The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1891-08-14
A WORKING Wolf.

ningham's farm, which lies pretty we'll
up in the Blue mountains in the north
eastern part of this county, says Pitts
burgh paper win see a sight the like of
which was probably never seen any
where in this country before.
1t is an immense black wolf-one of
the last of its race in this State-with
eyes that glare fiercely at all who come
near him, with the exception of
Farmer Cunningham himself, and ac
companying his glare with savage
growls, and yet meekly treading the
monotOnous round of a churning ma
chine, like some household dog or old
eve sheep. This performance of
mental service by the wolf, singular as
it is, is by no means the strangest thing
about him. He has history.
Last spring, year ago, Farmer Cum
ninghaIn discovered that something
was carrying off his lambs almost as
fast as they were born in his flock. He
suspected that this was being done by
wildcat, and he set trap to see if he
could not catch the animal. When he
WSlu w illo VI al lSAO llpl ulllS llC was
amazed to find that, instead of wild
cat, he had captured a 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-
longed in that neighborhood it had not
roamed the woods solitary representa-
tive of its race. 1t was she wolf, and
although the animal was held fast by
both forefeet in the trap she was lying
patiently on the ground and giving
suckle to a baby wolf when Cunning
ham appeared on THE scene.
When the wolf saw him she sprangto
her feet and savagely confronted him.
He shot her through the head and capt
ured the whelp alive. 1t was not more
than three weeks old. Cunningham
took it home with the carcass of the
old one. The young wolf moaned
piteously for its 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 good
way to starve to death when Mrs. Cum
ningham had a 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 farm-yard, and for weeks
visitors saw the strange spectacle of a
sheep sucking a wolf, the wolf, be-
yond 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 unbrol1en until the death of the
sheep few weeks ago.
AS the wolf grew the unsociability if
, not the entire savageness of it's kind
manifested itself, and he was kept Sc
curely chained. Although it was Mrs.
Cunningham who saved his life, the
wolf did not like her to come near him.
but he early showed the greatest friend
ship to Farmer Cunningham, who han.
died him as easily as he would house
/, dog.
The old eve sheep was the churn
, sheep of the farm, and it was no uncom.
, mon sight to see 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 Il barn door fell on the eve
and killed her. 1t was churning day
and Cunningham was at loss to know
: what to do for power TO run the tread
= mill that operated the churn.
y Finally he thought of the wolf, whicl
= is an unusually large and powerful one
lie resolved to try the animal as
> churner and put him on the mill. Tn,
y wolf objected strongly at first, bu
when the machine started ne slfbmitte,
and ran off the chrrning in excellen
= style. Since then he has been regnlarl,
- engaged in running the machine, an,
= he goes to his work as cheerfully as al
- animal of his kind could be expected to
5. COMPLAINT of Mormons.