Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1885-08-13

rhs Charmed Life SOLITARY Member II
the Family Led.

rhe Charmed Life n SOLITARY Member II
the Family Led.
There were very few beavers left in
he waters of this State or Pennsylvania ia
IN 1894, when Benjamin Patterson, a
noted hunter and trapper OF those days.
discovered colony in Mud Creek, a
tributary Of the Upper Chemung River.
rhis was the first colony Of beavers
that had been found thereabout for
some years Patterson set his trap,
aud caught q beaver every night for
seven nights. On the eighth night a
beaver escaped from the trap and left
one Of its hind legs in it
lt is peculiarly of the beaver family
that II all the members OF n colony but
one are captured or die, the survivor
will never again seek another colony or
/ follow the regular life Of beaver, but
will become a wanderer. hiding where
ever Il can. and displaying cunning
and sagacity that were strange to il
when II lived IN a colony After find
ing the beavers leg in his trap, and
failing 20 capture any more OF the ami
mails, Patterson knew that he had taken
all but one OF the entire colony, and
that that one had become n crippled
| wandercr.
These solitary beavers were called
tramps by some trappers, and bachelors
! by others Patterson lost track of the
missing beaver. but the next year he
came upon s'gns Of it. He could not
find his hiding place. however, and for
| five years he followed the crippled
beaver up and down the Chenlug and
its branches, always on its "a hrf
never succeeding in outwitting its Gun.
ming. AT the end of five years Pattcr-
son declared that the beaver bore n
charmed life, and that there was no use
in wasting time on t. His brother
Richard thought differently, and con-
| tinued the search for the bachelor bea-
yer. IL was heard of all over the val
ley, first in one place and then in an
other but Patterson had no better lack
in trapping for it than his brother lad,
| and in 1907 all signs of the wande ring
| beaver disappeared. II was thought
that il had died or left the locality.
In 1909 Richard Patterson was trap
ping on the very headwaters of the
Chomung and he discovered signs of a
beaver. He could not locate IL in any
| one spot and IL kept moving down the
stream. Patterson followed il all the
way to Newton, where Elmira now
stands. without getting a sight OF IT,
At Newton Eddy the beaver left the
stream, and Patterson discovered by
its tracks in the snow that it had but
three legs. and he made up his mind
the crippled bachelor beaver of 1894
had turned up again. The trail led
across country seven miles to another
stream, where it disappeared, and all
trace Of the beaver was lost
Nothing was heard or seen Of II
again for nearly four years. In 1912
Benjamin Patterson was fishing in the
Tioga River, near Painted Post, and
was surprised to see beaver crawl out
from clump Of willows near by him
and draw itself up the bank. One of
its hind legs was gone, and Patterson
| felt that he was once more in the pres
ence of the. charmed beaver. He
picked up a cub and sprang toward
the animal, but it quickly disappeared
| in the water. Patterson ran TO a house
near by and got rifle. When he re-
| turned to the river the beaver was in
the middle OF the river, swimming
| toward the other shore. Patterson
took good aim and fred at il. 1t dis
| appeared beneath the water. Patter-
son, believing that he had killed the
beaver at last. jumped into a boat and
started out TO look for its body. Before
/ he had gone far he saw the beaver
climb up the bank on the other side
and disappear. Patterson then swore
that he would never again make any
attempt on the life OF the bachelor
beaver
All sign OF the mysterious tramp was
| again lost In the spring Of 1914 there
was an unusually large froshet in the
| Chemung Ira Mapes, father Of Oryin
Mapes, was working on a raft with two
l other men some distance above New
l town. The food became so strong that,
| just after the men had gone TO their
] raft TO work early one morning. the
rope bro6e and they were carried down
stream. The raft landed on an island
/ near Newtown. A crop Of corn had been
raised on the island the year before,
Z and some of the shocks of stalks had
I been left standing. The weather was
very cold, and Mapes and the men
started for one Of the corn shocks 10
shelter themselves until they could be
I taken of TIE island. There had been q
slight fall OF snow during the night.
and the men noticed a peculiar track
| leading from the river 10 the corn
shock toward which they were going.
/ The track had been made by an animal
with but three feet. The men picked
up clubs. and. surrounding the corn
shock. routed the animal out
Ii was a very large and very gray
beaver. and it was soon killed. One OF
is hind legs was gone. and the men
then knew that the crippled bachelor
beaver tina. had foiled all the best
trappers for twenty years had met its
death at Their hands Mapes bought
all interest in the beaver for two dol
lars, and subsequently had the fur
made into a cap. Cor. ~ T. Sun.