The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1915-12-24

lie occupied by these animals, tco
frightened to show fight. Quite
number Of dogs had been led by boys
and men who did not have ntearms.
Deer We're to be seen ra tiEg in
circle, and occasionally a bear OF w,lf.
The dogs, at given signal, were re-
leased u {. soon create quite a COM
motion within Re circle. g'he fright
ened deer made cons ant attempts 20
break thru the Gordon Of men and boys
but most Of them were shot upon near
ing the circle. The officers constantly
cautioned the men not to fire, except
toward the center. Finally after the
fire had slackened materially and up
on given signal, the more experienc-
ed hunters advanced slowly toward the
center with orders to kill all the
bears and wolves, if they could with
out endangering the other men on the
line. They soon succeeded in killing
most of those animals within the cir
Gle. Then the hunters climbed trees
in order to make plunging shots and
not endanger the others on the line.
These advanced upon the center with
out firing, except when an animal had
passed the line. An excellent hiding
place was afforded by stream, now
frozen over, with high banks, and the
bears, wolves, deer and turkeys were
found under the edge of the banks.
AS plunging shots could be fired here
most of the game hidden was killed.
Finally late in the afternoon the
slaughter ceased.
Orders were then given to each line
to return and bring all the game into
the center. The boys and old men
had kept the teams well up to the
lines and these were brought into
requisition when necessary. The first
work in order was the gathering and
scalping of the wolves, for their meas
ley scalps had fixed cash value of
SIS and trustworthy man was start
ed with these to purchase sundry sup
plies. He returned before dark and
found over 400 men awaiting his
coming. Over fifty of the men and
most of the boys had returned home
to do the chores. The game had been
all collected at the center and counted.
A large bear had been dressed and
prepared for barbecue and was be-
ing roasted when the man with the sup
plies returned Said supplies were
quickly taken from the barrels in
which they had been conveyed. Tin
cups were brought into requisition.
Soon the fat was dripping from the
roasting bear and one extra frisky in
the crowd started in and daubed the
faces of many in the crowd in an at
tempt to reach the hair. Bear greese
was known to be specially beneficial
to the hair and whiskers and soon all
in the crowd had been shown the ben
efits. Those who came prepared 10
stay all night had ample supplies and
enjoyed rare time of feasting. All
accounts agree that, among the entire |
party, not one became intoxicated, but |
the old survivors claim that it was be- |
cause the whiskey made in those days |
was honest whiskey.
A beautiful Christmas morning
dawned upon the campers, who were
visited by numerous parties from sur
districts.
A committee was appointed to make |
an equitable . division of the game,
which they did among the four par
ties forming the four lines. The
few deer killed outside the lines by |
parties coming in were not brought in |
but were taken on the return home by |
the persons who killed them. An ac-
curate enumeration of the game col
lected at the center resulted as fol-
lows: seventeen wolves, twenty-one
bears, 300 deer. The few turkeys
killed were not taken into account. |
When part of the line reached the |
frozen stream where the large accum-
mutation of game had been hiding, a |
load of buckshot fired from the musket |
of one happened to glance and strike |
one person in the leg and another in |
the shoulder, but both Wegeibut flesh
wounds. There was no other casual |
tv tilP'