The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-08
WOLF CHASING IN THE WEST.
4 Much More Exciting sport Than
Fox Hunting.

1T seems to be quite the fashion to ride
TO hounds here in the East" said G. a.
Garfield of Sheridan, Wyo., the other
day. 4 suppose that is a heritage from
our English ancestors. or, at least, pat
termed after our English cousins. OF
course. l have been corrupted by living
in the wild and woody West, and can see
little fun in the sport the way it is pur-
sued here. I will have to plead my resi-
dence in extenuation, If that will be par
donable. But this thing of dragging an
anise bag over ten or fifteen mile course
seems TO me about as tasteless as soup
without salt But we must keep in the
swim, and even it we do jump fences only
three feet high, our Imagination can do
the rest. The brush isn't the whole thing,
after all.
1--WE have a little sport once in a while
out in my country. though l don't know
that it is so swift when it comes to be ex-
amined critically. We had a wolf chase a
short time ago. and I thought it far from
exciting TIE be sure, Buffalo Bill was not
there but then he has lived in Sheridan,
and he has some extensive property in
terests near there l mention this to show
that Sheridan basks at least in reflected
glory, even if 1t possesses none of its own.
But about that wolf chase. The people
out there love anything that savors of
hard riding, and the broncos never seem
to tire when they are in pursuit of any
thing. There were number of guests
stopping at the Sheridan Inn, and the
hotel proprietor wanted to get up little
function for their amusement. So we had
this wolf chase.
1.-The wolves had been captured in heavy
steel traps. three of them, but they had
not been rendered at all docile by their
few days of association with human be-
ings, they had all been famed by the
sharp teeth of the traps, and a big, old
she-wolf had attempted to gnaw off one
of her hind feet in order to obtain free
DOM They were not these little coyotes
They We're wolves, the great, gray, timber
wolves, larger than a Newfoundland dog,
with mighty jaws, lined with shining,
sharp teeth, that snapped omnously when
any one came near them They are not
towards. those timber wolves. They Will
attack a man even when they have not
the encouragement of a pack. A timber
wolf can throw a steer and cut his throat
quicker than cowboy. That is the reason
why the ranchmen are so anxious to get
rid of the pests. But they are cunning, and
it is not often that one gets caught in a
trap.
''Word was sent throughout the town
that there would be a wolf chase in the
afternoon, and about 800 men, women and
boys came out on broncos TO follow the
hounds The pack WAS good one, and
numbered about thirty as good dogs as
are to be found in the Northwest. l think
that Col. Cody owns some of them. There
were foxhounds, with cross of the bloc l.
hound about them, long, rangy, stag
hounds that covered from twenty to twen-
ty-fve feet at every leap, while other
coursers of less distinguished ancestry
were brought out to follow with the rabble
ut may have seemed tame to tender
foot who didn't know anything about the
nd Of the timber wolves
But it did not take long for such scoffers
to be enlightened The tourists from the
inn we're given a coach. from the top OF
which they could view the hunt. The
wolves were taken out in wagon ana
given a little start before the hounds were
unleashed. At first they laid down as If
hopeless of escape, aud absolutely retus-
ed to bulge Even kicks failed to arouse
them Finally the smallest of the trio
got I'D and started off with limp They
did not run fast, at least they did not ap-
pear to- and every one said the chase
would be a frost.
'In about a minute the dogs We're turned
loose. and they took up the scent with a
chorus that would have made any hunts
mans heart beat faster The way the lead
ers covered the ground was a caution, and
it seemed to me as if tie three wolves
handicapped as they were by lameness'
would be overtaken IN less than five min-
utes The reason we thought that was
because we had not been looking at the
wolves. The minute they heard the bay
ing of the hounds they seemed TO have ior-
gotten all about steel traps and CAPTIVITY
They had an awkward gait, but the way
they got over the ground made us fear
that there would be no brushes to dtstrlb-
ute.
.phe old she-wolf was going on three
legs. but she led the trio. number OF
COW punchers from Stockwelrs ranch start
ed out TO flank them, in order TO Keep
them from getting into the foothills around
Big Goose creek. They fired their reVolV-
ers and howled themselves hoarse' rldlhg
at top speed and finally got them going
i'm the direction they wanted them. Bur
there were only two dogs who gained on
the wolves. These were two Staghouhus
with keen noses and speed that never
saw surpassed. Such leaps you 'never saw,
and the rest of the pack had to get an
other leader who was in the same class
with the rest. Gradually the staghounds
closed in on the wolves.
so far they had been running by scent,
but soon they caught sight of the tugi-
lives Then the chase assumed diferent
aspect and the wolves might as well nave
tried to race an express train.
But, after all it was nothing more than
a race. The speed was with the stag
hounds. but the courage and fighting quail
ity were with the bloodhound stock in the
rear. The leaders knew the TEMPER VI inc
foes they had TO deal with. The old She
wolf was still leading, and her smaller
male companions were slightly behind.
with an instructive generalship, the stag
hounds bowled over the shewolf and left
her struggling on the ground. They had
stopped her for a second. Then they set
out after the others, and pretty soon had
them sprawlng on the prairie. The
wolves got up and showed fight, but the
staghounds stood off and the wolves start
ed on again. The same tactics were re-
peated, and their progress was so impeded
that the pack gained rapidly. The stag
hounds seemed 10 devote most of their time
10 the TWO male wolves, and the old fe-
male began TO get away But the pack
was now in striking distance, and the fight
commenced.
The two male wolves were soon sur
rounded. and there was a miX-up equal to
a scrimmage on q football field. The
wolves were game aud disposed of five
dogs before they were killed.
THE old shewolf had not gone far and