Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-10-30
Canadian Beaver Trappers
Trapped at Last.
A Long Chase Through the North.
ern Maine Wilderness.

mission that four Frenchmen from
Canada had gone up the Allegash river
in two boats heavily loaded with pro-
visions enough apparently to last them
long time-and many traps-evident-
~ prepared to trap the fur bearing ami
mails and perhaps make an extended
raid on the beaver in that region, of
which it was known there are many
MIR. Carleton at once communicated
with Warden Frank w Austin of Fort
Kent Mills, than whom there is no bet
ter woodsman or fearless official in the
State of Maine. Mr.. Austin was di-
rected to go and find these four men,
ascertain what they We're doing, and
arrest them if possible if he found they
We're violating the game laws.
The story and the results of Mr. Aus
tins trip is best told IN his own quaint
language as follows:
CAS- soon as l received instructions
from Commissioner Carleton, I real
lied that 1 was up against a stiff
proposition-for it was like hunting for
a needle in a haymow to go into. that
great country and try to find these
men. | at once hired Peter Theriault
VI Nc,IiDou " 81 Will Iiit, d IiIoIouoi
woOdsman. expert canoeman, and who
does not know the meaning of the word
fear. We left Fort Kent with canoe
and a few days supply of grub on the
morning of October Cd. That day
went by team 80 miles to the mouth of
the Allagash then poled up that river
about five miles to Two Brooks.
We had no information as to what
section or locality these men We're in
All that appeared to be known about
them was that they had been seen
going up river we'll supplied with pro-
visions and traps. I found out that
they had gone above Allagash Falls.
so the next day. october Sd. we kept
on up the river, keeping a close watch
at the mouths of all the streams flow
ing into the river, for any signs of their
boats. We made about IS miles that
day, and slept that night just above
Ben Glazier brook and 21a miles below
Five Finger brook. We got information
about four o'clock that day that they
had been seen below Five Finger brook
but had not been seen above it.
Oct. 4th, the next day. we pulled on
When we came to a brook we looked
IL over anu tileH puiltu VII "
Five Finger brook About II A. M. we
found, up Five Finger brook, pulled
back from the brook into an alder
swamp few rods Il boat with moth
ing in it but a broken paddle and two
setting poles We Travelled back and
forth on that side of the brook for a
long distance looking for some sign or
Indication as to the direction they
might have taken, but found nothing
to aid us, then we came back and took
the other side of the brook, and found
another boat similar to the one we had
already found, bottom upwards. and
under it there was two half barrels
of -four and box containing a sack
of pork, and in another box some
stockings and meal and bag of flour.
"The boat was back from the stream
about Is rods in a dense swamp.
There was nothing to indicate that
these boats had been left there by
trappers, as many explorers and
woodsmen, leave boats and supplies
this way, but we We're strongly sus-
picious that these boats belonged to
the party we We're looking for, as we
found on Province newspaper, in
name of j. n. Ricards of Edmunston,
n s., whom VIC knew kept a general
store there. We also found some to-
hacco we recognized as coming from
the Province side
That afternoon Mr. Theriault scout
ed up the brook to see if he could To-
cate their camp, and | staid at our
camping place on an island about half
mile below Five Finger and cooked
grub and watching for w. H. Cunliff.
who was up river and was thought to
be returning, as | had been informed
he knew what the mems names were
we We're looking for. Mr.. Cunliff came
along that afternoon with his wife. He
told me he did not know the men per-
sCnally but had seen them and they
told him their name was Martin, four
brothers, and his description of their
boats tailed with the boats we had
found.
We then felt quite certain we We're
on the right trail. on the tracks of the
men we We're after, so Oct 5th, as
soon as it was light enough to travel.
we crossed over to the main land.
Peter had found, the afternoon before.
a few deadfall traps and a few spotted
trees along an old tote road, a mile
and a half or two miles from the
brook. We went to where he found
these spots-they were new spots on
trees-and we followed them back
that day about twelve miles and they
led towards the head waters of Five
Finger brook We thought this
spotted line would lead to their camp.
Where this tote road came to the
brook, in four different places. was
large beaver dams and beaver houses
full of beaver.
Many small streams flow into Five
Finger brook. We had no watch and
as near as we could tell about three
o'clock in the afternoon we came to
the end of the spots near an old
lumber camp. There we found some
party had been there and built a nice
little log camp. There was nobody i'll
it nor any supplies. We found out
later this camp belonged to two we'll
known guides who had been in there
and built it for moose hunting in
November. They are going to take
two sports in there to hunt moose on
the first SHOWS. This was a great
disappointment; these guides had