The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-07-20

Glades but frequented the wooded and
mountainous sections.
One incident in his life will probably
seem remarkable in the present day.
About 1885 there was a remarkably
severe winter. Snow fell in December
to the depth of four or five feet, and
did not leave till March. During this
time, Jonathan could not get to a store
or mill for supplies of any kind and his
family lived on venlsOn, bacon and po-
tatoes. We may well believe that the
first loaf of bread baked, when flour
was at last procured, was not allowed
to become mouldy.
Jonathan caught in trap one of the
largest wolves ever seen in this part of
the country. He saw that there were
wolves in the vicinity and set out to
find where they were feeding. After
days search, he found a steer that had
been killed and partially devoured. AS
it was by stream, and in a place suit
able for trapping, he went home aud
brought out his heavy wolf traps. By
wading the stream a considerable dis
tance, he reached the carcass without
leaving trail to scare the wolves; and,
by carefully concealing the traps and
putting them in the most desirable po-
sitions, he arranged it so that they
could scarcely fail to catch anything
that might attempt to feed on the re-
mains of the steer. After a day or two,
he went to examine the traps, and
found one of them gone. But, strange
to say, there was no trail where it had
been dragged over the leaves. But
there was abundant evidence that a
wolf had been there not earlier than
the night before; so he made small
circle around the steers body and found
the trail leaving it. With the assist
ance Of his dogs, he followed this for
some distance and found there that
something had torn up the leaves along
the trail. About quarter of mile
from this place, he found the wolf, a
huge, savage beast, with the trap fast
to its leg and the grab of the trap fast
in the top of fallen tree The wolf
was nearly exhausted, but when the
dogs came up it showed fight. Fear
ing that his dogs would be hurt, he
called them off and shot the beast. In
some way the wolf had managed to
carry the trap free from the ground. so
the trail would not be easily followed
and to keep it from catching on OBJ
structions and thus hinderlng his pro-
gress. 1t was a remarkable example
of animal intelligence and skill.
When he was boy, Jonathan once
underwent a most terrifying expert
ence. He was lying out in the Glades,
where he had gone to feed cattle glade
hay. He had built small fire and was
lying asleep in his blanket beside it
when he was awakened by a disagree
able sense of the presence of some dan
ger. He lay perfectly still, wondering
what was the matter, when a panther
came up to him and smelled his face.
AT trst he was uncertain what to do,
and did nothing; but human nature
could not long remain inactive when so
great danger was lowering over it..
So, clutching the edge of his blanket,
he threw it up over the panther, at the
same time giving whoop calculated to
scare the animal to death. 1t was a
question which was scared the most.
The panther gave vent to an unearthlv
shrek of terror and, freeing himself
from the folds of the blanket. ran
away as fast as he could run. The bow
was quite badly frightened, but he built
up the fire and tried to fall asleep again.
But he imagined he could still feel the
long hairs about the beasts mouth
tickling his cheek, and this sensation
was ANYTHING but comfortable. We
may presume he looked upon the sun
with no feelings of sorrow and regret
when it arose the next morning to dis
pei the shadows OF the night. 1t was.
indeed. fortunate that the panther al
lowed itself to be thus easily scared
away, for the boy would certainly nave
been its victim had it attacked him in
good earnest.
He once had an experience with an
enraged buck somewhat similar to the
one already related of his brother
Thomas. He shot the buck, disabling
1t somewhat, and the dogs caught it to
hold it till he came up; but when he
came near, the deer shook off the dogs
and made a lunge at him. A prong of
its horn ran through his thigh, lnflict-
ing painful wound; but, after consid-
cradle exertion. he got the prong out of
his leg. The buck made another lunpe
at him, but this time he was more
wary. He caught the deer's horns and
held its head to the ground while he
cut It's throat with his hunting knife.
The wound he received was very pain
full for some time, but it developed into
no permanent injury.
Old hunters used to tell as Joke on
Jonathan and Jesse Ashby. his brother