The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1919-08-01
At Sixty-Five He Leads All Uncle
Sans Professional
Trappers.
SAVES STOCkMEN HUGE SUM
In the Last Six Years "OId Ben" Has
Killed 1877 Mountain Lions and IS
Bears, Including Several
Grizzlies.

Washington, d. C-Uncle Sam en-
ploys approximately three hundred
professional hunters and trappers to
exterminate predatory animals In the
range country. Among these, the
champion lion hunter Is ''Old Man Ben
Lilly" who at sixty-five years Of age
still leads all the rest. He remains
active, as daring and as certain In
drawing bead" as any of his asso-
GATES, some Of whom are young enough
to be his grandchildren. Lilly is
giant for work. He is able daily to-
tire out two or three sets of dogs In
rounding up some range "varmint."
According to the bureau of biological
survey, under which this determination
work is done, Old Man Lilly In the last
six years has killed 1877 mountain lions
and IS bears, including several griz-
ziies. The official account, just issued,
concludes: "Mr. Lilly is unassuming
and disinclined to talk about his expe-
riences, and on that account no ac-
curate record is available concerning
his total number of scalps, but 1t is
very large"
Leads Temperate Life.
Mr.. Lilly attributes his physical
prCwess and activity to his outdoor
life and to the fact that he never used
tobacco or intoxicants of any kind. He
furthermore has followed fixed rule
Of never hunting on Sunday. This rule
has given many wild animals being
pursued a new lease of life through
being able to make their getaway"
on the Sabbath. On one occasion,
however, he tracked huge mountain
lion for weeks through three states
and finally cornered him. His hounds
were beaten off and the beast attacked
Lilly. His rifle was knocked from his
hand. Armed only with 4-inch pock-
ct knife, he battled for some time until
one desperate plunge of this weapon
at the animals heart reached 1t just
as the hunter became so exhausted
that he fell beside the dead lion.
The records assert that Mr.. Lilly
knows the range country so well and
Is so familiar with the routes. habits
end haunts of the lions that OCCASION
ally he kills three within half an hour.
He knows just where to set traps in
the canyons and coves, while he is able
to pick out the most advantageous
spots to lie in ambush awaiting the
approach Of prowling beasts. Born of
good family enjoying prosperity, Lilly
in. his teens responded to the call Of
the wild and became freelance hunt
er. Loaded with a 60-pound pack, he
broke his way through the Louisiana
canebrakes In search Of game, from
time his rifle cracked some animal
dropped, and his fame as a sure shot
has spread throughout Louisiana, Tex
as. Arizona, New Mexico and northern
Mexico. He was one of the guides
selected to accompany the late Colonel
Roosevelt in his hunt in Louisiana
which made the Teddy Bear" famous.
His circle of friends among western
ranchers is extensive and appreciative.
Saves Stockmen Huge Sum.
On the accepted basis that wolf
kills $1,000 worth Of stock year, q
bear and mountain lion $500 each, and
that q coyote and bobcat each do $50
worth Of damage, Lilly has saved the
western stockmen substantial
amount. Altogether these predatory
amman hunters have killed 70,713 such
beasts in the Inst three years. The
direct saving thereby is estimated at
nearly $5.5OO,O0O year to the stock
men Of the Rocky Mountain section.
The total kill consisted Of GOATS coy
otes, S,O94 bobcats, 189 wolves. POI
mountain lions and 1877 bears. The
pelts of these animals sold for approx.
imately 100000, which was used by