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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Purchased from the income
of the bequest of
WILLIAM ROBERTSON COE
Honorary M.A. 1949, for
material in the field
of American Studies.

THE "OHIO HUNTEH."

FI=tOR^ A ^l-l^-r^CskF^ A i=M T-

^•^^"^ =0 VEA'RS AQO^

THE

OHIO HONTER:
Or a Brief Sketcii of the
F R O ]S^ T I E R LIFE
OF
SAMUEL E. :^D WARDS,
TOE
Great Bear and Deer Hunter
OF THE
ST.A-T:E3 OIF" OHIO

PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR
BY THE
REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING CO.
BATTLE CREEK, MICH.
1893.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by
S. E. EnwABDs, in the Clerk's Office of the District
Court of the United States, in and for the
Western District of Michigan.

THE CITIZENS OF PIQUAY AND HANCOCK COUNTIES.
STATE OF OHIO,

ALL THE PIONEERS
OF THOSE COUNTIES WHO STILL LINGER
ON THE SHORES OF TIME,

A LARGE CIRCLE OF ACQUAINTANCES IN THIS STATE,

A NUMEBOm CONNECTION OF BLOOD SELATIYES,
AND TO
HIS FBIKNUS EVERYWHERE,
IS THIS BOOK
BT
THE AUTHOR.

(6)

PUBLISHERS' PREFACE.

Havino carefully examined the following pages, comprising
the hunter life of Mr. Edwards, we most unhesitatingly pro
nounce it a very interesting Narrative, verging in numerous
instances into very romance, and a book which the uninformed
Reader may rely upon as being most strictly true to fact.
Hoping for it, — what it really deserves., and doubtless will
have, — a generous patronage, we cordiaHy commend this truly
characteristic Book to an appreciative and discriminating
Public. PUBLISHERS

AUTHOR'S PREFACE.

No doubt an apology willbe expected by an exacting and '
discriminating public, for the presumption of adding "one"
to the world of books already written ; especially in such an
age as this, when our land is teeming with the millions, who
from deeds of noble daring and patient suffering, both on
the field of battle, and the no less trying conflict between truth
and error, justly merit the highest place in the temple of fame.
To such we cheerfully accord the high position ; but along
side with the gallant and brave who have so nobly fought, and
decisively won, the great battles that should save our country
with its fertile soil, and highly-cultivated fields, from the des
ecrating tread of the usurper, would I claim a place for the
humble pioneer, who reduced the immense forests to fruitful
gardens, and converted the mighty oaks and hickorys that
waved their imperial heads with undisputed dominion above
the rich soil that sustained them, into the convenient habita
tion of men.
But for the men and women whose fives have been spent in
privation and toil to render our own loved land the pleasing
(7)

8 acthoe's pkepacb.
landscape we now behold it, thickly dotted with cities and
towns, — the land of the brave and the home of the free, — it
never would have been worth the blood it cost to save it. It
was not our territory that the ever-to-be-honored soldiers
shed their blood to save; but our homes — the sanctity of the
social compact — these were to be preserved inviolate, even
though it cost the blood of millions. And now while I ask
for myself an humble place, a simple nook, in the great wide-
spreading temple that is towering toward the heavens, having
inscribed upon its scroll the names of the illustrious living
and dead, from Washington to Lincoln, and many more who
are justly entitled to the names of "good," and "great,"
among such for myself I ask no place, but for my fellow-la
borers, who with me have aided in bearing the heat and bur
den of the day, I ask an honorable place in the records of the
past That any honor or any praise would ever accrue from the
publication of such a book as this, never mingled with the
motives that prompted to the work. It was first suggested by
the oft-recurring request of my children when seated around
the fireside, saying, " Father, this is a good time to tell us
some stories," and was finally expressed by some of them in a
wish that these same stories might be written or printed, that
they could be transmitted to a future generation, to show
what had been the deeds of some of their ancestry. To grat
ify this desire of my children's, I first determined to write
them, and have published in small pamphlet form, enough so

