, 1889-01-26
CRYING WOLF"
Wolves and Coyotes Killing Young
Stock Up North.
Over 100 Colts Lost in One Locality
in Crook County.
A Destructive Old Monster Killed
Near Meeteetse.

The LEADERS northern exchanges are
loudly crying wolf" and steadily main
tain that there is much cause for alarm.
On this subject the Sundance Gazette
says:
We acknowledge we never suspected
that the loss to our stockmen from this
source was of such magnitude until this
week. when we were shown a petition by
Mr.. Handbook to which is attached the
signatures of horsemen with the loss each
has suffered opposite his name, From it
we learn that ll3 colts have been de-
stroYed by gray wolves and other larger
animals among horse growers residing
from Handbook to G~reentood's on the
Belle Fourche, a distance OF eighteen
miles only. Mr.. Handbook circulated this
petition personally in the scope of country
mentioned. Mr.. Todd, with another peti
ton, took in the country further down the
Belle Fourche, and is working the eastern
part of the county, but at this writing
we have Jailed to learn the result OF this
tour.
Stocks Millar went out from town this
week with a copy of this petition and will
circulate the same in the western part of
the county and the Upper Belle Fourche.
The petition is addressed to the next leg
i%slature. and prays for protection from
this scourge, which is dominating their
herds of young stock so rapidly and so
effectually. The signers wish the bounty
renewed on the larger animals and placed
at such q figure that it will be an object
for hunters and trappers to direct their
attention towards these beasts. 1t Is to
be regretted that the legislature does not
convene for n year yet, making it proba-
bic that the coming crop of horse stock in
some localities will be entirely destroyed,
while the general loss will be frightiul.
In a letter to the Lander Mountaineer,
Otto Franc,a reliable citizen of Meeteetse,
Fremont county, tells in this style of the
determination of a dreaded animal of
that region:
THE famous monster gray wolf which
has been committing depredations around
Meeteese for a long time, and which has
beep hunted and shot at more than any
animal has at last met its doom.
"Messrs. Marks and Blackmore of the
Wise cattle outfit saw him a few days ago
near their ranch. They caught and sad.
died their horses in as quick time as they
are accustomed to do when they are
aroused at night in camp by the cry of
the night herders that the cattle are
s~tampeding, and gave chase. After a
hard race over rocks and sage brush, across
gulches and W and down steep hills, they
came near enough to throw their ropes on
him and stretched him out, when they
killed him with rocks.
This wolf has, since last summer,
killed in the neighborhood of fifty calves
and grown cattle. He was so fastidious
that he would cat only once of the same
animal; thcn when he became hungry
again, he would kill another, and so on.
The cattlemen are breathing a sigh of
relief and will cheertully pay over to
Messrs. Marks and Blackmore the reward
which they offered some time ago for the
capture of the wolf.
Coyotes, wildcats and mountain lions
are multiplying so fast here since the
bounty was taken of that unless the next
legislature restores the same the losses
caused by these animals will be enorm-
GUS"
1t will be remembered hat the last leg
islature repealed the bounty law by an
almost unanimous vote. The paymen of
bounties well nigh bankrupted one or
two counties. Carbon. particularly, was
a victim of the scalp hunters.