The Republican journal., 1907-04-11
Al WINTERS IN WOODS.
Belfast Veteran Has Record for Worl

Belfast Veteran Has Record for Work.
Rufus X. Patterson of Belfast, Me-,
is a veteran, both in war and peace,
and talks Interestingly of his expert
ences under both conditions.
Born in Lowell, Oxford county Me-,
Dec. 80, 1920, he went with his parents
! when s years of age to Penobscot
county, the family going 16 miles on
foot from PaSsadumkeag into the then
i almost unbroken wilderness in what is
now the town of Lincoln.
They cleared two farms in succession,
| one in Lincoln and one on the 'Bing-
ham Purchase" the latter being six
miles from the nearest house.
While helping his father in clearing
these farms, and subsequently when at
work for himself, young Patterson de-
voted his spare time to hunting and
trapping, making good many dollars
by the sale of skins, as we'll as keeping
meat. There was then no ''close time"
on any kind of game, and on some kinds
the State paid good bounties for the
killing. With the single exception of
| the panther, every kind Of game animal
known in the Maine woods has fallen
victim to Mr.. Patterson's gun or trap.
His first gun was a fiint-lOck muSket,
, and with it he killed one bear and
numerous other animals, including deer,
wolves and foxes. His first rifle, bought
for SIS OF a travelling gunsmlth, was a
muzzle loader, and he bought with it
| powder flask with measuring gage
to regulate his charge. Before that he
had carried his powder in horn.
The rifle carried bullet weighing 81
to pound, and with it he has killed
deer at 30 rods, hit nine inch ring at
20 rods and driven a nail at 10 rods.
After driving nail he could put sec
ond bullet in the same hole.
One of the sports of the day was
shooting crows with a rifle, a prize of
so cents being offered for each crow so
killed. In one contest Patterson brought
i'll three, no enc else having more than
one. The bounty on bears and wolves
was s. head, and skins sold for good
prices. Good fox skins sold for $12
i apiece, bear s. to $12, wolves from Sup.
Once, while still-hunting for deer,
deer ran past him, and just as he was
about to shoot it he saw that it was
chased by wolf. He shot the wolf in
stead, and the skin being an extra one,
he sold it for S12, besides getting the
State bounty of S.. o
One Sunday morning he went to his
traps before breakfast and found asbear
cub in the first trap he came to. While
he was attending to the little fellow he
was attacked from behind by the moth
er bear, and only succeeded in saving
his own life and taking hers by des-
perate fight. In his next trap he found
the old he bear, after which he went
home satisfied, taking the cub along
with him. That summer he got Is
bears.
On arriving "of age" he took up a
farm for himself, married and raised a
family, working winters in the woods
as lumberman and teamster, and in the
spring as river driver. He spent At
winters in the woods, getting out, at
different times, every variety of wood
grown in northern Maine, and ''drove"
on the river A springs.
River driving, or rafting the logs from
the head waters where they were cut to
the mills below was hard and dangerous
work, and many men were drowned or
lost their lives by other accidents every
season.
One of his winters in the woods was
for Capt. James Burgess, father of
James H. Burgess, the present judge of
probate for Penobscot County. He then
had charge of two siX-OX teams and
"a men, receiving 81 day and found"
and Capt. Burgess making him present
of $50 IN the spring. That winter they
got out A masts, which sold at the boom
for 500 apiece.
When the 18th Maine infantry was
organized, in November, 1861, Mr.. Pat
terson and his eldest son, John A. Pat
terson, enlisted as privates in Co. H.
They both served throughout the war,
but owing to injuries received in the
service both were assigned to the lighter
duties about the hospitals and camps,
but were with their regiment at the
front all the time.
After the close of the war he returned
to Maine and bought sawmill in the
town of Lee, which he owned and man.
aged until about 25 years ago, when he
sold out and moved to Belfast. He join
ed John Thompson Post, G. A. r., of
Spring field, and was subsequently trans
ferred to Thomas H. Marshall Post of
Belfast, of which he is still member.
Boston Sunday Globe.