0
that my children and immediate connections might have a
copy ; but the undertaking proved that a rehearsal of the half
of them could not be confined to a pamphlet size. I saw, too,
that the pages written were rife with instruction, and so deter
mined not only to favor my own family and friends, but also
the world at large, with the fruits of my experience in front
ier life ; not because the events herein narrated were con
nected with my unimportant self, but because in my own ex
perience you have the experience of thousands, who with me
entered the wild woods, and subdued not only the beasts that
inhabit them, but the forests themselves, and rendered the
vast country over which they held dominion, suitable for the
habitation of man.
If this little Work awakens a single emotion of gratitude in
the hearts of the young, who will soon enjoy all the fruits of
the labor of the pioneer, and if in the hearts of those still liv
ing, who with myself have experienced all that these pages
describe, there revive pleasing remembrances, the wish of the
Author is fully gratified.
S. E. EDWARDS.
Napoleon, Benry Co., Ohio.

COKTENTS.

CHAPTER I.
Pages 17-27.
Introduction — Birth — Education — Earlt Life in the
City AND Country — Jugglery — The Superstitions of the
People — Fortune-Telling and Witchcraft a Delusion.
CHAPTER II.
Pages 28-37.
' Reach my Sixteenth Year — Return to my Native Place —
Wore Out as a Month Hand — A Fit op Love — Scared
BY Wolves — Disappointed — Go Back to Piquay County
— Rail-Splitting — Entangled in Love Affairs — A
Storm — A Calm — Is Married.
CHAPTER III.
Pages 38-51.
Go to House-Keeping — Move to Hancock, Ohio — Arrested
fob Debt — Escape from the Constable — Arrive at our
New Home — Suffer Many Privations — Attacked bt
Indians — Beat them Down with Fist and Club, and Es
cape — Appeal to the Indian Agent.
CHAPTER IV.
Pages 52-60.
Commence a Series of Hunting Excursions — Start out on
THE Sabbath — The Unfortunate Methodist — Hunting
Wild Hogs. (11)

12 coxTEirTs.
CHAPTER V.
Pages 61-67.
A Lucky Night at Big Creek — A Severe Contest — A Wolf
Chase — The Wolf hot Dangerous to the Human Spe
cies — A Lite Wolf Carried Home on the Shoulder.
CHAPTER VI.
Pages 68-75.
Trip to Bucyrus — Walk Forty-Five Miles in a Day —
Lose the Trail — An Adventure among the Indians —
A Young Squaw Enamored of the Lost Hunteb.
CHAPTER VII.
Pages 76-87.
Prepare for Another Hunting Excursion — Game Scarce
— The Nearest Hunting Grounds Forty Miles Away —
Equip Myself for a Coon Hunt — Gone Thirty Days —
Capture Sixty-two Coon — Take another Trip — Knx
two Large Bears. CHAPTER VIII.
Pages 88-100.
An Impudent Deer — ^A Bio Chase after Seven Beabs —
Catch a Cub — Deceived by Hunters — Fidelity of a
Doa — ^Another Bear Captured — The Habits op Bears.
CHAPTER IX.
Pages 101-108.
\ Day among the Lines — Mammoth Fis^eeies of the
Maumee — Go TO the Fisheries and Spear a Sturgeon
Nine Feet Long — Resort to the Seine — A Strange
Kind of Game — Appalling Spectacle — Thb, Mystebt
BoirrsB.

