The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-06
rnE n END OF THE WHITE WOLF.
Was Sacred 90 the Indians. hut q veritnble
Hooioo TO the paIefaccs.


was Sacred 10 the Indian.. hut q voritnblo
Ioodoo TO the PaIefaccs.
From The Philadelphia Times.
Fifty years ago a fnmily of Cattaraugus Indians
lived on tho Cornplantcrs' Reserve, In Nenango
county. They were known "a the Jacobs"
and the males were all tall, powerful men and
stark hunters, who followed game clear to the
Canadian frontier. Jim. the youngest. was the
best known. lie killed tho last elk ever sccn
in this State. and Ia credited with bringing into
Byers' trading post, OH tho Allegheny. the skins
Of forty-onc fun grown bears. oil taken In one
winters hunt.
In 1863 he was guiding n party Of gentlemen
from New York, among whom was tho late
Roscoe Conkling. through the wilds of Elk
county. A camp was made on the head wat
crs Of the Clarion, and the party made prepare
tions to hunt for deer the next day. Jacobs
had been ranging around the camp and came in
late. He was more than usually silent and
sullcn. After n time passed in smoking he
startled the Others by declaring that no in
tended leaving them at once. and gave direc-
tions to find McCarty's trading post, three
miles down the river. where another guide
would be had. After some questioning rs to
his sudden resolution, he explained tho had
seen n big white wolf, and it was bad medicine
iDr i his TWO dc dcgs s'hRS he disa Ip al drf n the SSeud ark.
's
ScSt morning MGcarty's post was found
ably T,i~' received. They told their a. D's story. and
McCarty. a man Of sixty.ilve. who had passed
White wolf again. I've heard Of tho varmint
fifty years ago. but never seed it. nor do I know
doubt, for he amt a liar or boaster, and ali the
Injuns think it bad luck. They are full of no;
sSss they Wh f1G;ia ae y ySeir ta gums i 5e tsSy %1Ss and "a fG 9Ss
barrel made crooked, so they will spend a day
huntin' certain YARDS. take the gun apart, load
it's full. then stick the brcech in the fire and
the charge goes off. The barrel is all right, and
timber wolves is more or less white. specially
the old ones. but one plum white l never see.
Twenty miles east of McCarty's. on Beaver
Creek, lived Rush Kemble. He was a hunter
and trappcr' snltiEatiITg enough land to raise s.
sheep that no had succeeded in raising, although
bear and gnnn'hne FER were were plenty in the hhS COUNT u6 n
began to disappear. He sci, traps. watched, at
night, while his son secuted around with his
were taken. Ono day he found on the soft mud
On the bank of the creek a number of tracks, I'M
One day in September while he was absent
from home his daughter Ruth was feeding their
one pig; Suddenly she SAY sTw It., the chickens
animal like an enormous dog. gaunt. covered
with rough hair, and pure, white in color. It
Full OF terror she rushed into the house. Catch
ing up a rife and calling the house dog. she crept
SsSsps shi shs cabin The d Tse w %ei an had oid S sa%f haun nd.
and game. He rushed or the beast. while
Ruth. resting the gun ,Ia on one of the projecting
The wolf gave a Leap In the air and came down
plump on the dog. 1n, an instant the beast had
disappeered and poor Boston lay dead Will his
The next day Kemble and two others started
the foroquarter Of a deer had been hung in the
woods a few miles away. and in the early morn
ing they found this rs G9,pe. .. and 10 on y, The slightly
the wolf. They had twelve fine dogs who
hunted by scent, and all were confident that
Jim Jacobs,s white VOLTS hide would come to
The trail led northwest over a range of hills
ran freely, keeping the men well up to the col.
lar. About midday they, found pheasant
feathers on the trailhth wolf had snapped up
"Bakers's Rocks"
1t was growing dark as they entered a wild
ravine, one side faced with rocks, full Of holes.
they could get at him at daybreak. and il he
4 fire was built and each man divided his roast
vcnison and corn dodHer with his dogs; 1t
EfeT da SiIfSb oq theS Sn6 Began Vsrv to n't seo slee apo %ns n and
shortly a wild burst OF trumpcts from the pack
showed they were running on sight,
was right-it's whitc.''
Although there was no sun 1t was perfectly
thin wintry air. The rock was bare. and the
animal stood MS IL carved in s~tone-over three
feet high at the shoulder. The dead white hair
was hristling with rage. and the tail lashinR like
an angry, cats; ono could see the huge jaws and
iron teeth clash.
IT'S nigh three hundred yards, but let him
have it,
-Four :rihos cracked. and the bullets sang
but the white wolf was gone. The yelling
of tho dogs was plainly heard.
Excited and eager, all hands charged tho
rocks. 1t WAS o hard climb. They reached the
top, and the wolf was gone. inside of an hour
tho dogs found the trail. Tho dogs seemed
confident and ran AT racing speed. The top of
the ridge was covered with a scant growth OF
scrub oak. and on the river side was sheer rock
down sixty feet TO the water. Right on a point
of rocks that jutted ont into the river the
white WOLF came to bay. Kemble plainly
saw n huge, Raunt animal covered with brist-
ling white hair. The rcd eyes glowed with fire,
and for an instant he lost his head. The dogs
were getting the worst OF II, and he fired. A
sudden flash. and he plainly saw the wolf dis.
appear over the face of the cliff.
All rushed TO the spot. There was not a
trace. AT the foot Of the cliff the river was
open. No splash wassheRrd. For an hour they
watched. nnd'then made n circuit, but the dogs
seemed indifferent and made no effort.
And this was the last of Jim JacoJs's white
wolf" II was never seen or heard of again in
northwestern Pennsylvania. There were skep-
tics. but they were silcnced by tho fate OF the
hunters. Not one died q natural death nor
long after. and Jim Jacobs escaped the many
perils OF the wilderness for thirty years to he
crushed to death IN the Erie Railway in 1865.