Year: 1871

caught wolf in trap and found in his
stomach part of the sole Of one Of the
missing boots which was driven full OF
nails, and consequently more indigesti,
bic than thin leather. After becoming
acquainted with the habits of these ami
mails they arc easily captured or put to
flight aud they were not regarded with
half the danger that the willy massasau-
ga was, Mr.. Pierce has lived thirty
three years IN South Haven, and has new
CT yet seen rattlesnake in the town.
This fact does not very we'll correspond
with the ideas of eastern people, who
have never visited the West. Some of
them honestly believe that the snakes
orc two feet deep all over the swamps


In March, 1888, Mr. Pierce was out
hunting wolves with Abner Calhoun, an
old hunter, when they had n practical
illustration of the old fable of the couu.
try maid and the milk pail. They saw
six wolves drive deer out on the rough
ice of the Lake and Immediately laid
their plans for the bounty on the whole
six as they seemed an easy prey. Mr.
Calhoun concealed himself behind the
corner ola bluff while Pierce was making
for the wolves, which were wholly sur.
rounded by water, except the narrow
passway they had just gone over. Just
before time to make the decisive shots
four more wolves chasing another deer
passed within two feet of Calhoun where
he, was concealed and he was 30 frightened
that he gave an unearthly scream, which
scared the whole troupe of deer and
wolves back. A mutual fright, and the
anticipated bounty vanished in mo.
mcnt, tie same as the green dress of the
country maid in the fable. The hunters
killed one of the deer which WAS out
from the shore on cake of ice, and
they could not get canoe that night to
take it home. The next day they went
out in II boat for the game and the eagles
aud ravens had dcvoured aud spoiled all
the meat, Where the carcass is, there
will the eagles gather" The wolf has
some of the most trcacherous and cruel
habits of any quadruped in the known
world. Some of the old pioneers, who
found it profitable to pursue and hunt
th,m for the State and county bountics,
had ample opportunities to acquaint
themselves with these desperadoos of
the forest, and often to their sorrow,
and also that Of the more innocent ami
mails. The deer would float out on
cakes of ice into the lake to get rid of
these savage foes of their lace, while
they watched from every lurking place
Oh the shore for the changing wind that
would drive their victims to the land
sometimes waiting twenty four hours or
more for their he pless prey, and then
with the ferocity of the Bengal tiger,
devour the rcpast to the last bone At
this time in the swamps near Paulvillc,
large numbers of bears would spend the
winters in nests like hogs. The Indians
frequently captured the cubs here, when
they came down from Mackinaw to
make sugar in the spring, and take them
home with them to tame. These In
dians made their yearly visits to the
vicinity of South Haven, in whole fleets
of canoes attached to a mainmast and
one sail when the wind was favorable
aud in head wind, and no wind use
their paddles. A portion of the tribe
staid all of the winters in South Haven,
st. Joseph and the Paw Paw valley
hunting porcupincs, bears aud wolves,
and in the spring make their years sup.
ply of maple sugar. A part of this they
would sew up in birch bark bags with
deer's sincws aud bury it in the ground
for the next winters supply, taking the
remainder home for summer use. In
the spring after sugar making, they
planted patches of small corn, called by
the white inhabitants "squaw corn"
probably from the fact that the squaws
did the work. This was ready for the
harvest when they returned for their
winter hunting campaign. The Byers
saw mill before mentioned has been
burnt and rebuilt three times. and is
now doing good business, three miles