Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-30
BY DIXON MERRITT.
Custer wolf is dead"
He was the master GRIM
inal of the animal world.

I
| inal Of the animal world.
| For pine years this wolf
had lived as an soutlaw-the cruelest.
the most sagacious, the most success
full animal outlaw that the range
country ever had known. His cruelty
was surpassed only by his cunning.
He killed with the refinement of ami
NAL ferocity. Here tonight. tomor-
row night he devastated range half
a hundred milesgaway.
| He Hoped through every kind Of
danger. He shifted at the subtlest
poison and passed it by. The most
adroitly concealed trap was as clear
to him as a mirror in the sunshine.
Old hunters, unerring shots. drew the
bead on him and saw him glide away
unframed. The price on his head
was $500. Bounty hunters sought him
for profit. Sportsmen put forth every
device to slay him for reputation's
sake And still the old wolf went
lnscathed about his work of destruc-
ton.
Credulous persons said he was
charmed thing. Others attributed his
immunity to wisdom greater than
beast ever before possessed. Still
others said he escaped by plain luck:
In whatever way they explained
his uncanny elusiveness. everybody
feared him.
All kinds of stories got abroad.
This thing. they. said. was not merely
a wolf They believed that nature
had perpetrated monstrosity. half
wolf and half mountain lion. possess
ing the craftiness of both. In public
opinion .he~had all the qualities Of
the werewolf of old world legends.
No wonder that the telephones
hummed when the word went out
ment of Agriculture to protect the
live stock industry. had killed the
criminal wolf That word ended a
nine years reign of dread. during
which the stockmen around Custer
extent of $4,000 worth of live stock.
And mere money loss was not the
whole of the horrible toll he took.
When he killed for food he took only
the choicest animals. but sometimes
mere sake of killing. Often he
wounded cattle. breaking their legs,
biting of their tails. mutilating them
in unspeakable ways.
Four wears ago his mate was killed
He never took another and many per
SONS supposed that he devoted him.
self to revenge for her death. Later
On he attached to himself two
covotes. He never permitted them to
come near him, and they could feed
from his kills only after he had IN
ished. They travelled far out on his ,
hanks. giving warning of ambush or
approa ching danger and adding to the
afmosphere of mystery that surround
ed him. :.
the old criminals scalp, after private
trappers and sportsmen had given up ,
the quest. after poisons and dogs had
failed the stockmen tried round
I'm. Having, as they thought. located
the wolf, a large number of riders
started in agreed circle and closed
I'm. This. like all the other devices,
was unsuccessful Therefore, in March.
1920. the bureau of biological survey |
sent to Custer IL. P. Williams. one
Of it's hest hunters. with instructions
to stay after the wolf until he was
taken.
Williams went. He took with him
a bunch of traps. but. as the old wolf
was known to. be .trap-wise. he ex-
pected to depend mainly on his rife.
As things turned out. he required
both the trap and the rife to get the
wolf when he finally was taken. Octo- |
Der IL, 1920.
Here is the story from the time |
williams went to- Custer until he |
brought down the criminal:
= When Williams first went into the |
country where the wolf ranged. he |
tried to ind fresh tracks. but without |
success. He asked some Of the men