CdNT^BNTS. 13
, CHAPTER X.
Pages 109-118.
Go TO Ditching on the Wabash Canal — Soon Exchange
Canal Digging fob Deer Hunting — Catch a Bilious
Feveb — A Shabp Fight with a Deer in the Water —
Treated to a Cold Bath — Fever Leaves — Thoughts on
Hydropathy and Ventilation.
CHAPTER XI.
Pages 119-126.
Anothbb Teip to the Swamp to Hunt for Coon — Heavy
Snow — III Success — Form New Acquaintances — Chase
fob Deeb — Tenacity op Life Evidence op Witchceapt —
Geeat Time Hunting Coon — A Dutchman Initiated—
Another Winteb's Hunt Planned — Catch all Soets oj
Game — A Negro Huntee — Another Teip to the Swamp
foe Coon — Tbeie Habits — The Woodchvck.
CHAPTER XIL
Pages 127-136.
A Campaign fob Coon and Deeb — Foem a Hontino Co-
paetneeship — Catch a Beab — An African Hunteb —
A Lucky Shot — Habits op Coon.
CHAPTER XIII.
Pages 137-146.
Anotbee Teip to the Swamp — A Dog Engagement — Kill
A Laboe Catamount — Coubaoe of a Dog — Capiueb a
Beab — Cabby a Beab Ten Miles on my Shoulder — Take
anothbb Bear — Sell the Beaes foe Twenty-Five Dol
lars — This Teip Peoves a Damage to my hitherto
Steong Constitution.

14 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XIV.
Pages 147-155.
Nine Days' Stay in the Swamp — Unexpected Success in
Small Game — Dogs Find a Bee-tree — Chase and Cap
ture of Bear and Cues — Proceeds of Hunt — Return
Home.
CHAPTER XV.
Pages 156-170.
Another Ckuise for Bears — Take a Young German for
Company — Pursue a Bear — Stop foe the Nioht with a
Strange Family — Dekadful Fight with a Large Sjie-
Bear — Capture her and Three Little Cubs — Take the
Cubs Homf, Alive — Another Bear Chase — Accident to
Mt Comrade — An Awful Night in the Swamp — Vexed
AND Weary,. Return Home Again.
CHAPTER XVI.
Pages 171-180.
Spend the Winter in the Swamp — Take the Dutchman
along with Mb — Small Gain and Hard Fare — A Day
Without Food — Eat some Coon — Fresh Supplies Re-
(jf,ived — Plenty op Wild Honey — Beraved op My Wife —
A Mourning Circle — Start foe another Hunt — Novf.l
Method of Determinio a Coon-tkee — A House Afloat
—Novel Predicament for the Night — Married.
CHAPTER XVII.
Pages 181-184.
Removal from Hancock to Henry Co., Ohio — Settle
AGAIN IN THE WoODS — PURCHASE LaND ON TeUST — BuiLD
A House — Success in Huntinq-t-Fihal Capture op As-
OTHER Old Rf.alpENTKR.

CONTENTS. 16
CHAPTER XVIII.
Pages 185-191.
.iNOTUER Bear Chase — Loss of Dogs — Discover Moccasin
Tracks — Follow Indian Trail — Come to Indian Tent
— Dispute about Game — Recoveey op Dog — Indians
OrvE Up — Return Home with Proceeds op HmiT.
CHAPTER XIX.
Pages ^91-200.
The Old Residentbe op the Black Swamp — Amatcbr
Sportsmen — Thbie Fine Dogs and their Confidence in
the Same — New Dogs no match for Old Bear — Faith
ful Prince.
CHAPTER XX.
Pages 201-205.
My Friend Holts and I Go Mink Hunting — Accidentally
Discover Beab Tracks — Unexpected Good Fobtune —
Captuee a Beab Wobth Sixty Dollrs — Another Lucky
Teip — Sit Down and Take Oub Dinneb While Waiting
FOE The Dogs to Retubn from a Chase — They Gome
Pursuing a Monster Two-Year-Old Bear.
CHAPTER XXI.
Pages 206-211.
A Visit to the Northern Indians — Journey there — En
gage Board at a Taveen — Landlord Accompanies Us
to the Indian Camp — Dinner with the Indians — Land-
loed's Disgust — Beautiful Countbt of the Saginaw
AND Shiawassee Rivebs — Heavy Timbee — Rich Soiir— 7
Manneb of Living — Roast Poecupine and Coon — Trade
WITH THE Indians — Return Home — Last Hunt in 1866.
CHAPTER XXII.
Pages 212-217.
Advice to YouNp puNTB^Sr— Mode of Attacking thb

