Evening journal., 1899-09-12
YOUTHFUL BOUNTY CLAIMANTS.


A MONG the first applicants for wolf |
! ~ bounties in South Dakota, under |
the new bounty act which became a
law in that state in the winter Of 1895 |
90, were two mere tots of children, |
Rose and Custer FoullSrod, who made !
their appearance at the house of the
county treasurer one morning only
three weeks after the law went into
/ effect
Rose, the elder, is but II years of age,
and Custer only nine or ten, and they
! looked even younger. The children are
not brother and sister. Rose appears
10 be wholly, or in part, of Indian de-
scent, and is a waif adopted In the
Z Foulkrod family several years ago.
Custer, on the other hand, is q bright
snndy-haired little fellow, who gave
direct answers TO all questions put 10
him. His father, he said, had gone
for soldier" and his mother was at
her early home in Indiana; but Grand
\ pa and Grandma Hogan" were at their
sod house on the North Fork, II miles
| distant. The children had come from
there that morning.
When first seen, at about seven
o'clock. they were sitting in front OF
the treasurer's home on a rude sled,
barnessed to a very subdued, piebald
ca vuse or Indian pony. How long they
had been there was not clear; they ap-
peared TO be waiting to be seen, not
heard. 1t was a cold morning, while
vet six inches Of frozen snow lay on the
ground, and their clothing was far
from warm or abundant They had
wrapped themselves in three worn old
blankets, and had large, rickety goods
box at their backs. Rose was sitting
5 straight as a stick, her black eyes fixed
I on the house windows; she scarcely
smoke at all. and declined TO 60 into the
house. after the treasurer had invited
them to enter, but watched his face
closely. 1t was the boy who did the
.. talking. He said that they had come
to get the bounty" so that they could
, "eo to the store and buy grub stuff.
"Bounty on what?" the treasurer
asked them.
"Wolfses," said the boy. Five wolfses
and lion and a kiyote."
"But have you the proefs-the hides
D or scalps with rhe tails?" the treasurer
asked.
q yep" replied the boy, in business
= tone. Jumping nimbly over the goods
!. box. he hauled out from it five wolf
I pelts. a coyote hide and a SMALL noun
tain lion skin-all fresh
The wolf-slins were those Of tho
large, gray timber wolf, Formidable
= and destructive brute which infiiets de
n plorable losses on the stockmen Of the
It counties west of the Missouri, border
o inc the Black hills The new bounty
= law provides that three dollars shall b'
v paid by county treasurers for each gray
wolf scalp or hide. a ike sum for
mountain lion, and one dollar for
- coyote.
' But satisfactory evidence must h'
y presented that the animals were ldlle'
l. within the county or state, and it is thu
ID treasurer's duty, on payment, TO puncl
hole not less than half an inch il
g diameter in each ear of every skin, t
prevent repeating" The skin, thu
marked. is returned to the person pre-
senting it. who can sell it if he wishes
IN 1t is expected also that the owners O
cattle and sheep ranches viii pay
Ia bounty to those who destroy wolves am
f. panthers, in addition to that paid b.
the state.
IA To prevent fraud, the county officer
6 are obliged to use vigilance, and in thi
instance the treasurer's suspicion wa
that the children had been sent to hir
Ia by some one who had brought the skin
,h into the state from Nebraska or Wyom
ing.
"a where did you get these hides?" h
Vt asked.
"On'n wolfses," replied the lad.
"Yes, but who killed them2"
The boys eyes searched the treas
urers. "Grandpa Hogan made pill
d. fer 'em," he replied, as if concedin
something unwillingly, but her an
me ketched 'em," he added, stoutly, il
IS dicating his companion with a nod.
"How old a man is your grant
10 father?" the treasurer asked, incredI
h)usly.
:, "He's most so, grandpa is, and it too
u htm most all the forenoon every tim
ls to get 10 skin EN-
or "'Look here, you must tell me th
te trath about thisl" said the treasure
" severely.
in "Tm telling you the TRUTH" replie
n the boy, with elear-eyed honest.
- ''Heq' and me ketched 'em and grandI
ny mads pills fer 'eIn fer us"
ut tell me how you caught the'
C. wolv,ssl" exclaimed the treasurer, sti
let uncortvinced.
he ---
Id A chNap substitute for standa