Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-04-29
A WORKING WOLF.
It Does the Churning for Farm
ers Family.
Tho Strange Manner In Which tho AMI
NAL Was Reared and Taught to
Perform His Labors
on tho Farm.

burgh paper, will see n sight the like of
which was probably never seen any
where in this country before.
1t is an immense black wolf-onc of
the last of it's race in this State-with
eyes that glare Hereby at all who como
near him, with the exception of
Farmer Cunningham himself, and ac-
conpanying his glare with savage
growls, and yet mccllly treading the
monOtonous round of churning ma
chine, like some household dog or old
eve sheep. This performance of
mcnial service by the wolf. singular as
it is, is by no means the strangest thing
about him. He has history.
Last spring, Il year ago, Farmer Cum
bingham discovered that something
was carrying off his lambs utmost as
fast as they were born in his flock. He
suspected that this was being done by a
wildcat, and he set q trap to see if he
could not catch the animal. When he
went to his trap next morning he was
amazed to find that, instead of 4 wild
cat, he had captured u wolf.
1t had been years since any one had
seen or heard of wolves in that region,
although they were at one time numer-
Gus in the Blue mountains. 1t was evil
dent to Cunningham, however, that if
the wolf he had caught in the trap be-
longcd in that neighborhood it had not
roamed the woods solitary representa-
tive of its race. 1t was a she wolf, and,
although the animal was held fast by
both forefeet in the trap, she was lying
patiently on the ground and giving
suclIle to n baby wolf when Cunning
ham appeared on the scene.
When the wolf saw him she sprang to
her feet and savagely confronted him.
He shot her through the head and capt
ured the whclp alive. 1t was not more
than three weeks old. Cunningham
took it home with the carcass of the
old one. The young wolf moaned
pitcOu$ly for it's mother, and the farmer
proposed killing it.
His wife would not hear OF the killing
of the whining cub, and took charge of
it herself. She could not induce it to
take substance, and it was in a good
way to starvc to death when Mrs. Cum
ninGham had bright idea. The night
before her husband set the trap one of
their ewes was robbed of her lamb.
The wolf undoubtedly stole it. Failing
in all her efforts to introduce food into
the stomach of the baby wolf. Mrs.
Cunningham carried it to the bereaved
eve.
The eve was brought from the past
ure to the farn-yard. and for weeks
visitors saw the strange spectacle of
sheep Sucking IL wolf, the wolf, be-
You'd all doubt, being the offspring of
the one that robbed the sheep Of her
own young.
The wolf thrOve amazingly on sleeps
milk, and the strange foster-parent and
child formed the strongest kind of an
attachment to each other, which re-
manned uabrollen until the death of the
sheep u few weeks ago.
As the wolf grew the ,unsociabilitv if
not the entire saVageneSs of its kind
manifested itself, and he was kept Sc
curcly chained. Although it was Mrs.
Cunningham who saved his life, the
wolf did not like her TO como near him,
but he early showed the greatest friend
ship to Farmer Cunningham, who han
died him as easily as he would q house
dog.
The old eve sheep was the churn
sheep OF the farm, and 1t was no uncOm-
mon sight to sec her and the wolf asleep
side by side, but there was good reason
to believe that no other sheep on the
farm could have approached within
reach of him with safety. A short
time ago barn door fell on the eve
and killed her. 1t was churning day,
and Cunningham was at 81 loss to know
what to do for power to run the tread
mill that operated the churn.
Finally he thought OF the wolf, which
is an unusually large and powerful ono.
He resolved to try the animal Us n
churncr and put him ON the mill. The
wolf objected strongly at first, but
when the machine started he submitted
! and ran off the churniug in excellent
style. Since then he has been regularly
engaged in running the machine, and
L., L. L., y.