Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-05-27
Graham's Wolf Fight


'I don't remember the year. but 7
think it was 1888, we didn't take any
account of time when we ranged over
these fenceless prairies. We didn't
cut the year into weeks and Sundays.
but took it as it came.
1t was about the first court at Lam
caster. Harvey Pepper was sheriff,
Judge Dunn was on the bench, was
foreman of the jury. Old yellow
black Paul was plaintiff, and Colonel
Jones, who went to Congress and
perched himself on the top of Sinsin-
ava Mound, was defendant. Jones
owned Paul down in Kentucky and
when Paul got on the Mound he quar-
relied with his master and became OBJ
streperous and Jones drove him off.
He then went through the country.
Snake Hollow and other mining camps,
fiddling at what they called "stag
dances" Females then were scarce
and very dear and hard to get, so the
boys would dance alone on the sod
floor and Paul would fiddle for his
whiskey and when he ran too far out
of the knees and elbows, he would go
back to Jones and saw wood and Jones
would supply him with old clothes
after some years, as courts and
lawyers had made their appearance,
Paul concluded he would sue his old
master for wages and have a final set
Element in this free country. We heard
the evidence. The yellow darkey had
Mt a bit of proof in support of his
claim, but eleven of the jurors went
in steep for the plaintiff, contending
ifi Paul recovered his wages it would
make him free man. I asserted he
was free anyway-wageS or no wages
that we were sworn to go according
to law Some of the jurors said:
ooh, damn the law, when it comes in
one door justice runs out the other"
Pepper, the sheriff, locked us up and
to make the purgatory more complete,
said he was sworn to allow us no
meat or drink, except water.
Imprisoned in the 10x9 cell we
duarreled long and loud. / stood out
for the defendant against the eleven
who were determined that Paul should
be paid for our 'shin-dig' music, and
that Jones was the man to do it. He
got appropriations from Congress-
I told my eleven brethren I was used
to starving, and would die at my post
rather than violate the law. They
talked of fighting but 1 was ready
there. We might have hung there I'M
til this time probably but for couple
of huge timber wolves that old wolf
catcher Graham had brought into the |
town plat securely Gagged in his wagon. |
Everybody then attended court and
everybody brought his dogs along. !
The old wolf catcher set up a loud |
cry. saying he would let out wolf
against all the dogs in creation, If
the people who desired the sport /
would pay him $40 each for his
wolves and allow him the scalps The |
money was raised quicker than you
could count it. We would have al |
most paid the national debt to see a
wolf fight. The first wolf and he was
an old settler, tell you, was let loose |
in the yard right under our window |
We ran to it and climbed on each
others shoulders. Such swapping and
barking, growing and bristllng, you |
never heard before. Dogs and wolf !
were piled up almost to the upper, IN
a living, biting, swapping, rolling,
tumbling and boiling mass. Some or
the dogs were thrown, hors du com
bat, but others took their places. Inc
revolving mass turned around the
corner where we couldn't see them. |
Then my eleven associates cried: For
heavens sake Free civilians the mar
rator) do agree so we can get out OF
this cursed hole and see the fun.
Boys, said I, L have been raised
with wolves. I won't bulge an inch |
for any argument dogs and wolves can |
furnish Well Free, just say that
Jones shall pay $1.OO and we will
come down to that Never cent. We
heard the uproarious laughter and
shouts of the outside world. 1t was
too much for the boys. The friends OF
poor old Yellow Paul yielded and cried