The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-04
FIERCE AND WARY T E
THEY HAVE BEEN IIVINe HTaH ON
MOUNTAIN BROOK TROUT.
CONSTANTS rat they E#svs Thisses Out
Fennsyivasts s-tresms-sersps with Dogs,
n. watch ths Dsgs Dian't Always wis.

n. watch ths Dses Dian't Always wis.
SCRANTON. Nov. 3.-Dwellers along this
streams Of the Moosic and Pocono Mountain
regions Of Backawanna and Monroe counties
say that otters have thinned out the trout this
season TO an alarming extent. II IL seldom that
people get elimpses Of the offers, but they see
the slides and other signs Of the wary little hsh-
eaters all along the many fine streams in the
highlands between here and the Delaware River.
and they declare that the four-footed trout
thieves have not been 90 numerous in twen-
~ years. The furry nsh lovers always catch
the largest trout, the natives say; and they also
assert that the trout taken by fishermen this
season averaged . good deal smaller than usual.
As the fur Of the otter IL nearly prime now. the
local anglers are setting various kinds Of traps
for the alert little trout destroyer.
. Those who know say that the otter II a. hard
10 trap ss q fox. His scent and sight are keen,
and his curiosity is never excited when he spies
trap or kets the odor OF one that has been
smoked. He doesn't care q rap about learning
anything about the mechanism OF. n steel trap,
and he avoids II the instant he gets his eyes on
Il. Before the creeks are covered with ice the
best way 10 fool the otter is to set a steel trap In
the water at the foot Of his slide. The trap Isn't
baited. and q small clog Is fastened TO the chain,
90 that the otter can take the trap with him. IL
the trap were stationary the otter would tear
his foot out or gnaw IL of in q short time.
On Wednesday of last week Arthur Pike Of
Levis's Greek, Monroe county. set q trap at the
foot Of a slide on his place. where offers had
been playing for weeks. The steep bank was at
q secluded bend in the creek. with woods on
each side. and q few rods further down the
stream there was a stretch Of still water. Mr..
Pike fastened q whifietree to the chain, sunk
f. and placed q stone on each end. son Thurs
day morning he strolled mp the creek and found
an .AlA1.NroA AAaetn1 nm NhA atnI tuuNar AftV
yards or 80 below the foot of the slide. A mo-
ment later an otter poked his nose out Of the
water close TO the whif1etree to breathe. Pete,
Mr.. Pixies half-breed shepherd dog, saw the
nooe. and before Mr.. Pike could interfere, plunged
into the creek with q bark and hastily swan
out TO where the otter's nose had disappeared.
The yelping and splashing Of the eager dog must
have startled the submerged otter, for while
Pete was padding toward the spot the whifitree
went under. II arose TO the surface presently,
and 50 did the ottcr's nose.
No sooner had the animals snout appeared
than Pete paved and yelped and made for IL.
The snout went under before he could reach IL
and he dived for the game. The water was
churned into foam and spray. and pretty soon
Pete came suffering and choking to the sur
face. The otter had been too much for him, and
he shortly swan TO the shore, where he began to
howl dismally. One Of his paws had been
CneWe0 INTO n Snhpeiess mhbS Dy inc ueTCe OtJet
in less than half q minute. and Pete will have to
go on three legs for some time. While the dog
was bowling Mr. Pike waded out, got the
whifietree, dragged the otter to the bank, and
killed Il.
Milo. q large Newfoundland dog belonging TO
B. X. Poindexter of Palmyra township, outswam
and outfought an otter In East Branch Pond a
few days ago. Mr.. Poindexter and n friend
were in q boat near the shore when Milo, who
stood with his nose over the stern. plunged all
of q sudden and started to swim for the opposite
side. The log had got sight Of two offers pad
ding leisurely across the lake. They were a
quarter of . mile from one shore and half . mile
from the other when Milo made for them. The
offers turned toward the nearest shore the In
slant they spied the dog. separating when they
soon s onssto aS the The iars 1sps caught Sn saf Il BY it the neck.
and failed the water with IL til 4 broke away
face and for Two or three minutes the
nghting brutes went out Of slight at intervals OF
the .s S,s ssSsp throat ~ sn asps sfser tn he '9 ssS ID tioss eein tS Rs
s sssb s:T r. &, i ssoDs the sna so asos. M ans t Ssd o,: ssys sad
fought 90 hard for his life that the dog was COM
Noah Eastman Of the Bushkin Creek saw two
. slide one morning In June. He was angling
warrins brutes sttracted his attention. They
rolled and tumbled and scratched around in the
ulTI ana WuItI o EOIu6 lu anu LUen chfsn KOE 1
a hold on the others shoulder and lay down to
rest; They went At Il again presently. and kept up
a cry Of alarm, threw himself between the
fiery eombasants, and finally parted them: Then
the TIRES plunged into q pool and disappeared
said the fight must have started quite . spell be-
fore he saw 4, for In the. soft soil at the foot Of
lot Of clotted blood.
;. A few mornings ago Mordicai Putnam Of the
ing around in q pool where he had set an otter
trap the night before. He recognized the dog as
who lived about one-third OF q. mile from the
and the wounds on the terriers throat and
from the bites OF an animal. The trap and
wsrs gone and the indications were
that sss t an 9.,eT b asd ta Ssss ae f. sss.r IN sns t asS that
the otter had killed him. Half an hour later
Mr.. Putnam found the otter in his trap o short
s nsiA~ %sss a0S ss i Rsd ot cisSbea i to d asaEhnEE s % dia:;
the marks OF a dogs teeth In It's hide.
shs trapped otter as well as afterWard. no
Not long ago a tin peddler named Cunning
land on Goose Pond Run. The creek Is close to
wagon road; and the otter was tros,inE
told the bulldog to go for il. The
dog picked his way across The brook on the
sISSsrua'Rn he s sS% is sna co sna outer Instead a,a@i run nf
diving into the stream or stealing Into the
sISss sss sas s snS sb lassis t iss sssSsS%s G 1isss
teeth to the dog. The display of hhe ivory
didn't scare the bulldog any, for he sailed into
the otter at once. and the otter whaled him on
the stones and tore his hide till the peddler be.
cane ssspss S sSr ySs ssls that hhSs'tmh. ii1 re- RFs,v WAS Is T no sort sS 81
the. otter speedily licked the bulldog to within
an inch of his life, and disappeared In the brush.
Cunningham had 10 go after his crippled pet,
and two days later he ended the poor fellows
sgfferings with q dose OF chloroform.
On q recent frosty morning q stranger stopped at
the old Buck Horn Tavern OF Uncle Jacob Gress,
on the old drinker turnpike In Clifton township,
this county, and told the veteran hunter that
he had as thick q coat as a little animal he had
Just got q glimpse of near the bridge on Bell
Meadow Brook, he would be able 70 Keep warm
this winter. Uncle Jacob Is 90 years old. He
has killed hundreds Of Wild animals and he
knew AZ once that the stranger had seen an OF
go out now. He told the stranger To take the
rifle. walk down the road a quarter Of a mile,
turn on 70 the creek. and then make his way
up stream He would meet the OF
ter. Uncle Jacob told MIN, and he could shoot IL
II he took good.aim and held the rifle steady. The
stranger did asdirected. and he met the otter, and
blazed away. at short range. TIL otter sank In
, pool, and the stranger became 30 excited and
that he dropped the rine and jumped