The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-23
KILLED THE. MOOSE.
|how THREE HUNTERS GOT THE LAST
ONE IN The ApiRoNDAckS.

-Four Days Tagging Him Aner First boc-
ing His TraOks-Credit Due Their Deer |
heund-Ons Man I'm Tree.
Two of the three men who took part Ia |
the hunt that resulted In the killing of |
the last Adirondack moose are still alive |
and living ON the outskirts OF the great |
north woods They are Henry Wiley and
Captain Frank Faville. The home Of the
former IL at Salisbury In the northern
part of Herkimer county, while that Of
the latter is on the ST. Lawrence, the ex-
Itreme northern boundary of the wilder
ness
, Wiley, Faville and Jed Thompson, the
three hunters, were all experienced woods
men, but mono of them had killed moose
in the Adirondacks. In fact, moose had
not been killed for 90 years before. 1t was
nearly 80 years ago that the moose left the
Adiroudacks and crossed into Canada.
! It was early in the winter of 1868 that
Wiley, Faville and Thompson started out
on hunt for deer. There had been reports
In the settlement for some time before that
an enormous bull moose hud been seen In
while the hunters did not take much stock
IN the reports, they decided to hunt around
the lakes, hoping thatif moose had stray
cd over from Canada they would get shot
at him. They had Wiiey's big deerhound
along and to that fact the old bull owed
his death.
/ The men were skirting the southern side
of West lake when Wiley discovered the
great tracks Of the moose In the snow.
Calling the others, they examined tho
traoks'wit deep interest. None OF them
had ever seen moose tracks before, but
there was no misraking them, for no other
animal could have left such hoof prints.
The trail was comparatively fresh, and the
hunters determined to follow 1t until they
overlook the game II It took all winter,
and mt one time 1t seemed to them ~ II u
would.
All that day the hunters followed the
trail, and they camped that night on the
shore of Pleasant lake At daylight they
started again, the trail leading around the
northern side of the lake By nightfaN
they were on the southern shore and ap-
parently no nearer their quarry than when
they started They were all hardy fellows,
but they were pretty tired and somewhat
discouraged, for the tracks were as fresh
as ever and It seemed as II they would
never be able to catch up with the old bull.
AS yet the hound had not taken the scent,
which led Wiley to believe that the moose
must still be a long distance ahead OF
them.
The next morning another start was
made, and the trail led directly back TO-
ward the Canada lakes At about evening
the hunters reached the point from which
they had started the day before. Here Wi
ley found second track exactly like the
Hrst, at which he was decidedly nonplused.
He studied the trail carefully, and then
he said:
ON be gol burned II I don't think the
tarnal critters runnin round in circle
i'twixt here an Pleasant lake, an IL we
want to git q shot at him we'n have to go
stother way an head him of.
"Thats sensible figuring, replied the
captain. "But II we do that, we'n have to
leave the trail, and the dog won't be of
any use TO us.
After discussing the matter fully 1t was
decided to camp for the night and in the
morning to divide the party, Wiley taking
the dog and following the tracks, while
the other two men should go around the
other way, In the hope of heading of the
moose.
About 8 O'Clock In the afternoon the
hound took the scent, and with deep bay
bounded off into the woods, Wiley follow
ing as fast as he could. hoping the moose
would be driven to bay by the dog before
the big animal should run into the guns
of the other hunters. The latter, he reck-
,oned, should be somewhere near by that
time Wiley wanted the moose badly, but
4. TOD tr,. ,at c1,n or af m
Presently the peculiar barking OF the
dog indicated that the moose had turned.
"A few minutes later Wiley came upon a
scene that he has not forgotten yet. In a
little glade not 100 yards away stood the
most gigantic animal that he had ever
seen. 1t was twice AS big as a COW and
stood higher than n horse His head,
crowned with immense antlers, was low
cred for a charge at the dog, and his eyes
blazed with rage
The dog was evidently badly scared, but
vet had too much pluck to run away. He
would ADVANCE toward the moose, barking
furiously, and then the moose would
charge upon him, and the dog would maks
tracks for dear life. Wiley was 90 astound-
ed at the enormous size of the animal that
he did not think of his rifle, but stood gar
ing at the scene in amazement At last ile
oame to his senses, and when tho bull pro-
sented his shoulder Wiley raised his gun
and fred, aiming for . point Just behind
the fore leg.
Now, Wiley was ordinarily dead shot,
bnt this time he must have boen affected
by nervousness. for his bullet strucl the
moose In the fleshy part Of the shoulder.
Up to that time ths moose bad beer so oc-
cupisd with the dog that he bad not no.
ticed Wiley. Now, however, bo tarned,
and with, below of rage started for his
new enemy. In those days there were no
magazine breechloaders, and Wiley knew
that he would not have time To reload be-
fore the bull would be ON him. So bodrop-
ped his gun and sprans into the limbs OF
nearby tra
The MODE se came on with rush and
butted the tree with ,srch force as almost
TO shake Wiley from his perch. Again and
again he charged, but Wiley hung on with
a desperate grip. Then che dog came into
the play again, and the moose turned to
him. Once Wiley attempted to slip down
after his rife, but the moose was alert and
A..