1 0 CONTENTS.
Debe — The Hunting Season — A Lovb oi Advbsttues—
Hunting as a Pastime — A Caution.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Pages 217-222.
Sketch op the Maumbb Valley — A Contrast — The Rise
AND PeOGEESS of INDUSTRIAL EnTBEPRISE IN THE StATB
— Description of Napoleon, Henry County, Ohio — A
Blight.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Pages 222-224.
Misfortune Attends us — Burning op House and all oub
Effects — We are left Shbltbeless in Mid-Winteb —
Almost Disheaetened — ^Kindness op Feiends — A Teib-
UTE op Thanks.
CHAPTER XXV,
Pages 225-229.
An Evil Habit — How I Ovbbcame it — Thb Use op To
bacco A Sin Against Natuee — Its Effects Physiologio-
ALLY CONSIDEEED.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Pages 230-284.
Embrace the Doctrine of Spiritualism — Find Myself to
BE A Medium — Possessed «p the Spieit of Samson 
Powerful Manifestations — Become a Writing Medium
— Become Disgusted with the Spirits.
CHAPTER XXVII.
Pages 235-240.
Christian Expebibnoe — Unite with the CAMPBELLiTF,g -
Mbbt with Opposition — Peacb Restorbo.

THE HUNTEE OF OHIO.

CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION — BIRTH — EDUCATION — EARLY LIFE
IN THE CITY AND COUNTRY  JUGGLERY — THE
SUPERSTITIONS OF THE PEOPLE  FORTUNE-TELL
ING AND WITCHCRAFT A DELUSION.
IT may appear a bold enterprise for a modest
man to attempt to write his own history, to give
an impartial coloring to his vices and virtues with
his own hand, to bring himself before the world
in the character of a hero while still living, and
liable from the fallibility of human nature to
commit new errors, and exhibit new weaknesses
that shall contradict past deeds; — whereas the
man who leaves so important a matter to the dic
tation of friends, years after he and his follies have
been laid in the grave, leaves to them a much less
difficult task to perform than he imposes upon
himself when undertaking the same important du
ty. Whether I shall prove to be a hero or not,
remains for the sequel of my story to show.

18 The Ohio Hunter.
I was the fifth of eight children, and my par
ents were of the plebeian order. I gave very ear
ly evidence of unusual precocity, and aged grand-
dames would shake their heads wisely and say,
" He is a remarkable child." My mother was
very early impressed with the truth of this senti
ment, and to her dying day I believe she never
found out to the contrary. Whether or not I have
fulfilled the promise of my childhood, I shall
leave the reader to determine.
I was born in the county of Armstrong, State of
Pennsylvania, March 22, 1810. My mother was
of Irish and German extraction, my father, Welsh ;
and if in my nature were not united the wit of the
Irish, the sagacity of the Germans, and the elo
quence of the Welsh, I at least inherited a re
spectable share of the love of the marvelous in the
one, and adventurous in the other. The substra
tum of my education was formed from legendary
tales of ghosts and witches, of which in that early
day there was no scarcity ; and although I became
very skeptical- in regard to the truth of them when
very young, yet nevertheless, I never wearied of
listening to them, and I believe the people of that
day never did of telling them. Mother Goose,
was also an important auxiliary in the educa
tion of the young, and her influence upon mv
character was not trifling ; and although I always
doubted the authority of her stories, they were
nevertheless interesting, and to my ardent nature,

BOYHOOD DAYS.

Boyhood Days. 19
much more attractive than the dull A, B, 0, stor
ies of this kind. I formed a very early abhor
rence for such common-place things as books and
school, and usually played the truant Avhile my
anxious mother was exhausting her limited re
sources in securing for her children the advan
tages of an education. I grew to be a man en
tirely unacquainted with such persons as Cobb
and Noah Webster.
My earliest recollections are associated with
mountains and hills. I early learned to love the
rugged cliff and stupenduous rock, and used to
cause my anxious mother many a search for one
who was never more at home than when driving
the moles and the bats to their inscrutable hiding
places. To this circumstance, perhaps more than
to any other, is attributable the love of the wild
and romantic, which has characterized all of my
later life.
In 1812, my father moved to Washington
County, Ohio, and three years later, my mother,
with seven dependent children, was left a widow.
Soon after my father's death, my mother left our
rural home and moved into the city of Cincinnati.
The great difierence in scenery and influences be
tween life in that metropolis and our quiet coun
try home, was not without its effect upon the hab
its of boys whose plastic characters were yet to
be formed, and who were at this tender age un
guarded by a father's care. True, of all that

