Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-09-28

Uncle Jake Hammersley.

Uncle Jake Hammsrsley.
In answer to inquiries Uncle jake
Hammersley, of Pennsylvania, recently
said /:
''Tm the boy that can tell you some
good stories and not depart from ehe
truth, ssher. What do you want me to
relate p
"Whers were you born, Uncle Jake,
and what is your age?'
81 was born at North Point, Pennsyl-
vania, in 1914 where my father first set
tied When I was about fourteen years
of age my father moved up Kettle creek
and settled on what is kown as Hammer
sley's Fork and cleared up little farm.
1t was a dence wilderness then and there
were no settlers near us. He lived to the
age of ninety years and my mother
reached great age Also"
'rDid you learn hunting early ?"
'.Yes We had to learn in those times,
ior the wolves were 30 plenty that they
came up to our door and killed sheep
right under our eyes. The woods, too,
were full of deer, and many a time 1
have seen the creek literally swarming
with them as they came in to eat the
moss which grew on the stones. 1 could
kill four or five Of night and thought
nothing of it.
"How many deer have you killed dur
ing your lifetime?"
"Well, mover kept an exact account,
but whenever 1 tried killed from fifteen
to twenty-five of a season. In fact, L
never made an effort to kill large num-
ber, as they were so abundant in those
days that there was no difficulty in get
ting all the venison we wanted. To keep
within bounds and speak truthfully, L
have no hesitancy in saying that have
killed three hundred deer during my
lifetime, and expect to kill few more,
although they are pretty scarce now."
'Did YOU ever kill an elk?"
"Oh, yes /; 1 killed five before they be-
came extinct, sent the horns of big
fellow to Henry Clay many years ago.
They were splendid. The Cornplanter
Indians hunted them very close and they
were. soon nearly all destroyed, The
elk is a curious animal and hard to hunt.
They make a strange noise, little like
the believing of bull, when running
in herds. / have heard them often.
"As to the bear, have killed one
hundred and twenty-five. I killed fifteen
for three seasons in succession. and 1
have taken sixteen from that high noun
tain opposite Remove. 1 generally trap
ped them and then shot them. 1 used
to get fifteen cents a pound for bear
meat and 1 have received from 50 to S15
tor the skins. That was in 1865. The
largest bear ever killed weighed five
hundred pounds undressed. Ihave kill
ed many that weighed from two hundred
and fifty to three hundred and fifty
pounds. 1 could estimate the weight of
a bear very closely. The rule among old
hunters is that when bears hindquar-
ter's weigh ninety or ninety-five pounds
the forequarters will dress one-haf
more. 1 know this to be a good rule
from experience. A bear is always heav-
lest forward"
'What other animals have you kill
ed?"
"Well, let me see. want to tell you
nothing but the truth. / have killed be-
tween seventy-five and eighty cata-
mounts. I killed ten in two years.
Caught them nearly all in bear traps. 1
have also killed four panthers, the largest
of which measured ten feet from tip to
tip, the next nine feet, one eight feet
and the other seven and half feet"
"Did you ever have any encounters
with these savage animals ?"
"Never. They generally kept their
distance. One night panther tried to
take the carcass of deer from me that
had killed and dressed, but / fought it
off. 1t was evidently very hungry. L
consider myself first class shot. The
best gun, and indeed it is my favorite
to-day, is an old-fashioned single ball
muzzle-loading rife. 1t was made in
Wheeling by man named Long and it
is over sixty years old. 1t originally
carried forty balls to the pound. / have
it yet and would not exchange it for any
of the new-fangled rifles now in use,
although have very fine double-bar-
relied one."
''Were you ever frightened while en-
camped in the wilderness at night by
panthers ?"
"No, sir; they are generally shy.
Those hunters who tell about being at
tackled generally imagine such things.
The great night owl has frightened more
hunters than animals. They make a
horrid noise when everything is still. I
remember one once that had voice al
most as loud as a coarse car whistle, and
it knew how to use it"
"What other animals have you killed?'
"Well, I remember killing five
wolves"
"Any foxes ?"
"Foxes They are not worth count
ing. Why, caught ten last fall, and
during the last forty years I am sure l
/ N
"Any otter or beaver p
"Oh, yes, have shot many otter on
Kettle creek and also beaver. 1 can't
tell how many. Never kept any account
of them. They were plenty on that
stream forty years ago. At one point