The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-16
CHASED BY A HUNGRY PACK.
AN EXCITING EXPERIENCE WITH
WOLVES IN THE NORTHWEST.

Pursuing Brutes.
From the st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
! Lakewood, N. D.-Reports from the
| northwest and the timber districts lying
along the Red river indicate that the gray
! wolf is giving settlers more trouble than
! usual by menacing their fiocks and herds.
There is bounty on the scalp of every
sray wolf killed, and a good many make
| fair living by hunting the animal, but it
! holds its own in numbers and loses none
of its natural ferocity. Ordinarily the gray
wolf is not a dangerous creature for a man
to meet but it frequently happens in the
winter that it is driven desperate by hun
ger and then heaven help the living crea-
ture that happens to cross its path. 1t
roams over the prairie in small packs, and
when prey is scented there is a wild
scramble among them to get the first nab
at it.
Fifteen years ago, when there were few
er settlers in Richland county than are
there to-day, and there were not so many
cattle to be preyed upon, the traveller
across the prairie frequently had to race
| for his life with the gaunt gray providers
| that were to be found in the shelter of
| every clump Of trees that grew. CONNER
| cial travellers whose business took them
| among the small towns that had no rail
| road connections often had hair-raising
| SlOIiGS 10 tel OF lnG2T experience Win gray
| wolves. One of the most interesting sto-
| ries of adventure with the animals is re-
| lated by Augustus Stockdale, who was on
| the road for a wholesale grocery house.
! He had a lively rival in William Clark.
| The route of these two men took them over
! the same territory at the same time, and
| they were always trying to beat each
| other into the towns, and to do this they
| would resort to all sorts OF tricks by
which one might outwit the other.
1t happened that one day these two men
| struck the town of LidgewoOd. 1t was
! in the spring of 1882. and winter was break
| ing up. Late in the afternoon they fin
! ished their business in Lakewood and
! were to go from there to Fargo. The
| nearest railway station was Wahpeton, to
| There was no possibility of one beating the
other to Fargo, because there was but
| one north-bound train that night, and it
| LETT Wahpeton at $3.50 o'clock This train
| they both intended to take.
| The drive to Wahpeton would take a
| little more than an hour, and at o'clock
| Stockdale started in a sleigh drawn by
| a pair of strong-legged horses and driven
! by a Norwegian employed at the livery
| stable at which he had hired the team.
| 1t was moonlight, the sleighing was eX-
! cellent, and the prospect of reaching Wah-
| peton in an hour was encouraging. A thin,
hard coating Of snow was. spread over the
| prairie. and the driver decided to cut
| ''crOss lots" and thus shorten the distance.
| A little more than half the distance had
been covered, and the horses had peen
! cigar, when there was a sound from the
| rear that caused the driver to turn quick
! ~ in his seat and look back. The same
instant the horses showed signs of rest
| lessness. Stockdale heard the sound and
asked the driver what it was. The Nor
| wegian promptly replied that 1t sounded
| like wolves. He had hardly finished
| speaking when the short, sharp bark of
| a wolf came swinging through the air
! from away in the rear, and then there was
| another and another Stockdale looked
| around, and away off to the left he saw
ten or dozen dark spots scattered over
/ h. Iii Z 1cgaTvaF alaa # fka nfV.n
| ITS wolves, sure, Ole,' said he to the
driver. You'd better start the horses
Ole was already alive to the situation,
| and the horses began measuring the soil
| at a tremendous gait A trotting horse is
no match in speed for the wiry gray wolf
| and the yelping of the pack behind the
| sleigh became more frequent and more dis
| tinct each moment. Stockdale had a re-
| volver, and he carried it in readiness to
use If occasion required. The wolves
| were gaining on the horses, and their forms
| could be distinctly seen as they galloped
| swiftly after the sleigh. They were prob
ably after the horses, but Stockdale knew
| enough of the animals to convince him
| that they would not hesitate to roll his
| flesh under their tongues as a sweet NOR
| sci if they got the chance.
| The horses were doing their best under
! the pressure of the drivers voice and the
| sting of his whip, but they were losing
| ground, and when they set into run they
| could not widen the gap between the
| sleigh and the wolves To make matters
|
| driven out of the line of Wahpeton, and
| all he could say was that he was headed
| for the Red river which was about two
| miles ahead as near as he could calculate
| the distance.
The trees on the bank of the river were
| clearly seen. Stockdale kent his ewes on
! the wolves who became more excited as
| they neared the pry that thy were after,
| and they had reached a point where he
| could see their white breath as it came
| in little puffs from their mouths. There
| were thirteen of them, and there were but
| seven shots in Stockdale's revolver. He
! didn't want to take the chance of wasting
| any of them, and waited until the wolves
| got close to the sleigh before firing.
| The horses were at gallop, and the
| sleigh was fairly flying over the snow.
| The trees along the river were less than a
! quarter of a mile away, when Stockdale
! took his first shot at the wolves. His aim
was true, and one stricken animal rolled
| over on the snow dead. Part of the pack
| stopped to strip his bones of the flesh,
while the others bounded along after the
i sleigh with renewed speed. The horses,
| frantic with fear, leaped toward the river
and dove among the trees, apparently in
! They were beyond the control of the driv-
er. and when one OF the runners colided
with a stump the two men went flying
| through the air. with the robes and sam
! pie cases after them. Luckily neither was
| hurt, and, quickly getting to their feet
! they scrambled up a cottonwood tree that
| rose out at an angle from the bank over
| the river. The horses plunged into the
! water and sank among the ice foes with
| which the river was filled.
! For the time being the men were safe
! but their position was dubious one for
! the wolves disappointed in not getting at
| the horses, walked up and down the river
| bank near the, tree that held the men. and
made the night hideous with their howl
| ings. The river was swollen with the
spring freshet, and had risen nearly to the
| top of it's banks. Large cakes of ice from
| the upper waters drove under the tree at
| frequent intervals at almost railroad
| speed. Perched among the limbs over the
whiring flood. stockdale's thoughts turn
| ed to business, and he gritted his teeth
| when he saw Clark outstrippng him In
| the race 70 Fargo. He knew pretty well
| that when daylight came the wolves would
! leave, but by that time Clark would be In
| the city down the river ready to do bust
| ness with the merchants, In his misery
| he took shot at one Of the yelping ami
| mails but it didn't reach the mark, and
| the entire pack hOwled louder than before
| leapng up against the tree. evidently mad
| dened because they couldn't get their
| fangs into the flesh Of the men among the
| branches. af
] For an hour Stockdale sat in a crotch
! trying TO take a philosophical view OF
| the situation, but he couldn't do IT, He
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