20 The Ohio Hunter.
maternal watchcare could do, nothing was left
undone for us ; but a mother with all her tender
solicitude for her children, cannot guard all the
haunts of vice, or shield them from their pollut
ing influences. The dimes and half dimes that I
could make by doing errands for rich people, were
quite a source of profit to my mother, and I was
therefore left free at will to spend my time in the
street, where such opportunities of making money
were most frequent.
The lessons usuq,lly taught in the streets, either
of our large cities or small villages, are not very
moral in their nature, and this instance proved no
exception to the general rule. If there is a place
more wicked than all the rest, or one that affords
greater facilities for gaining instruction in all
that is vicious, that place will not long escape the
detection of the wide-awake youth who is in pur
suit of no better knowledge. In Cincinnati I
learned many tricks, and some sleight-of-hand per
formances, that were destined to make me, if not
popular, at least distinguished, in the neighbor
hood in which I afterward lived.
When twelve years old, my mother moved to
Piquay County, in the same State. The people
in the immediate neighborhood in which we lived,
were mostly Pennsylvania Dutch, and were very
ignorant in regard to many of the cunning arts
with which we had become familiar while living in
the city ; and although I could neither read nor

Boyhood Days. 21
write at that age, I was very intelligent in regard
to all kinds of witch stories, and the exercise of
many a cunning craft. With the assistance of
my brother, who was two years younger than
myself, many strange feats were accomplished
which the people there called witchcraft, and the
title of "little witches," so often applied to mis
chievous children, was no meaningless phrase
when spoken of us. The people there were much
more practical believers in witches than they were
in their Bibles, and the performance of two or three
feats of skill, which in their ignorance they could
not fully comprehend, was sufficient to confirm
their worst apprehensions that " the gods are come
down unto us." Whilst boys, in the streets of
Cincinnati, we had practiced throwing stones, un
til we could, with almost certain success, bring a
squirrel or bird from the top of the tallest trees.
By a little maneuvering on our part, we could
conceal the missile sent, and make the credulous
observers believe that the birds and the beasts
were subject unto us, and that by only a wave of
the hand we could bring them dead at our feet.
On one occasion my brother told some boys
that this was nothing to what we could do, — »that
we could turn ourselves into deer if we tried, and
run by them with such swiftness that they could
not touch us. They had already seen enough to
convince them that " nothing would be impossi
ble ;" but some would rather see than hear ; for

22 The Ohio Hunter.
others, to simply hear was enough ; and with true
deference to their fears, they dreaded to witness
any more displays of our skill.
One day we were attending a vendue, and about
twenty people offered us a dollar apiece if we would
turn ourselves into deer. We did not like to tell
them we could not, so my brother replied, "if
they would wait there until we went into the woods
and performed the necessary rite," we would do
so. We started for home, designing to leave the
deluded people to watch until their appetites, that
faithful monitor to all, should remind them they
had better go, too. But fortune smiled propi
tiously upon us once, and sent a tame deer, pur
sued by dogs, flying past them, and there was not
known to be a deer in all the country. This con
firmed their worst superstitions and belief that we
were real witches, and it was circulated far and
wide what wonderful exploits we had performed ;
— that the lives of the birds and squirrels were in
our hands ; that we bad turned ourselves into
deer, and flew past them with the lightness of an
evil spirit ; that they had seen it all with their
own eyes, and what their ears had heard, and
their eyes beheld, there was no use of disputing.
So generally were these statements believed,
and so strong was their faith, or rather, I should
say, deep was their ignorance, that one day a
gentleman called upon my mother to hire one of
her boys to drive away the birds and squirrels

