The labor world., 1900-01-20


other day to Washington Post man.
81 suppose that it is heritage from
our English ancestors, or, at least,
patterned after our English cousins.
| OF course, I have been corrupted by
living in the wild and wooly West, and
| can see little fun in the sport the way
| it is pursued here. I will have to plead
my residence in extenuation, if that
will be pardonable. But this thing of
dragging an anise bag over ten or ,fif-
| teen miles seems to me about as taste
less as soup without salt But we must
keep in the swim, and even if we do
jump fences only three feet high our
imagination can do the rest. The brush
isn't the whole thing, after all. 49,
1--WE have little sport once in awhile
out in my country, though I don't
know that it is so swift when it comes
to be examined critically. We had a
wolf chase a short time ago and I
thought it far from exciting. To be
sure, Buffalo Bill was not there, but
then he has lived in Sheridan, and he
has some extensive property interests
near there. I mention this to show that
Sheridan basks at least in reflected
glory, even if it possesses none Of it's
own. But about that wolf chase. The
people out there. love anything that
savors Of hard riding, and the bronchos
never seem to tire when they are in
pursuit of anything. There We're a
number of guests stopping at the Sher-
ed to get up a little function for their
amusement. So we had this wolf chase.
"The wolves had been. captured in
heavy steel traps, three of them, but
they had not been rendered at all do
cile by their few days association with
human beings. They had all been lam
ed by the sharp teeth Of the traps, and
a big, old, she-wolf had attempted to
gaaw off one of her hind feet in order
Ito obtain freedom. They We're 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 ominously when anyone came
near them, They are not towards, these
timber wolves. They will attack a man
even when they have not the encour-
agement of a pack. A timber wolf can
throw steer and cut his throat quick-
er than a cowboy. That is the reason
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, W0nlen
and boys came out on bronchos to fol-
low the hounds The pack was good
one, and numbered about 80 as good
dogs as are to be found in the North>
west. I think that Colonel Cody owns
some of them. There were foxhounds,
with cross of the bloodhound about
them, long, rangy, stag-hounds, that
covered from 20 to rs feet at every
leap, while other coursers of less dis
tinguished ancestry We're brought out
to follow with the rabble.
TT may have seemed tame to a ten
derfoot who didn't know anything
about the speed and endurance of the
timber wolves. But it did not take long
for such scOefers to be enlightened. The
tourists from the inn were given a
coach, from the top of which they
could view the hunt. The wolves were
taken out in a wagon and given little
start before the hounds were unleash
ed. At first they lay down as if to
hopeless to escape, and absolutely re-
| fused to bulge. Even kicks failed to
| arouse them. Finally the smallest of
| the trio got up and started off with
limp, and the others followed him a
moment later. They did not run as fast
at the start, at least they did not ap-
pear to, and everyone said the chase
would be a frost.
.'In about. a minute the dogs We're
turned loose and they took up the
scent with chorus that would have
made any huntsman's heart beat fast
/ er. They way the leaders covered the
ground was a caution, and it seemed
to me as if the three wolves, handicap
| ped as they were by lameness, would be
lovertaken in less than five minutes.
The reason we thought that was be-
cause we had not been looking at the
wolves. The minute they heard the
baying Of the hounds they vseeIned to
| have forgotten all about the 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 distribute. @
| .'.'The old she wolf was going on three
legs, but she led the trio. A number
of COW punchers from Stockwell's ranch
started out to flank them, in order to
keep them from getting into the foot
hills around Big Goose creek. They
| fired their revolvers and howled them
selves hoarse, riding at top speed and
| finally got them to going in the direc-
| ton they wanted them. But there
were only two dogs who gained on the
| wolves These We're two staghounds
with keen noses and speed that I new
er saw surpassed. Such leaps you never
saw and the rest of the pack had to
get another leader who was. in the
same class with the rest. Gradually the
staghounds closed on the wolves. &
so far they had been running by
scent but soon they caught sight of
| the fugitives, and then the chase as
sumed different aspect. The wolves
might as well have tried to race with
an express train.
! But, after all, it was nothing more
F; than a race. The speed was with the
stag-hounds but the courage and fight
ing qualities were with the bloodhound
stock in the rear. The leaders knew the