Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-09-27
WILD DOGS IN NEW YORK.
a Strange but True Tale of the Ram
apo Hills.

Who would believe that within thirty
two miles Of New York City there are
mountain dwellings in q district 50 wild
and rough that tACS are inaccessible even
to the feet OF ponies; that no produce
can DC taken ont to nor supplies brought
in from these farms save on the backs
Of men: that the people gain their living
BY making baskets. wooden spoons and
such light articles as they can transport
on their shoulders. that even the bodies
Of the dead cannot be taken ont. but
must be buried IA the forest or in the
yards Of the mountain cabins2 a re-
gi5u where the people are as primitive II
their ways. though not ~ lawless IN their
tendencies. as the Tennessee mountain
eers2 II il hard to believe. but it Is true
SAYS q writer IN the New York Mail and
Express.
When. in the middle Of August.
pitched my tent on the easterly side Of
the eaSterly range Of the Ramapos. N
kOckland county, close to mountain
stream. I did not know that just over
the range of these wild mountains de-
scendants of the Tory rangers of 1Il6
were yet To be f0und7 | did not know
that the higher reaches of the noun
! tainS were tolerably full Of rattleSrakeS
| of great size and beauty. / did not know
/ that the wild dog lived up there. l
| only perceived that the hills were beau1'
ful. the air pure and iHNigorating, the
woods practically Mnbroken. ana the
streams clear and cold. ] perceived that
there were no sWClls' places anywhere in
the hills. and thai the w9od-ranSer pas
| tura9e WAS uunfJkcH. ne people NttN
| / met We're cordial. smiling. nnsuspicious
| | liked the RamapOS as the result of only
| 81 glance, and iikeu them still better after
| Il camping acquaintance of couple 81
weeks.
| 1t certainly did not decrease my inter-
| est to know that beginning some twenty
| or more years ago. sundry domestic dogs
Iof large size. finding in the Ramapo
| from the lowland farms TO the hills, and
| had. after goin% quite wild, starred =
breed Of creatures which has now taken
| on quite type Of ITS own.
AT first doubted the wild dogs. u
seemed To me that the baying creatures
whose voices | heard in the watches ~
| merely farmers dogs taking 4 night OF
| and running down cottOn-tais by way or
diversion. But The abundance Of oral
| evidence. ana finally that Of my own
eyes, compelled me 10 accept them rs Y
| fact In these near Ramapo hills Of
| New York ana New Jersey the domestic
| dog has doubtless reverted to the wild
state. az he has IN the Australian bush.
knows hut probably il includes at least
twenty-five individuals.
Part az these are the veterans of the
nack-dogs with domestic beginnings who
| have given up the piazza, the barn floor
and the hearth rug for the woods. and
who on occasion. do not seem 10 he quite
past the possibility of a tail-wag for the
benefit Of some harmless human whom
they may meet casually. one day in the
woods, when | MAS seated silently on
stone, | heard a Crashing in the busnes,
and the next moment five big dogs rushed
out quite close to me. Four Of them, as
| noticed. were rather near to being re-
spectivey setter 81 Bernard. sheep dog
and foXhnund. the fifth was a big yellow
nondescript All bat the foxhound bolteI
with rush as soon as they caught sight
of me. The foxhound stood at bay a mo-
ment, and lifted M his voice. as he faced
me. in long, wild howl. Then he. TOO
turned and disappeared
/ noticed that all OF them had the
shuffing. half .sfoveling running gait OF
black about the lows Whether. they
were real wild dogs or not do not
know They may nave been tame dogs
out for what DR.. Adier would call an
looked quite wild enough.
At present the type they seem to be
assuming is practically that Of shape
less, but large mongrel. My ncarest
two dogs now probably fully GROWN
which were born Of these wild GREATNESS.
They are brovnfsh yellow ~ color, and
in shape and size somewhere between 4
foxhound and a small mastiif. lie cap
tured them as very young. puppies up on
the mountain, and brought them UP In
domestic fashion In the main they stay
about the place. and follow bis team on
the road and ON the farm. Every ppuy
knows them as SIS wild dogs. II VI
course they are rot more than twoAgcn-
erations 1t the farthest removed from
the domestic conditlofl. and ought notAt
offer the slightest difficulty 70 doMcdi
cation. But 1 notIced that they were
quite shy and thai they had marked
tendency to chase rabbits III the woods At
night. yelping in Wild fashion as they do
so. 1t is safe to predict that sooner Or
later they viii join the Wild pack.
One thing the i.amaDo Wild dogs have
certainly done-they have made ordinary
game scarce in lie mountains "a few
cotton tails and 4 good Inany partridges
seem TO represent the total Of game in
the hills-unleSs The rattiesnakes are
counted as game. " the wild dogs have
learned to prey on rattlesnakes--which
by the way, are very good eating--they
are likely to perform a good service for
the community
What viii they do when they have