Boyhood Days. 23
that were doing serious damage to his cornfields.
My mother told him that we could do nothing
more than any other boys, but he would not believe
her, and insisted on our services. He had come
fifteen miles, and did not like to be refused, but
my mother would not let us go, and he wag obliged
to return home alone, evidently very much disap
pointed. At another time, as we were going along the
public high way, our attention was attracted by
two persons in a field close by the roadside, pull
ing the wool from a dead sheep. My brother in
quired what they were doing that for. They an
swered, they wished to save the wool. I told
them they had better stop or I would make it rise
up and bite them. The fence corner in which it
lay was hedged with thick grass, and underneath
the grass was a long pole, one end of which was
under the sheep, and the other protruded through
the fence. I put my foot upon the pole, and the
dead sheep began to tremble find rise toward
them. They no sooner saw this spiritual manifes
tation than they ran for the house, and in breath
less terror told their parents what had happened.
The old people, with marvelous courage, came out
determined to kill us if they saw us ; but we had
found a retreat behind a large tree, and they
were too fearful to carry their investigation fur
ther than the door-yard. Thus we escaped obser
vation, and the old people retired to their mud

24 The Ohio Hunter.
domicil, more fully persuaded than ever, that the
days of witchcraft were not ended, and that we
were the veritable witches of Endor, or some
other place, with power to make ourselves visible
or invisible.
The reader can judge from what I have already
told, that religious meetings were unknown in
those parts, for such ignorance cannot exist where
the light of the Gospel has ever shone ; and had
it ever been faithfully proclaimed to this delud
ed people, it would not have been long before their
darkened understandings would have been en
lightened, and such gross errors would not have
escaped detection. But at this time, there was
no such thing as meetings ; but the young people,
true to their social instinct, congregated together
on the Sabbath-day, at different places and for
different purposes. Hunting, fishing, and playing
ball, were among the principal amusements ; and
it was for this purpose that quite a number were
assembled one Sunday, when my brother and my
self suddenly appeared in their midst, with our
arms full of squirrels which we had caught by
means of finger-stones cast into the tree tops, as
we were on our way to that place. There were
no marks upon the animals, and it appeared very
strange how we had caught so many. On being
questioned in regard to the facts, we told them
we charmed them ; they then immediately wanted
to see how the mysterious work was accomplished.

BOY'S PASTIME.

Boyhood Days. 26
Before reaching the company, we had propped up
one on a log, and left it; when asked for a
proof of our skill, I pointed to the squirrel thus
left behind, and told my brother to stop it quick.
He immediately commenced crossing himself, and
making strange motions, and the squirrel, from
want of power to do otherwise, stood perfectly
still. I walked deliberately to the spot, knocked
it down, and carried it to the company stone dead.
I cannot describe to my readers the astonish
ment manifested by the entire company, all of
whom were many years our seniors. By this ap
parently miraculous manifestation of power, we
confirmed their worst suspicions in regard to us ;
we also told them we could even put our fingers in
the mouths of live squirrels, and they would not
bite us. We had caught one alive, and George, for
that was my brother's name, seizing it carefully
by the throat, put his fingers in its mouth allow
ing them to remain there sometime unharmed, —
then releasing his grasp about the throat, bade
one of his companions to try the same trick. One
of the most credulous did so, and as the result,
was soon beseeching the " witches" to assuage the
pain !
Thus the reader can see how ignorance paves
the way for superstition, and exposes the person
to impositions and inconveniences, to which the
truly enlightened are never subjected. But su
perstition is not confined to that class of people I

