The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1896-07-23
A MIGHTY HUNTER.
Death Of Once Famous Pennsyl-
vania Nimrod.
In Years Gone BY He Was Known as
the Most Successful Trapper
and WOOdsman of
the East, .z-sas...stz

Joseph Mahn, of Elk county, once
famous as a mighty hunter, died a few
days ago, nearly 90 years old. 1t was
less than ten years ago that failing eye
sight compelled him to give up his life
in the woods. He had hunted and
trapped IN the Pennsylvania woods
since 1920, and the stories of his eN-
I.loits are household words in the " est
crn and northern portions of this state
He remembered when elk were yet
numerous in the state, and one of his
favorite stories was of the time when
he was n boy and went with his father
ON an elk hunt. They followed the elk
from the headwaters of the Allegheny
river until it crossed the river below
where OIL City is now, and led the chase
into Ohio, where, on the third day of
the hunt, it was killed not far from
what is now Mansfield.
This old woods1nan ended his career
as a hunter and trapper by series Of
successes which he declared were the
most satisfactory to him of all his eX
ploits. He was trapping in Center
county. and had four bear traps out.
Ite started out one morning to look
after them. The first trap he visited
lad done good work. 1t had a Eig
bear in it with n magnificent coat. OF
fur. The old trapper shot the be0r and
went on to another trap. That one had
a surprise for him. 1t was not bear.
hut an ugly, glaring, snarling cata-
mount, the largest one Mahn had ever
seen in all his career in the forest. 1t
was not only ugly, but extremely tough.
foI the trapper had to shoot it five
times before it would die. This trophy
was over four feet long.
After killing the catamount Mahn
| went on to the third trap. and there he
found awaiting him a monstrous old
timer of Z; he bear, caught in the trap
by both fore feet. How the bear man
aged to get both feet into the trap was
something Mahn could not understand,
as it was a thing unheard of i'll bear
| trapping. This bear was savage old
chap, and resented its capture with
much tenGcity that he would not gisc
up until four rife bullets induced him
to. That three traps in succession
should have yielded each so fine a prize
was enough to aStonish even veteran
trapper, but when the fourth one came
to the front with third bear. as fine as
either of the others. the old trapper re-
jOiced greatly. 1T was a trapping event
without precedent in the Pennsylvania
woods, and as it was a fortnight since
Mahn had shot the biggest bIcll
record as having been killed in the state
he was willing to go home and rest the
remainder of his days Oh the laurels
these exploits alone had won him And
he fully intended to do so. for he had
lost the sight OF one eye entirely, and
the other eye was failing. But he was
| Z !
y few weeks after his great trapping
experience Il delegation OF bacllroods
farmers waited on him ard solicited
him TO 90 kill a bear or something that
was playing havoc with their sheep and
pigs. The weather was warm, and
Mahn did not care to undertake the
task, being then almost so years Of age,
His neighbors insisted, and he took
down his gun once more ard shouidered
his traps. lie put out six wildcat taps
and four bear traps. The next day
each one of five, of the former had Il
wildcat in il, and the sixth one had the
lower part of wildcats fore leg. Two
OF the bear traps had each big bear.
= third bear trap was missing. The
cliain was broken loose from the wood
en- clog, and it was plain that a bear
had walked off with the trap to one of
his legs. The fourth bear trap had not
been disturbed.
Mahn did not intend to go home with
out recovering his missing bear trap.
He tracked the bear that had it to d
swamp and scared it out. The trap
was fast to one Of the bears fore feet.
The bear was inclined to fight the trap
per, but Mahn killed it with two shots.
On his way back home to get help to
carry in this most unheard of coliec-
ton of sheep and pig stealers the old
man struck bloody trail. He followed
it. and it led him mile, where it ended
at the foot of a big chestnut tree. On
branch of that tree, well toward the
top, lay wildcat. Mahn brought it
down with n single shot. AS the Wild
cat was minus one fore paw, the old
trapper knew he had bagged the cat
that had got out of his sixth trap. Mahn
had left his undisturbed bear trap in
the woods. The next day he went cut
! and got his fourth bear. Then he put
away his traps and hung up his gun
and never used them aga. Ch:cagc
Chronicle.
None But Ayers at the worlds Fair
Ayers Sarsaparilla enjoys the extra
: ordinary distinction of having been tn
| I.Ioa<5 ollo,rod ~, a-b;I,;E =,