The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-16
Frederic Haskin's Letter
Uncle Sans Hunters.

| outlaw, though, was destrovspr
camps. Luckily. he never reached
any campers, but accounted f,r
many outfits, tearing up the tents
smashing camp furniture and raid
ing the larders.
H. P. Williams and Del Dear.b
government hunters, were stringirg
! some traps in Wyoming not lorg
ago when a terrified sheen herds
burst out of the bushes, white win
fear, and putting like a locomotive
He paused long enough TO explain
that the bear" had chased him ont
of camp, and went his way at high
speed. Williams and Deartb
reached the camp as quickly as ms
sible, and found it DESTROYED. but
the bear had gone They trailed The
beast, and ran across a heap of for
est debris, in which they found n
side of bacon cached by the bear
the only title the beast had. There
were no other bears to the Big
Piney herders and campers, lust the
one big outlaw.
The hunters went along the trail
little farther, and suddenly the
big killer charged them. Three
bullets were placed behind the
bears ear by one hunter, and the
other sent a shot through his spinal
column. The beast lacked but a
few yards of reaching them when
he collapsed. The animal was ex-
traordinarily large for his species,
weighing $50 pounds, was 6 feet ,
inches long, and his hind foot meas
ured liz by inches. He was ter
ribly torn by recent fight, evil
IDENTIFY a conflict with a grizzly seen
in the vicinity noticing before. -
Another recent animal outlaw to
meet the Same fate was old
White" notorious and serocious
leader of a pack of wolves that for
years caused terrific damage to the
flocks around Bear Springs Mesa,
Colorado. The hunters accounted
for "Old Whites" mate early in the
year, and another wolf of the pack
was shot, but the crafty leader kept
out of sight and stepped lucky in
avoiding traps. But finally blind
set of four traps proved too much
for him, and his II years of cattle
murder effded.
Master Animal Criminals.
The most dramatic death was that
of THE Custer Wolf" the most
adroitly concealed trap seemed as
clear as daylight to him. He would
kill in one spot one night, and be
reported so miles away the next.
oh nj |, nj,
and again. The superstitious cred
tied him with a charmed life. He
was supposed by the credulous to be
not merely a wolf, but a monstros-
ity, half wolf and half mOuntaia
lion, with the craft and cruelty OF
both. Public opinion credited him
with all the qualities of the were
wolf of ancient legends.
In the nine years of his outlawry
around Custer, South Dakota, the
Custer Wolf" killed stock valued
at $4,000. The bounty on his head
was raised from 800 to $500. Pro
fesSional hunters sought him for
gain. Sportsmen sought linn for
glory. He laughed at danger, and
continued his career of crimes I'M
scathed. The ranchmen tried a big
roundup afteE dogs and poison
failed, but this failed too, and Will
Jams, the government hunter, was
called in to do the job, with instruc-
tons to stick to it until the wolf
was dead.
Williams located the wolf around
some old dens in the Pelgar noun
tains. He scented up the soles of his
shoes, and started stringing his
traps. He got his first sight of the
wolf after several days. The willy
beast was thanked by two coyotes,
ranging from 100 to 200 yards on
either side of him. These beasts
he tolerated, but would not let them
come near him. They were wei
come to his kills after he hal eaten
his fill.
Williams shot these bOdyguards,
and still the big prize was 100 elu-
sive. Twice the wolf stepped on
the jaws Of traps, and one night
rolled or fell into one, but pulled
away, leaving only hair to show
hat he had been there. once he
3orEered the beast in a canyon after
he had killed several cattle and eat
IN his fill but two horsemen riding
Up gave the wolf the alarm, and he
escaped again. Finally, after an
other successful escape from trap
which held part of his foot, the.
Custer Wolf got into a trap lastN
October which held him fast. He
oroke the swivel and ran away with
he trap on his foot. Williams
rallied him three miles. got u
chance at him with his rifle, and
him down.