26 The Ohio Hunter.
have just described, alone. How many of our
would-be-thought intelligent people, will spend
their last quarter of a dollar to see a man swallow
a sword, or pluck large Neshanic potatoes from
some respectable citizen's hat, or smash to pieces
his elegant gold watch, that they may display
their wonderful powers of jugglery ; and how
many anxious young ladies will give some wan
dering gipsy an entire week's wages, to inform
them whether their future husband's eyes are black,
or blue, or their present suitor's intentions are
sincere ; and if their present leap-year enterprise
will prove successful, or if they will have to wait
four years longer. And after all these questions
have been answered satisfactorily, how cheerfully
they labor to replace the missing dollar, saying
" they do not begrudge it at all, for she told them
just the truth, and they wouldn't miss knowing it
for twice what it cost."
Now these fortune-tellers know much better
than those who hear them, that there is not a
word of truth in all they say ; and if it chances to
happen according to their prediction, it is not in
consequence of anything they have said; and
though we may regard them as foolish about ev
erything else but fortune-telling, they know that
on that subject we are.
While there lingers in our minds one shadow of
belief in regard to the superhuman endowment of
some of our fellow beings, the belief that our

Boyhood Days.

27

heavenly Father, through such agencies as table-
tipping, mysterious writing, wandering gipsies,
or any other supernatural means, condescends to
make revelations to the world, not contained in
his Holy Word, or communicated by his Divine
Spirit in the still small voice, let us remember
there is still some dark corner unenlightened ; for
it is virtually saying and believing that since the
Alpha and Omega said, " It is finished," he has
thought of something more to say, and concluded
to adopt a more convenient mode of communi
cation.

28 The Ohio Hunter.

CHAPTER II.
beach my sixteenth year — RETURN TO MY NA
TIVE PLACE — WORK OUT AS A MONTH HAND — A
FIT OF LOVE — SCARED BY WOLVES — DISAPPOINT
ED — GO BACK TO PIQUAY COUNTY  RAIL-SPLIT
TING — ENTANGLED IN LOVE AFFAIRS — A STORM
 A CALM  IS MARRIED.
Thus far in my life I had never been confined
to hard labor. Had this been otherwise, most of
the useless transactions before narrated would
never have been perpetrated ; for idleness is the
fostering parent of many vices. But at the age
of fifteen I returned to my native County, and
commenced laboring by the month. My first en
gagement was with a widow lady, whose family
consisted of one son, two daughters, young ladies,
and a boarder. They were very respectable peo
ple, and I was well pleased with my home, until
caught in some of my old pranks. I took advan
tage of the power of rendering myself invisible
shortly after. However I afterward obtained for
giveness for my rashness and was re-instated in
the family.
There is but little of interest connected with
my history for the succeeding three years, for
they were spent in hard labor on a farm ; and
those who have served in the capacity of a hired

A Mysterious Deity. 29
servant for that period of time know better than
I can tell them of its monotony.
When eighteen, that strange fascination which
is within the power of the other sex alone to exert
over the hearts of men, and which has not unfre-
quently affected stronger minds than mine, com
menced working a more powerful charm over me
than I had ever exerted over bird or beast ; and
with weapons more destructive to peace than any
I had ever hurled at the lives of the latter, I found
my heart assailed by a certain mysterious deity,
whom I have since been taught to venerate as the
god of love, or as more commonly designated, Cu
pid. Yes, I was in love ; or, I believed myself
so, though I afterward found I had been mistaken.
I had paid the dear Annie Maria two or three un
ceremonious visits, and on this eventful Saturday
evening set out to make another of the same kind.
Had I more thoughtfully informed her of the day
and hour she might expect me, this great ship
wreck of human happiness might not have come
so suddenly. But she was not expecting me in
the least at that time, and perhaps I ought to for
give her, since many others have done the same.
But there she sat in front of the fireplace, with
David Billings close beside her ! I stood for a
moment all bewildered, — my heart for the first
time began to palpitate, — what should I do ! I
determined to let her know I had seen them. I
rallied strength, and with a bold tread I entered.

