Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-12-25

0 brother companion and began business
: for myself. I had learned from ny
!. mother that our race had no very
honored esteem in the world, and tina
, one animal, at least, was our morta
enemy In that section where we
were brought up there lived an ole
hunter by the name of Curt Brown
who all his life long had been striving
to annihilate our whole race, and q
long line of ancestors of ours had
been ruthlessly slaughtered by that
brutal hunter. I discovered that my
life was endangered, and that I must
watch constantly for the hunter, the
trap and the dreaded dead-fall. I
learned to make my predatory ram
bles in the night time, getting scent
living in the deep woods during the
greater part of the season. Occasion
ally got a side Of venison, and, when
driven to it by hunger, I captured
fat weather on some pasture hillside.
While have had many opportunities
to snatch away child from the rasp
berry field, or baby from the door
yard, I have never done so cruel a
thing, and no man will say that ever
did harm to his family or threatened
his own life. I have never been quite
able to understand just why my race
and family have been SO detested by
man, especially by those in a Chris
tanned and humane state like Yer
mont.
The affair Of the last two weeks,
while it gave me much annoyance and
a long tramp, was not particularly i'm
portant in my history. After a season
fairly prosperous, had decided on
a home where I would den for the
winter; but I found it to be in Iocali-
! ty where the 1umbermen were at
work, and where [ should be liable
to be converted into cold meat, bear
skin and state bounty if remained,
SO [ concluded to move back farther
into the mountains. While so do
| ing a party of dogs Or hunters got on
to my trail and I soon found [ was fol-
| lowed by both dogs and hunters. I
watched them until I discovered that
they were armed with guns, and that
while should be able to defend my
self against men and dogs, it would
( not be pleasant to stand up to be per-
forated with bullets and buckshot.
Ihad made an occasional trip into Es-
| sex county, where [ had several rela-
tives residing, and 1 concluded to go
there, where I could escape the hunt
ers and spend the remainder of the
winter. [ took a jogging speed, just
! fast enough to keep ahead of the
hunters, while they were rushing
on headlong and frightening the
neighborhoods through which we pass
ed. Every now and then dogs ap-
preached and challenged me for bat
| tie. I have way Of disposing Of dogs
that is very effective, and quite pleas
ant-to me: 1 sit down quietly until
| they approach and begin the on
slaught have way of throwing out
my right hand and arm with consid-
cradle violence, and when my can
! inc friend gets near enough, | give him
such blow on the side as lands him
| a long distance from me and ends up
his battle with q broken back or a vi
| vi that is distressing. No dog ever
calls at my house the second time.
The other day while was leading the
hunters dance around Bald Hill in
Westmore, somebody sent in big
bull dog which invited me to extend a
flank to him while he shut his Jaws
close on me. I declined the invita-
ton, but gave him a blow with my
right paw that lifted him into the air
and landed him twenty feet away at
the foot of a tree. When he caught
his wind he bade me quick adieu and
I never saw him afterwards.
Ny advent into Craftsbury and
Greensboro occasioned not little ex
element, and the people turned out
in crowds to witness the process
sion as We went through the towns.
So great was the interest that post
masters and merchants, hunters, old
men and young men were trying to
get near enough to me to discharge
their snot guns in my face, but de-
clined to give them any very close
range. Had they been unarmed, I
should have been more than pleased
to have met them in warm
embrace, but somehow I always had
an aversion for cold lead. [ took
some Of my old trails across the
country, putting up over night in the
north part Of Greensboro. Here I
was very hotly pursued by one Fell
ker, who was one of the best travel