The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-01-25
SKINNING SEALS.
The Cruel Manner in Which the
Operation Is Performed
Description of Scene which Is Dupli-
Gated Many Times in n Year some-
thing for Kind Hearted Young
Ladies' to Ponder Over.

1t is not generally known that atroc-
tiles fully as cruel are committed by
the fur seal hunters who provide the
peltr1es from which seal-skin cloaks
are made to envelop the fair forms and
the tender hearts of American wives
apd daughters.
e. Ii. Wells thus describes an Incl.
dent which he witnessed last spring
while crossing the North Pacific from
Kadiak island to SitlSa, Alaska, in a
sealing schooner.
'We were drifting slowly eastward
one warm April evening, the light
breaths of air which famed the sails
causing scarcely ripple on the surface
of the ocean. Fur seals were living
asleep on every side of Us, their mo
tionless, dark bodies half out of water,
appearing like pieces of drift wood It
was the time of the annual seal migrac
tion to the Prybiloff islands, the ami
mails coming northward from the vast
expanse of southern waters.
"The captain and his alert crew were
provided with heavy rifles and shot
guns for killing seals, and It was not
long before had an opportunity to wit
ness the operation of taking seals in the
Pacific-a peChod totally different from
that employed on the shores of the
Pry ybiloffs, in Behring sea.
"Standing with an Aleut native in the
bow of our little vessel, spotted seal
asleep several hundred yards ahead. It
seemed probable that we would run
over the creature if nothing occurred
to disturb its slumber
81 hastened back to the cabin. and
picking up a heavy four-bore shotgun
loaded with buckshot returned to the
bow intent on getting that seal Then
noticing the Aleut hunter still standing
there, | concluded that he could doubt
less do better shooting than could on
the deceptive ocean, and | turned the
weapon over to him with the advice to
| shoot that seal.
AS he slowly poised the ponderous
weapon containing unknown quantities
of volcanic energy stepped briskly be-
hind to be out of range of possibilities,
My experience with pot-metal Indian
guns had been sufficient to make me
| skeptical as to their cohesiveness.
THE Aleut pulled the trigger and a
mighty boom rolled out over the sea.
while the shot went whistling over its
surface, and with dull 'plunk' entered
the body of the sleeping seal.
"There was wild thrashinp of the
waters.
We've hit seal,' exclaimed some.
body, and there was rush for the life.
boat towing astern of the schooner.
The seal must be reached quickly be-
fore it sank. Several men jumped into
the boat, seized the oars and padded
desperately away for the seal, which
still lay houndering on the water, not
a hundred yards from the vessels bow
"They reached it in time and an
Aleut, by dexterous manipulation born
OF long experience, hooped the slippery
animal into the boat.
"a few MON ents later we all gath
cred round the gasping creature as it
lay upon the deck, while one Of the
hunters, an experienced hand at skin.
ming seals, barred his long, sharp knife
and prepared to remove the pelt
He made several cuts about the flip
| pers, when | interfered. The seal was
breathing hoarsely, its chest rising and
falling spasmodically, Kill that beast,
] exclaimed, before you skin itr
HE obeyed, or attempted to, by cut
ting long cash across the creatures
| throat.
BLOOD flowed forth in torrents and
covered the deck. The struggling
ceased and thought that death had en-
sued The hunter proceeded with his
skinning operations and the pelt was
about one-third removed when | was
horritied by another loud gasp from the
seal and renewal of the heavings of
the chest. Evidently it was not dead
and was undergoing tortured
Kill itP cried, and the man with
one long, slashing cut ripped the ami
NAL open and partially disem bowled it.
Then, with dexterous movements of
the knife, he rapidly continued to re-
move the pelt and had almost separated
1t from the body when another noise
came from the seal Its mouth opened
and it breathed hoarsely once more.
II could scarcely believe my eyesl
There lay creature alive, yet skinned,
, disemboweled and its blood lying in
pools on the deck.
" Cut it's heart outP | calculated. un.
able longer to bear the sight of the ap-
parent suffering.
The hunter reached his hand inside
of the carcass and plucked forth the
heart. 1t was warm and throbbed
regularly. Cut loose from the body and
held out in the hand it continued to
pulsate, the valves opening and closing
for fully three minutes with unfailing
regularity 1t was a grewsome sight
but the seal was now dead. lie no
longer breathed nor moved, a feeling
of relief swept over me-
. DO they usually die that hardT 1
| demanded.
oh, yes replied the hunter. coolly
They always act that way when we
skin them
thousands Of seals are taken every
year by schooners in the northern
Pacific and Behring sea and are skinned
alive by their heartless captors, who
will not take the trouble TO kill them.
| The creature dies harder than almost