The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1947-06-26

the wolves lurked. and the deer found
haven. The panther, coon, wild turkey
and rattlesnake also were there.
That was why Judge Hinckley,
who owned the land in three town
ships, could not sell this one-it was
too wild. He had disposed of the two
adjoining it and they were partly
cleared and settled. To these settlers
as we'll those 10 miles away the wild
animals were a menace.
Ring Closes In at Daybreak
1t was sunrise the day before
Christmas when more than 600 men
from all sides formed rectangular
line about the wild spot and began
to close in. Some had rifles; other
muskets; there were some with flint
lock pistols and bayonets fixed on
poles; and others had only corn
knives, scythes and cradle blades. All
yelled loudly and made as great a
noise as possible.
Those on the east side had come
from the BrecksvilIe and Richffeld
neighborhoods; on the west, from
Medina, Brunswick and Liverpool
districts; the north, from Cleveland,
Newburg and Royalton; and south,
from Bath and Granger. The men had
big ox-sled with them to carry a.
way the game.
AS the ring contracted the animals
retreated before it into the corner of
the forest. Dear escaped by jumping
over the mems heads. Many were
shot when they ran towards the line.
Wild turkeys were little bothered.
They simply flew away out of dan
ger. AS the line of hunters grew
shoulder-to-shoulder and more mar
row nobody dared shoot straight a.
head. The other side of the line was
now in range.
Shoot From Trees
Many We're boosted up to the low
er limbs of trees where they were
able to fire downward at fleeing
game without endangering their COM
rades. During the entire hunt but one
man was shot. He was sprinkled
from afar and got two buckshot
wounds-well, in the Jungle. He was
not seriously hurt.
Here and there were fallen trees
whose large limbs and plentiful
branches made good hiding places
for the hunted animals In every one
of these, hunters later related, they
found bears, deer and wolves.
One man killed deer with corn
knife when the animal jumped over
his head. Another tackled a bear,
armed only with a scythe blade. The
bear was too frightened to fight and
only desired to escape. That probably
saved some present Medinan's great
great-grandfather.
When the encircled space was small
enough, some of the more expert.
enced hunters were sent into the
center to kill of all the animals they
found there. Those which escaped
them were dispatched by the hunt
ers who waited in the encircling line
When the slaughter had been com
pleted everyone broke ranks ant
crowded into the middle of the woods
Besides that killed during tn,
drive to the center, they found there
three hundred deer; 21 bears; L
wolves; and a few foxes and coons
The wild turkeys had flown away
and there was no panther, cata
mount nor bob-cats-that part of tn,
story had been smirch on Hinckle,
townships fair name.
Hunters Divide SpoiIs
The game was divided equally a
mOng the hunters who had remained
! till the last of the hunt. Though 60(
had begun it, so many had gone home
to do the chores or to get ready TO,
bed that barely 100 men ended th'
hunt. The wolves were quickl!
scalped and the ox-sled brought in t,
take the game away.
| Instead, the hunters decided t,
load the wolf scalps and sen,