Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-12-27
HUNTING THE WOLF
Good Sport in the Bear Creek
District, Illinois.
A TwO-DAYS CHASE OF vARMINTS.

The spoiis of the Huntsmen Comprise
Big Panther, Six Wolves and Ten
Foxes-Hundreds of Horsemen Join I'm
the Drive Which Forces n Couple of
Deer to Break Cover-Twenty Coons
Bsgged.
CARTHAGE, Ills, Dec 27.-The grand wolf
and fox hunt of Bear Creek and st. Adams
sportsmen is at its height. The chase was
begun early Wednesday morning, and when
the hunters rounded up at noon yesterday
the proceeds of the haul were ten foxes, six
wolves. a panther, and over twenty raccoons.
Then the bugle was again sounded, and a
couple of'fine deer are promised the relent-
less huntsmen before they abandon the sport.
Silas Lneberger, of Augusta, a pioneer
hunter and trapper, learning that the wolves
and foxes had become numerous in western
Hancock county, came over to Basco with
his packs of full-blooded and well-trained fox
hounds on Christmas Eve
The Region Hunted Over.
Preparations were at once made for one
of the grandest fox and wolf drives known
TO the sporting fraternity of Illinois. Bear
creek is an unruly stream that mcanders
through western Hancock and northern
Adams counties. 1t traverses a heavily
wooded country. and its banks are thickly
lined with heavy underbrIIsh. This is where
foxes and wolves hide, and it was rumored
that larger and more ferocious game lurked
in the vicinity. About 100 men on horseback
started out behind as many baying dogs
Wednesday morning. The little village of
Basco turned out its inhabitants to witness
the mount The air was filled with the
Sbf n -
hounds Five beautiful foxes were holed,
and number of wolves were seen, but as
there was a lack of firearms in the party
none of these beasts were killed
Preparing for Br'er" Wolf.
Christmas night WAS spent on the banks of
Beaver creek, and the camp fires attracted
hundreds of neighboring farmers, who re-
solved 10 join in the chase Yesterday morn
ing the crowd had reached such large pro-
portions that old ST Lineberger resolved TO
divide them into squads. This was done.
After an early breakfast two squads of men
were allowed TO carry shot-guns and rifles and
were delegated to sweep the thickest part of
the Bear creek creek bottoms James Long,
the wellknown hunter and trapper, led them
and they started ahead of the others Other
squads led by the dogs galloped away in diff
terent directions
Panther Breaks Cover.
Oue squad was headed by Jim Long They
were rushing wildly through heavy clump
OF hazel brush at the edge of heavy timber
when a wild shrek startled all the party save
Long. Boys, panther he shouted Look
TO your guns No sooner had he uttered
these words than an immense panther
emerged from the underbrush and with
wild leaps swept 10y the squad of hunters,
and in an instant the guns were leveled and
volley of buckshot rildlel the big cats
hide. He was beauty and a monster
The Grand Roundup.
At noon yesterday the party ate dinner on
the south fork of Bear creek There was a
grand roundup Of hunters, and the haul con-
sisted of ten foxes, six wolves panther, and
about twenty Coons At o'clock Yesterday
afternoon the dogs started deer. and were
coursing in the direction Of Basco. As the
dogs had been hard pressed since early
Wednesday morning, it Is thought the deer
will escape TO the Mississippi river and reach
the wilds Of Missouri