Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-12
WOLF ATTACKED A HUNTER.
Peter Watson, n Veteran of Nebraska
Has n Narrow Escape.

| Peter Watson, n Veteran of Nebraska,
Has Narrow Escape.
| Chatlron (Neb) Correspondence New York Times.
| Probably the only remaining wild beast
| hunter in the state of Nebraska today, a
| survival of the pioneer days, is Peter A..
| Watson of this city, who he's just dtstin-
| guished himself in killing great gray
| wolf in a hand-to-hand struggle, with a
| small revolver as his only weapon. Wat
| son is professional wolf hunter, and his
prowess is recognized by the Nebraska
| Live Stock Association, which employs
| him annually salary to slay wolves
| on the range, and thus protect the young
stock.
! For ten years Watson has been on the
pay roll of the State Stock Association In
| the capacity of wolf hunter, and he has
killed on an average of 400 big gray wolves
| annually. OF late the catch has dropped
| down to less than 200 annually. but for the
| first few years of mis- occupation as wolf
| hunter for the association Watson killed
as high as 500 wolves yearly.
| In this pursuit Peter Watson has ridden
! his horse through the whole Of northwest
| ern Nebraska, and has enjoyed many stir
| ring adventures. He is the only man in the
| state today who makes his living by STAY
| ing wild beasts. This class of men has
been gradually disappearing from Nebras-
ka, driven further west by the advance OF
civilization. Trapping used to furnish oc-
cupation for large number of these men
on the streams in the western part OF the
state. but all of that numerous class of
daredevil spirits have been swept In late
years into the fastness of the mountains
by the farmer and the stockman. The
| probabilities are that Watson will not. be
| able to earn his salary many more years, so
rapidly are the wolves disappearing from
western Nebraska
The man and his methods are equally Gu
| rious. Watson is tall, athletic frontiers
man. past fifty-five, but as erect in his car
| It. P,yI syn' "T1f
son, was a famous Nebraska hunter, and
shot buffalo with "Bill' Cody for the rail-
road company when the Union Pacific was
poking its nose across the plains. He was
killed in wolf chase at Sidney several
years ago. Peter Watson has rather con-
tempt for that class of hardy westerners
who made their living by trapping. and
nothing makes him more angry than to
have some one mistake him for q trapper.
Watson does all his hunting on horse
back with pack of fine staghounds These
dogs he breeds for his own use and al
ways uses six of them in hunting. He rides
q blooded horse that can keep we'll to the
front In chase even after the fleetest ami
NAL that roams the plains, the gray wolf.
He works entirely under the direction of
the Stock Association, travelling from
county to county as the wolves are report
ed to be ravagilg the range in different
parts of the state. 1t is nothing for him
to ride 100 miles without dismounting, and
he covers nearly twice that distance in a
day when IL is necessary.
He is always ready to take to the saddle,
and his methods of conducting wolf hunt
are peculiarly his own. He rides into the
section where wolves reported to be
killing young stock and moves along until
a wolf is sighted. He carries a powerful
field glass. and is constantly sweeping the
surrounding plains with it. In this way he
frequently sees the wolves before they see
HIM. If the game Is off and away, Watson
simply notes carefully the general direction
taken; then he swings his pack around be-
hind hill. drops out of sight only to re-
appear ahead of the game, on which he
rides with rush.
Then the dogs take UP the chase. The
wolf seldom holds out for more than mic.
Sometimes particularly strong animal
hounds overtake him. The pack works to-
gether. If the dogs did not they would not
last long. as the average gray wolf can
kill in relays any pack of hounds that ever
attacked him. But when Watson's trained
pack jumps on a wolf that is the last of
him. They fight together and seldom get
more than scratch. The dogs follow the
wolf closely and attack him all together,
and such fight lasts ordinarily but few
minutes.
Mr.. Watson, in all his experience as a
wolf hunter, has never found it necessary
TO aid his dogs in dispatching their prey
after they have run 1t to earth. In fact,
it would be hard to render service after the
attack is made because of the indiscrimi-
nate mixture of dogs and wolf. On these
VOL hunts the Won slayer is ermed with
nothing but a large revolver. He has sew
eral times been forced to use this weapon
in self-defense, for while wolves, not press
ed, will never attack man, occasion ally
hard-pressed wolf will turn on his pur-
suers and make most desperate fight.
This was the case a few days ago In Box
Butte county, where Watson was engaged
in eXterminating a number of big wolves
which had killed some young stock. The
pack had started wolf and was far in ad-
vance of their master, when suddenly a
huge wolf, which had evidently been asleep
in the rank underbrush until disturbed by
the Wolf hunters horse sprang upon Wat
son. The animal buried its claws in the
side of the horse and its fangs In the riders
leg. 1t was very large wolf, and the sud-
denness of the attack gave the beast dis
tinct advantage.
The attack was made from the right side,
and the only weapon the wolf hunter car
ried was beneath the body Of the ferocious
brute. Watson struck the animal repeated
| ~ across the snCut with his quirt. Then he
| thrust his hand down under the growing
| beast to secure his pistol. Instantly his arm
Was seized by the animal and the flesh torn
| from the wrist. Watson reached over
| and grabbed his gun with his left hand,
| the wolf still had the hunters right hand
between his teeth and was chewing 1t very
| industriously. Watson retained his pres
| ence of mind and fired two shots into the
| beast He was forced to be very careful to
| avoid wounding his horse Still the animal
| did not release his hold.
All the time Watsons horse was rearing
| and piunging over the prairies and scream
| ing in agony. This made the riders aim
| uncertain. Four times he fired at the wolf
| and had but one Shell left in his gun. Blood
| was streaming from the hunters arm and
| leg, the horse was covered with blood and
| the wolf was bleeding profusely With an
effort the wolf slayer thrust his revolver
| into the mouth Of the furious beast and at
| the risk of blowing off his own hand, fired
| the remaining shell into the struggling tar
| get. The VOLTS head was blown off and the
| body dropped on the prairie.
| Weak from loss of blood Watson climbed
| down, tied up his wounds, and, throwing
| the animal across the horse, started for
| home. fifteen miles away. The heavy leath-
/ er covering he had over his limbs a'one
| prevented his leg from being torn from
| his body. Watson declares this to have
! been the most exciting experience of his
| long service as a wolf hunter. The animal
| was female, and Watson is inclined to
| think she had some whelps in the immedi-
| ate vicinity where the attack occurred or
| she would not have fought so hard
| Most of the animals killed by the wolves
| are not devoured, but their blood is suck
| ed. In this manner it takes several young
| cattle to satisfy very small number Of
| wolves.
| Watson carries the scars of dozen en-
| counters had with wolves during his sery-
ice.