds.
One of them, "OId Jim" was a bic saw
age fclloV. We took him Wit us. Willis
took along his fox-hound, too, and Mr..
Wilbur's big watch dog, "Bcavc," came
on after US.
We won't frat to the pasture where Mr..
Wilburs sheep had been killed. tn
spot was little hollow beside thicket
of ccdars and elders. The sheep had
been lying there to be out of the cold
biting wind, probably. n the dark the
wolf had throttled one after another of
them: for sheep when attacked in the
night, will rarely run far, but stand
huddled together.
One of the sheep had been dragged
into the thickct and partially eaten. Old
Jim snuticd eagerly about it; then, with
"a loud, fierce challenge, he bounded off
on the wolf 5 track. The other hound
ana Beave followed.
You may he sure that six more thor
oughly excited BOYS never set Oft after
hOun.s We ran through the brush after
them down into swamp, crossed a
muddy brook, and entered the Sld-growth
woods beyond. And it was not till Ned's
gun went off from accidentally hitting the
hammer against a stub, and came near
shooting Al in the legs, that we settled
Il
pace.
The hounds, of course, soon left us be-
hind. But we followed on, guided by
their loud baying. The old wolf S lair
was nearer than we had supposed it to
be We had not gone much more than
a mile through the thick forest when we
heard Old Jim give prolonged howl.
The steady bayIng had ceased.
THEY'VE run the old brute into some
LEDGE cried Willis.
We hurried on. and came to a deep
wooded gully, between two high hills,
coAn the bed of which ran brook,
foaming over messy, shaded rocks. The
tracks led up this gully. George was
ahead, and we all follos ed as fast as we
could run The hollow grew narrower,
with sleeper sides, and fifty rods farther
M we came to what looked to be a huge
Jam of old stumps, logs and brush, that
filled the whole gully to the height OF
fifteen or twenty feet. Some heavy fresh
ct had lodged it there. The brook
roared and gurgled beneath it.
The hounds stood at the foot of the
Jam Of the stumps and brush, near hole
between two messy logs They whined
when We came up. and Old Jim gave an
other long howl We looked about the
place. There vas many bones, old ones
and fresh ones. with bits of fur and wool
scattered round.
Here's her dcnr' exclaimed Ned
1t was dark, vicious-looking hole
under the old logs Al and George
climbed over the other side, TO see if
there we're more holes leading under OF
out. This lower hole was the old VOLTS
only door" so far as we could see.
The dogs would 90 into it a few feet,
and bark, but they did not seem over
anxious to come to close quarters with Its
occupant. Old Beave charged in at once,
and was greeted with a savage snarl. Fol-
a moment, ne thought there would be q
fight. But the dog backed out, and we
didn't blame him.
We had little doubt but what the oil
wolf had whelps in there. George said
that we had better get axes, and by cut
ting and dragging away the old stuff
work into the den. But Wits said
No, boys; | believe the jam will burn
If once we can get fire into 1t and vel
going, ana We can roast the old thlet
out"
NJ then got some chipS ana SpnntS
which he tuckes into the further end o
the lam. where it was drvest, and set then
ON tire with matches that he had brough
along. Tie fire vas some time IN start
ng.6ut after while the old stuff got wei
warmed up, and then ii began TO TAX
flame and roar.
"Capital. Well soon have our game
and roasted, too" shouted Wits.
And it seemed as if the flames roare'
and began to ~rap the W ole great pill
of DRIFT at we had got the old ''toI
ment into limbo at last, and stool
chance of not only burning her "house
over her head, but of burning her up wit
it. We could hear her groA ling at t.
fire. But she was tough and willy, AM
not dispose to give in without a savag
tig for life.
Just rs the ire seemed TO enwrap tn
whole Jam, the ~olt made a lift bol
ont through the blaze, and. all Singed an
snarkiiug with fire, few at Old Jim lax
mad hyena.
Although we were on the lookout, "