Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-18
MAN IN THE BEAR TRAP
AGONY OF A NIGHT MADE HIM A
WRECK FOR LIFE.
Cruelty That Accompanies Trapping Of
Wild Acknowledgement En-
gagged in the Business.

Written for The star.
Last week / was telling the story of a
trapper who had accidentally stepped into
a bear trap, and 1t may be remembered
that 1 discontinued at the point where the
man had tainted, overcome with cold and
hunger and the agony he had suffered. BY
the merest chance he was found, soon after
daylight the next morning, buried under
the snow, all but his red cap, which the
strong wind had cleared and left as the
one mark to indicate where he lay.
At first 1t was thought that he was dead,
but after he had been taken out of the
trap some signs of life were found. and his
rescuers carried him back to camp and
worked over him until doctor was
brought to the place. They saved his life.
but he lost the leg which had been in the
trap besides several fingers and toes which
had been so badly frozen that they had to
be amputated. In short, 1t was but the
wreck Of a man who finally left the camp,
to be supported by charity the rest of his
life But his experience had done one good
thing for HINT had softened his heart
toward the creatures OF the woods. He
knew what 1t was to lie In a steel trap all
night. and he spoke Of trapping with a
shudder.
If the Public Understood.
IL ltl6 puDiiC tuoiouShiy uioCiSLoOu eAio
extent of the cruelty which attends the
trapping of Wild animals, there'd be
mighty few furs worn," he once said to me-
And he added: mo decent woman, nor
man either, for that matter, would order
a garment which 1t was known could only
be procured by the inhiction of brutal
cruelty; no one has the right to call for
such fearful sacrifice on the part OF liV-
ing creature, except perhaps In case OF
life and DEATH
l spoke last week of trappers who did
small business and who were thus able to
visit their traps once day. But pro1es-
sonal trappers, who set lines of hundreds
of traps covering many miles Of territory,
very often cannot visit them more than
once a week. Knowing what a captured
animal may suffer in one night, try to
imagine the desperate straits OF a creature
which must remain in the trap until 1t
dies. And they do not die quickly or
easily, rule, these hardy, vigorous IN
habitants of the woods
When 1 see people wearing furs l some
times wish that they might see some Of the
sights which any one may see by travelling
with q trapper for a week. When they had
seen a few of the harmless jewellers of the
forest lying in the clutch of steel traps,
with limbs torn, stretched or broken, ana
with their innocent faces distorte@ with
pain, with hatred for the one creatL- : who
brings them to this ptiful condition, l
wonder how many of them would care to
adorn themselves with garments which
have thus been paid for in the misery of
others.
Thousands Engaged in Trapping.
Few people seem to know the extent
of the trapper's gruesome trade in this
country alone. There are thousands of
men engaged in it-thousandS of men who,
for living, put to the torture from few
dozen to several hundred animals during
the cold season of every year. The ma
jority of these men are very ignorant,
many of them barely able TO read and
write, their chief literature consisting of
one or more of the numerous papers and
magazines devoted to trapping and the fur
trade in general
Most of them are not oversensitive when
they take up the work. but, by the daily
preparation of cruel acts for profit, they
come not to have the slightest regard for
the feelings of the animals they capture,
and will stop at nothing which means an
extra 10 cents To be sure, they often
arrange their traps for such animals as
muskrats, mink and otter in such way
that when the creatures seek safety by
plunging into the water they are unable to
regain the bank. and are drowned But
this comparatively merc!ful arrangement
is not made in the interest of the animals,
but to prevent them from escaping by
twisting or chewing off their legs.
The practice Of dragging foxes, porcu-
pines and other animals from their dens
by means of steel hooks jabbed into the
flesh Is common with this class of men,
and is humane compared with other meth
DDS adopted for securing their victims.
Even little boys are taught to do this
kind of thing, and last fall 1 saw the seven
year-old son of trapper practicing the
gentle art on a woodchuck which he had
driven into stone wall. The poor little
beast was whstling continually with fear
and pain, the boy kept jabbing at him
with the hook, pausing every moment or
two to report his success to his father,
who stood directing the work
Some Cruel Practices.
Eve tore his nose off, papa" laughed
the boy and then, I've ripped him open,
but can't get him OUT
Then 1 promptly proceeded to get my
self dislilzed.
l think l never came quite so near at
tempting murder as I did one day when
accompanied a man who was hunting
fox. With his hounds he drove the
animal into his burrow, and then pro-
ceeded to dig 1t out. When he reached
the end of the hole he broke the sand down
upon the fox and seized the struggling
animal in his bands.
AT glance he saw that the fur was
practically valueless, and, gripping the
beast between his knees, he deliberately
broke its forelegs across the thigh and
threw 1t to the dogs. 1t required all the
self-restraint 1 possessed to keep mvself
from graphing with him; and yet when l
think the matter over quietly the act.
though brutal, caused much less suffering
than would have been endured had the fox
been caught in a steel trap
Thanks to the Audubon Society and to
many individual workers, the traffic in the
plumage of American wild birds has been
greatly curtailed within the last few Years
Let us hope that as the object of this so
ciety has now been made to include the
protection of four-footed beasts az well
as BIRDS some persistent effort will be
made to save from the tortures of the
damned the millions of innocent creatures
which are every year trapped to supply the
demands of the fur trade
ERNEST ITApnu n