Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-10-30
RAND.TO.HAND WOLF FIGHT
Peter Watson Of karSlsnd Tells Tale Of
Exciting Varmint Hunt
TACKLES FIERCE PROVIDERS WITH AClUE
Famous Den on Dry spotted Tail
Creek, LonE Immune, Cleaned Ont
by Ala of n SWIFT Horse
and Brave DOEs.

Fifty-six years old, six feet. two. in his
stockings, dash of iron gray in his hair,
a chest and arms like a Hercules. face as
strong and rugged as the rock-ribbed hills
Of Pine Ridge-this is Pete Watson of Mars
land, the pride OF Sioux county. He Is the
finest Of horsemen, and the most tireless
hunter Of the great Rocky Mountain
wolves
Pete was called out Of bed last Tuesday
evening by an importunate reporter. who
discovered him among the guests at the
Murray. and he rose like a horse shaking
the dew from his name. but ready TO talk
and to laugh. Like true frontiersman, he
sprang from sleep with every nerve alert.
So" he said, you want to hear some Of
my yarns? Well. / don't know any other
you out any. all right. Just wait till pull
on my socks; this floor is a little cool on my
toes. There, guess I'm ready.
II live on Whistle creek, about eighteen
miles southwest of Marsland where have
a ranch. My nearest neiRhbor is Ashbrook,
six miles up the creek, which Is a feeder
of the Niobrara. It's ten miles to Pine
Ridge, twenty to the Dry spotted-tail coun-
try and about thirty to Alliance.
ImpersOnated Roosevelt.
1 never ride to celebration without good
horse. This time had my best one, big
bay Of Kentucky blood. / call him Lee; and
I tell you he is horsel They were to have
a rough riders parade, but found the boys
| all sore at the leader, all riding through the
streets like mad, painting the town in true
| ow-puncher style. The leader was ready
| to give in. and when he caught sight OF my
| big Lee caroling up the street, nothing
would satisfy him. but that should imper-
senate Roosevelt. He wrapped long ban
ner around me, and the color put Lee on
his mettle I know my horse and a touch
OF the spur set him gambolling and whirl-
| ing. He can turn on the top of a bushel
measure. The boys began to cheer and soon
they we're all crowded around on their
horses. Then 1 said: Boys you see what
up. They say I've got to run this here
parade. 1 expect, IL only had my wolf
club. I might beat you all over the head
and get you into line. Now what do you
say?'
"'Go ahead Pete they yells You say
go ahead says l. Go ahead says they
again. Well then, darn yer pict'ers, you
fellers with grays hike up that street a
block an git together. You black ones
'tother way, an don't we dare come back
till tell yer
We'll. we had the finest parade last
Fourth we ever had. The boys all like me
and they'll do what say 1 expect it's be-
cause I'm always up and a-coming. DarneC
II they didn't all line up and boiler: Three
bowls fer Pete, tn biggest wolf hunter In
tn United States The fellers know how
to do the coyote calls, tell you, and ole
Alliance got waking up. that's sure
felt pretty proud when rode home mex
day.
Breaking Up a Wolf Den.
THAT brings me around to the way
happened to break up the den up on DRY
Spotted-Tail. That is the toughest spo
of land this side of the foot hills. There
are hundreds Of rocky gulches and ridge,
and not drop of water in any Of them
I'd thought for a long spell that there wa.
big den in some of them gulches for a,
sure as any of Ashbrook's cattle got t
ranging that way he'd lose a calf or tive
every night.
well, when come back from that cele
bration along toward night next day
saw Ashbrook waiting at my gate lonJ
before got there. He looked pretty darl
and thundery, and l knew something wa.
up.
say said he. how many dogs you got
:" Two grayhounds, two staghounds
) said I.
"T know you haint been out after vol
J for long time said Ashbrook, but there
no use of talking, you've got TO get on
3 now. What do you think. l turned m
, big stallion out so that he could get some
; thing to eat and drink while we were a
} the celebration yesterday and l come hom
} tonight and found him with both his ham
t eat out. dragging himself around. almos
{ dead on his fore legs. Pete. you've go
! to run them ,varmits down. You can
poison them, you can't do nothing II
= give you SIS apiece for all you kill
5 "'Where are your cattle% I asked hin
s and he said they were fifteen miles UP tn
r range toward Dry spotted-Tail. All right
$ Ashbrook. You go over to Jake's and (
= Williams and then up to Marsland to tn
e stable there and get all the dogs you ca
v borrow. That'n take you all night an
e more. I'm going to ride up around you
1 bunch of cattle so as to get there early 1
the morning.
e IT rode twenty-five miles that night, an
r Just at the very first streak OF red in III
n east came upon the herd. l noticed this
every critter was standing and movin