Thursday, January 31, 1908
Captain Joe Gay returned from Williamsburg, Greenbrier county, where he and a boy had driven a big herd of cattle to be wintered. It was a rather hard trip for a man not far from ninety years of age, even though it be an old time cattle king.
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Marion Galford and Jacob Waugh killed the biggest wildcat in Pocahontas county Christmas day at the tunnel above Marlinton. The measurements were, height at the shoulders, 24 inches; length overall, three feet and eight inches. About a month ago, this cat was routed out near the Allen place by the hounds belonging to the Shinaberrys and others, but the cat whipped the entire pack. Though 14 shots were fired at it, the cat escaped without a hurt.
On December 23, the Meeks brothers followed the same cat all day, and although they got several shots, failed to bring down the quarry.
On the 24th, Jacob Waugh and Marion Galford were called in, and they put their pack of tried hounds on the trail. They followed the cat from the Glades to the river and across it, but they failed to come up with him.
On Christmas day, they again took up the chase and, after following 10 miles, they got the cat up. The race lasted two miles and then the hounds bayed the cat into the river at the tunnel. When the men came up, a glorious fight was in progress, with all the odds in favor of the cat, as he had the dogs down and about drowned. Being genuine sportsmen, they refused to help the dogs until it was seen that the dogs were in danger. Then Galford fired the shot which put an end to the most relentless, blood-thirsty sheep, game and chicken killer that ever roamed the woods.
THE COYOTE HUNT
The Prospect
From the Greeley (Col.) Tribune, through
the courtesy of Odes L. Gibson
Preparations are being made for a big coyote hunt on December 16. The farmers of Lone Tree and Pleasant Valley are almost forced to sit up nights and protect their poultry from the raids of the hungry canine. Since the cattle have been driven in from the range, the coyotes have become as bold as they are hungry, and over in Pleasant Valley, during the past week, they have been seen to enter barnyards in broad daylight and carry off turkeys and chickens. As this will be a settlement round up, there will be no opportunity to use horses, and the entire gathering will work on foot, and it promises to be the largest and biggest diversion ever pulled off in Weld county. Over a hundred people have already signified a willingness to take part and will bring along their dog and gun. It will be a good opportunity to exercise the dogs that have been penned up in Greeley for the last two weeks.
A number of men from out of the state have promised to be here with their stag hounds or wolf dogs and there are a number of fine dogs near Eaton that will take part. The ground to be covered is not over five miles’ square, so no rifles will be allowed, and only shot guns will be used in order to lessen the danger to the participants. The round-up will be held in the territory between the Mumper road on the west and the Kersey road on the east, which is a distance of three miles, and from the Pleasant Valley road on the south to the road five miles north. The start will be made from the east and west roads at 9:30 in the morning and from the north and south at 10 o’clock.
From the reports brought in by the farmers, a hundred scalps should be taken, and besides the sport, it will be a favor to the community.
The Result
The coyote hunt was a grand success. Some 200 men and a hundred dogs returned from Pleasant Valley at 2 o’clock this afternoon and report a frightful slaughter. A territory five miles’ square was traversed without leaving a sandbur or a leaf that was not turned over.
No danger of coyotes troubling the farmers’ poultry in that vicinity for a dozen years to come. The day was ideal for such a big hunt and the tracks could be followed for miles in the gently falling snow. As the men and dogs drew in their gradually diminishing net, with the victims huddled together in the center almost killing each other in their fright, with 200 voices mingled with the echo of a hundred dogs, it was an apocalypse of human excitement and brute agony never to be forgotten by those who witnessed it.
At the last moment there was a flash from fifty guns and when the smoke cleared away, six lay dead.
Six what?
Coyotes?
No.
Six jackrabbits.