Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1892-06-25
SAM HARDING'S TROPHY.
BY DUKE CUYLER.

Among the first who built their cablnS
on the shore of the beautiful Osspee
Lake was a man by the name of Sam
Harding.
Alone with his wife and child he had
trodden the forest that lay between the
settlements at Dover Point and the lake,
and once arrived upon its banks he built
mis- cabin, and set about his work at once
Of clearing up homestead.
Before his doors lay the shining waters
of the lake, and behind the dark shadows
of the Ossipee Mountains, which seemed
ever duplicated in the huge mirror spread
at their feet.
For many years there had been sus-
pended from a smoke-stained beam above
he broad fireplace trophy of the early
lays he had spent on the shores Of the
take.
1t was an Indians scalp.
So long had it hung there that it was
rs dried and smoked egrimed as the beam
itself.
Few there were of his visitors who. re-
marking it. failed to inquire why it was
thus preserved.
To these he did not fail to tell its his
tory, as we shall do now.
We will give it in his own words, so
the reader may imagine that he is sit.
:ing in the cabin of the old pioneer,
with the strange trophy suspended be-
fore him.
"You ask me why it is that l keep
that thing in the house2 Well, l will
tell you.
when 1 first come up here to settle
on the banks of the Ossipee, it was
bowling wilderness for miles and miles
on every side.
81 hadn't but one white man for
neighbor, and he lived two miles away
iown at the foot of the bay.
But 1 had plenty of another kind.
There were wild beasts and savages on
every hand, and there were times when
they both gave me lots of trouble.
with the beasts could getalong pretty
well.
"When they got too neighborly, !
would spend few days in hunting, and
get them thinned out, so that for time
l could live in peace.
But with the redskins it was differ
ent. 1t wasn't no use to try and thin
them out, although there were times when
l had to try my hand at it. My plan
was to keep on the right side of them if
/ could, but could not always tell which
side that was. They were mighty UNI
certain. You never could tell for q Ger
tainty when they were friendly to you
or when they were waiting for a good
chance to take your scalp.
Zone time one of the varmints went
for it, and l came within an ace of going
under. 1t was the time took that thing
up there. If had not worked like
beaver, mine would have been hanging
in redskin lodge, for their callers to
inquire about
lyon see, the way it came abont was
this-the bears had been very plenty
that fall, and at one time l thought that
they would destroy everything l had
raised.
Il had been rather busy about tho
clearing, but saw at last that had got
to drop everything and take time to thin
'em out.
II put off the job until one morning;
and then when saw what they had been
up to during the night, l was SO mad
that took down my rifle and told my
wife that was going into the woods,
and would not be back until had pun
ished at least one of 'em.
"A big bear, one whom judged by
his track would weigh at least 500, had
been into my corn, and the way he fin.
ished it was enough to make anybody's
temper rise. 1t seemed as though the
critter had tramped down and destroyed
good five bushels of it.
"There was not any trouble in follow.
ing the trail he had left behind, for hia
feet were as big round as peck measure,
and you could see where he had planted
'em, a half dozen rods ahead.
"For fully two hours l followed the
trail which led right up among the noun
tains yonder. When he struck into 'em
he followed the course Of small brook
which came down the bottom Of mar
row valley over which the rocks hung as
though they were about to topple upon
your head.
The valley grew narrower and mar.
rover as you went up until at last the
rocks came SO close together that they
slut out the sunshine, and kind of twi'
light filled the place.
II had just made up my mind that ]
should find his bearshp not far from
here, when all at once l heard deep
growl only little ways ahead of me.
1.-The next minute l saw him-he had
seen me and was sitting up on end, to
give me hugging when l came near
enough.
{" 1t was good chance for shot, and
bringing my rifle to bear, 1 took aim for
the spot right between his fore-shouders,
snd fired. The next moment he was
sicking among the dry leaves, giving up
The ghost
Il knew that there would be no need
Of another shot, so I did not load my
rifle again, but rushed up to the spot
Il wasn't long in getting there, and
when did, found that there was some
body before me.
- redskin, whom had some trouble
with before, was standing over the bear,
now Gasping his last, and the varmint
had sent an arrow into it, and I knew,
in moment, that he meant to claim the
carcass for his own. But had no inten-
ton of being cheated out of my fresh
meat in this way, so l walked up to the
bear, and whipping out my knife cut its
throat.
The redskin looked as ugly as pizen,
and in broken English wanted to know
what did that for. The bear was his, he