The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-07-25
KILLED WOLF
WITH CLUB
PETER Watson and His Ken
lucky Horse Ran Down a
Fierce Beast.

his hair, a chest and arms like Her
cules. a face as strong and rugged as
the rock ribbed hills of Pine Ridge
this is Pete Watson, Of Maryland, the
pride of Sioux County. He is the finest
of horsemen and the most tireleSs
hunter of the great Rocky Mountains.
Pete was called out Of bed last Tues
day evening by an importunate re-
porter who discovered him among the
guests at the Murray, and he rose like
n horse shaking the dew from his
name, but ready to talk and to laugh
+ Like a true frontiersman, he spranS
from sleep with every nerve alert.
-. so" he said, 'you want to hear
some of my yarns? Well. don't know
any other way than to Just fire away,
and if it helps you out any, all right
Just wait till put on my socks; this
floor is little too cool on my toes.
There. I guess. I'm ready.
Il live on Whistle Creek. about eigh-
teen miles southwest Of Marsland.
where I have ranch. My nearest
neighbor is Ashbrook. six miles up the
Greek. which is a feeder of the Mo-
brara. It's ten miles to Pine Ridge,
twenty to the Dry Spotted Tail coun-
try and about thirty to Alliance.
81 rode down to Alliance last Fourth,
and never ride to a celebration with
out a good horse. This time had my
best one-a big bay of Kentucky
blood. I call him Lee. and tell you
[he is a horse! 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 the true COW puncher
style. The leader was ready to give
in, and when he caught sight of my
big Lee carolling up the street. nothing
| would satisfy him but that I should
hmpersonate Roosevelt. He wrapped 4
aong banner around Inc, and the color
put Lee on his mettle. 1 know my
! horse, and a touch of the spur set him
gambollng and whirlng. He can turn
on the top of a bushel measure. The
boys began to cheer, and soon they all
crowded around on their horses. Then
Z said Boys, you see what's up? They
say I've got to run this here parade
/ expect if I only had my wolf club
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 I. Go ahead
says they again. We'll, then blame yer
picters, you fellers with grays hike up
that street q block an git together.
You black ones, t'other way. an don't
Ve dare come back till tell ye"
"Well, we had the finest parade last
Fourth we ever had. The boys all like
me, and they'll do what I say. I ex-
pect it's because I'm always up and
a-comin'. Blamed if they didn't all line
i up and holler, Three howls fer Pete,
Eh' biggest wolf hunter in tn United
States The fellers know how to coyote
calls. tell you, and old Alliance got
a wakin' UP, that's sure. I felt pretty
good when I rode home next day.
'That brings me around to the way
O happened to break uD the den up on
DRY Spotted Tail That is the toughest
spot Of land this side Of the foothills
There are hundreds of rocky gulches
and ridges and rot drop of water in
ANY of them. Id thought for long
spell that there was a big den in some
of them gulcheS. for as sure as any Of
Ashbrooks cattle got to ranging that
way he'd lose q calf Or two every
night.
well, when I come back from that
Il celebration along toward night next
day, saw Ashbrook waiting at my
gEe long before l got there. He
looked pretty dark and thurdery, and
q knew something was up.
Say said he how many dogs you
got:'
Two grayhounds. two staghounds,
said |.
! ~ know you han't been out after
a wolf for long time said Ashbroos.
but there's no use talking, you've got
40 get out now. What 90 YOU think,
i turned my big stallion out so that he
could get something to eat and drink,
i while we were at the celebration yester-
day, and l come home tonight and find
him with both his hams eat out, drag
ging himself around, almost dead. OF
hiS forelegS. Pete you've got to run
them varmints down. You can't poison
khem. You can't do nothing. I'll give
you S23 apiece for ali you kill
"'Where are your cattle? I asked
him, and me said they were fifteen
miles up the range toward Dry Spotted
Tail. All right, Aslrbrook. You go
over to Jake's and to Williams, and
chen up to Marsland to the stable there
and get all the dogs you can borrow.
That'll take you all night an6 more.
I'm going to ride around YOUR bunch
of cattle so rs to get there early in the
" rode twenty-five miles that night,
and just at the very first streak OF red
in the east came upon the herd. l
noticed that every crtter was standing
and moving with 4 shaky. restless
motion. A mile away 1 could lear
their low, mournful believing. I
worked around to the lee side, and
kept edging in closer. and the light
was getting brighter all the time. Just
as the sun shot over the valley I saw
the long, gaunt, shaggy mother wolf
lilo cir oIopp x3rr