The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-03-09
RAID ON WILD BEASTS,
HOW FARMERS PROTECTED THEIR
CATTLE IN EARLY TIAEs.

.LLLNL- H.NaLa. IE..fka s. NHtsF a
how FARMERS PROTECTED THEIR
CATTLE IN EARLY TIMES.
County, Pa, EIshty Years or More Ago.
t.'The region now included in Brad,
ford County, Pa" says a letter from
that section, s'began to be settled moro
than a century ago. In 1905 there were
about 5000 inhabitants of the county.
There were q few small villages, but the
settlers were generally scattered about
ON farms. With the exceptions of these
clearings the country was still an I'M
broken area of dense forest. Wolves,
panthers and bears had hardly thought
of retiring before the e~ncroachments of
the settlers. Deer roamed the woods in
herds, and the elk still. browseA in the
mountain Businesses. The ~badkwoods
clearings were constant foraginggrounds
for wild beasts. The few sheep, swine
and cattle the pioneers possessed were
never safe from the maraudors, and it
frequently happened that these raids
left the settlers stock Enclosures entirely
empty, -,
annually fell victims to the traps, snares
and guns of the pioneers, their depreda-
still remained a serious obstacle to
the welfare of the settlers. In 1905, at
the suggestion of a longssuffering far
mer named Buck, it was resolved to OF
ganize q systematic and combined raid
on the haunts of the animals whose
destructiveness indiviauAl> efor.s had
but slightly checked MI. Bucks idea
: was to enlist every ONE in the afflicted
settlements who WAS 'old enough to
carry gun, and with this small army
form q circle around ;as large an area of
country infested by the animals they
desired to assail as the number of hunt
ers warranted. The party was ito be
divided into companies of ten, under
the lead and command of an experienced
woodsman and hunter. When the hunt
ing ground was surrounded each party
was to move forward simultaneously to-
ward q common centre, the march to be
conditionedon such obstacles Us streams,
swamps or hilk that might intervene.
AS the raid was Ito lbes one merely of ex-
termination, deer, tekk and other unof-
Tending animals were not to be ruth
lessly nor indasnriminately killed. Every
hunter, however, should be bound. to
lay low every panther, catamount, bear,
wolf or fox, yDupg'0r old, that crossed
his, path.
-''The pSoneers>suggestion was unanl-
mously adopted at meetings of settlers
held at convenient localities, and it was
resolved TO make two raids during the
year. One wasrto be in June, when the
animals they sought would generally be
found with their itters. and families of
young Drought forth in the spring, thus
afordllg opportunity to put much
future trouble out Of theaway with ease,
and the otheriraidvwas fixed for Novem-
beE, during thelnutting season. Every
arrangement for the successful and
smooth working of the,nevcl campaign
was perfected during bin winter and
spring, and whentthe dsy came for the
grand rand ITO. commence, $500 men, each
armed with his fidatloek, a Ratchet, and
a.hunting 4anffe, aand provided with two
days, EatiOns, were "readysfor the march
'.eThe number, ofmen who were to par
ticipate I'M the'raid was known for days
before the i%appolnted rhine. and war
ranted Hdhe selection ,ofsa wide area rof
country TO hunt over. "A wild region,
which was knowu!t to furnish all the re-
quiremcnts of the aninals to be pro
ceeded Notwithstanding from the head
waters Of the Wyalusing Creek, and
taking IN portions of iLycoming and
Luzerne yeounties,iit was'thought, could
be proftahly,and thoroughly secured by
the large party, and "a. circle of hunters,
i've to q mile, was formed in that
segion. This gave an area 40 miles
across, or 12O,milss around, to close in
upon. Z
1.-THE day before h,e day: appointed
each commanded 10men had received
orders to be at a place designated at 6
o'clock in acknowledged to be in po-
sition to start forward }half an hour
later. The arrangements were all sue
cessfully carried ont. The circle was to
be reduced by 10 imilesrthe first day.
Each hunter had strict serder not to
shoot except when The sawssome animal
plainly and within. easy-range, to avoid
the danger of shooting atfellow-hunter
in mistake for game moving, but not
seen, IN the ihrush. During the first
days march through ,the woods and
swamps, ali around the great circle of
hunters, the result sof the raid, accord
ing to the returns ,of the hunters whose
shots had been successful, was as fol
lows, old and young; Panthers, 40;
wolves, 3d. bears, %; foxes, 20; cata-
mounts, 49, The second days march
brought the hunters CLOSE together at
the centre of the AREA, and also drove
into close quarters . large number of
wolves, bears and lpanthers. ,besidcs
many deer andsas few.elk. My grand
father, who was a captain Of one of the
divisions Of the party, said that the
scene presented by rhese hemned-ln
beasts was one he could never forget.
The hunters stood in ranks five deep
about them. The panthers yelled fu-
Iiously fromSthe tree-tops as they leaped