The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-08-21
THEIR OWN ExEcUTIONERs.
The IngeniOusly Cruel Way In Which In
dians Obtain Wolfskins.

The Ingeniously Cruel Way In Which In
dams Obtain Wolfskins.
"Where do you suppose these wolf
skins come from that make such pretty
gray rugs, which only cost about three
dollars apiece, although the fur is so
handsome?" said Prof. Otis F. Mason
the other day to a reporter of the Cour-
Ter. 80 many people would not buy
them if they knew, l fancy. They are
obtained from the animals by the north
ern Indians, particularly in the Hudson
Bay region, and by the Eskimos. These
savages possess a fiendish ingenuity in
their methods of capturing game, and
their way of applying it for killing
wolves is sufficiently horrible to dis
courage me with this particular sort of
peltry.
1T is beautifully simple. They take
fiat piece of flint a foot or so long and
Clipped to extreme sharpness at the
edges. This they fasten to a wooden
stake, which they drive into the ground
firmly, so as to leave the blade of flint
projecting above the surface. Then
they cover the blade all over with
good-sized hunk of fat from a seal or
other such animal, which quickly
freezes. Now the wolf-catching appa-
ratus is complete, so that the person
who sets the trap has only to come back
in day or two and gather in his prey
without trouble.
The wolf has mastering appetite
for blood, and it is of this weakness
that the hunter takes advantage A
little while after the trap described has
been set along comes the wolf. He is
hungry and he ticks the hunk of frozen
fat All, it is good! So he liclls it some
more, and as it is thawed by the
warmth of his tongue it tastes better
and better. Presently his tongue comes
into contact with the sharp edge of the
flint and is cut. He tastes the blood,
not knowing that it is his own, and the
flavor sets him wild. Eagerly he ticks
it and liclls it, decorating his mouth and
becoming more and more frenzied in
his desire for his own life fluid.
meanwhile other wolves have come
up and have begun to HEX at the fat,
cutting their own tongues and becom-
ing in their turn wild at the taste. So
presently the bait is surrounded by
pack of ravenous and crazy creatures
which soon turn upon one another and
fall to devouring each other, until the
merciless flint is the center of a strug-
Cling mass of ferocious combatants. 1t
is like the struggle that followed the
planting of the dragons teeth of old,
only that none of those who participate
lives long after the fight is over, the
last survivor bleeding to death. At his
leisure the hunter appears upon the
scene and skins the dead beasts for
market. The pelts cost him nothing
save the trouble of removing them and
the value of the hunk of fat; the stake
with the flint blade is ready to be set
again for victims. That is the reason
why gray wolf rugs only cost SO each,
with three skins to a rug.
But that is only one of the diabol-
zeal devices employed for such pur-
poses by these natives. The hunter
takes long strip of whalebone from
the head of whale he has killed. just
such as is used to stiffen corsets. He
doubles 1t up IN the shape OF letter NJ,
and fastens it compactly in that form
with bindings of sinew. This he in
closes with a wad of fat, and leaves it
on the ice to freeze. Pretty soon along
comes white beaE, shifts at the deli
cate morsel SO happily thrown in his
way, and bolts it without further con.
sideration. The fat quickly melts in his
stomach, and the sinew bindings are
consumed by the action of the digestive
fluids, so that before long the strip of
whalebone is released from its bent
shape and springs out at full length
across Mr.. Bears stomach. and he dies
within few hours of loclljaw in fright
full agonies Next day the noble pot
hunter comes along and possesses him
self of big white robe. large enough to
cover a small room and worth several
dollars at first hand or two or three
gallons of bad whisky. Buffalo Cour-
Ter