St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-10-21
YOUTHFUL BOUNTY CLAIMANTS.


Il MONG the first applicants for vol
II boIntics in South Dakota, undel
the new bounty act which became .
law IN that state in The winter of 1898
%. were two mere tots Of children
Rose and Custer Foulkrod. who mad,
fhelr appearance at the house OF tn,
county treasurer one morning onl,
three weeks after the law went into
effect.
Rose, the elder, is but IL years of age
and Custer only nine or ten, and they
looked even younger. The children are
not brother and sister. Rose appears
to be wholly, or in part, of Indian de
scent, and is waif adopted in the
Foulkrod family SEVERAL years ago
Custer, on the other hand, is bright
sandy-haired little fellow, who gave
direct answers to all questions put to
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,
harnessed to very subdued, piebald
cayuse or Indian pony. How long they
had been there was not clear; they APP
peared to be waiting to be seen. not
heard. lit was q cold morning, while
yet 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 a large, rickety goods
box at their backs. Rose was sitting
straight as a stick, her black eyes fixed
on the house windows; she scarcely
spoke at all, and declined to go 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
.go to the store and buy grub stuff
Bounty on what?" the treasurer
asked them.
"Wolfses," said the boy. "Five wolfses
and lion and kiyote."
But have you the proofs-the hides,
or scalps with the tails?" the treasurer
asked.
.Yep," replied the boy, in business
tone. Jumping nimbly over the goods
box, he hauled out from it five wolf
pelts, coyote hide and small, noun
tain lion skin--an fresh.
The wolf-skins were those Of the
large, gray timber wolf. formidable
and destructive brute which infiicts de-
plorable losses on the stockmen of the
counties west of the Missouri, border
ing the Black hills. The new bounty
law provides that three dollars shall be
paid by county treasurers for each gray
wolf scalp or hide, a like sum for a
mountain lion, and one dollar for q
coyote.
But satisfactory evidence must be
presented that the animals were killed
within the county or state, and it is the
treasurer's duty, on payment, to punch
n hole not less than half an inch in
diameter in each ear of every skin, to
prevent repeating" The skin, thus
marked, is returned to the person pre-
senting il, who can sell it if he wishes.
1t is expected also that the owners of
cattle and sheep ranches will pay a
bounty to those who destroy wolves and
panthers, III addition to that paid by
the state.
To prevent fraud. the county officers
are obliged to use vigilance, and in this
instance the treasurers suspicion was
that the children had been sent to him
BY some one who had brought the skins
into the state from Nebraska or Wyom-
inr.
..Where did you get these hides?" he
asked.
..Of'n wolfses,'' replied the lad.
.sYes. but who killed them?-
The boys eyes searched the treas
urer's. .Grandpa Hogan made pills
fer 'em,"s he replied. as if conceding
something unwillingly, but her and
me ketcled 'em," he added, stoutly. in |
dicating his companion with nod.
..How old a man is your grand
father?'' the treasurer asked, incredu- |
louslv.
Hes most 50, grandpa is, and it took |
him most all the foreaoon every time
10 get to skin 'em."
Look here, you must tell me the |
truth about this!" said the treasurer.
severely.
I'm telling you the truth" replied |
the boy, with claar-eyed honesty.
aHer and me ketchel -em and grandpa |
natle pills fer 'em fer us"
But tell me how you caught these
wolves." exclaimed the treasurer, still |
unconvinced.
eve ketched 'em in the shack"
..What shacke Nhere?"
ss;randpa-s old shack. where he used /
Is live, on t'cther side of the crick."
.@Yex, hut how did you catch wolves
Il This shackg' questioned the treas
urer. .How came the wolves in the
shack?
.sThey went in to get the hoss head
md the steer bones"
aBones that you put there for bait?
But whit kept the wolves from coming
1at1
The boy explained that .'her' mean
inr Rose. whose black eyer t.srked
rspidly when the treasurer looked It