30 The Ohio Hunter.
My appearance caused some confusion and extra
blushes, but I was determined to show them how
little I cared, and think I could have succeeded
tolerably well but for a sudden huskiness in the
throat, which rendered my speech quite inarticu
late. I made my visit short, and with a cool
"good evening," I departed. I went about a
mile, when I came to the place where the roads
crossed ; here I sat down by the wayside to
watch the time my successful rival should leave,
with no other companion than my dog and my
own unpleasant reflections. Not long after this
the gentleman before mentioned passed by me,
and I then proceeded on my solitary way. I had
only reached the foot of a large hill that lay in
my road, when I was alarmed by the loud barking
of a pack of wolves. My knees began to tremble
and my hair to rise on my head ; not knowing
then as well as I have since learned, that they
would not hurt me ; — for mingled with the ghost
and witch stories, I had heard much of the feroc
ity of bears, wolves and panthers, and supposed
they were really the same blood-thirsty, ferocious
beasts they had been represented.
True they are blood-thirsty, but it is not the
blood of the human species they thirst for. Our
all-wise Creator has so ordered it that they are
much more afraid of a human being than the
most timid child possibly can be of the bear ; 
otherwise the great forest of America never couhl

A Mysterious Deity. 31
have been rendered habitable for man, without a
great destruction of human life. But the loss of
life by such agencies as these is much less than
are the traditions respecting them. It is only in
defense of its young, or when rendered frantic by
fright or extreme starvation, that any of the ani
mals of America will molest the human species.
On the occasion before mentioned the sound
approached nearer and still nearer, — my affright
became more and more terrible, till I was on the
point of lying down in submission to my fate,
when we came upon a flock of sheep, and myself
and dog were no longer an object of pursuit. I
then proceeded at rather more than a usual pace
toward home. I reached my mother's gate just
before my strength failed, and upon entering the
house was immediately questioned as to what was
the matter. I answered, "Nothing." My moth
er replied, " I know better, for you have been run
ning." I then told her I had been out hunting,
and the wolves got after me. But with woman's
intuitiveness she readily guessed the truth, and
said I had been to see Annie Maria, and she
hoped the wolves would get me if I didn't stay
away. I felt that I was now really forsaken, —
disappointed in love, — my life hunted by wolves,
and my own mother refusing sympathy.
Not many days after this tragical event, the
aforesaid Annie, Maria came to visit my sister.
She told her the story of her wrongs, and got her

32 The Ohio Hunter.
to see that a proper explanation was made. A
favorable opportunity for talking the matter over
was arranged by my sister, and soon an amicable
adjustment of matters was made, and I continued
to travel the old wolf road for several months.
But like many young suitors, I favored a monop
oly of attentions, and she concluded I was a little
jealous-hearted, and so future services were dis
pensed with,
In 1829 I returned to Piquay County among
the Dutch, with whom I always liked to live ; for
if they were a little too credulous in their views
of the marvelous, they were nevertheless an hon
est, upright, hard-working people. I had by this
time, become accustomed to hard labor, and found
it much the surest means of making a living. I
commenced taking large jobs of rail-splitting and
cord-wood chopping, at either of which I could
hardly be excelled.
I was of robust constitution, with large bodily
frame ; my hight being six feet, with long legs,
and amply developed hands and feet, large mus
cles and strong nerves, with no unnecessary flesh ;
commonly weighing from one hundred and sev
enty-five to one hundred and eighty pounds. I
had never been sick a day in my life, and, always
accustomed to healthful exercise, either from active
sports, or hard labor in the open air, I had devel
oped an ample chest, and immense muscular
strength, so that I was admirably fitted for the

A Mysterious Deity. 33
kind of business in which I was now engaged. I
could easily split eight hundred rails, or cut six
cords of wood in a day. To the truth of this state
ment I expect many who read this book can testify.
So far in my life my habits of industry had only
been fitful and alternated with fishing excursions,
hunting scenes, and the practice of the various arts
I had learned when a boy ; and my reputation
for industry and integrity was far from being ful
ly established. This I learned to my groat dis
may when not long after having become greatly
charmed with a beautiful Dutch girl whose parents
were rich, and having won her affections and the
promise of her hand in marriage, I quite confident
ly solicited the old gentleman's approval of our
union. I was considerably humiliated when he
replied that he would never trust his daughter's
happiness with one who with a dog and gun could
spend half his time in the woods. I must first
learn to be industrious before I could have one of
his girls. This was the most practical lesson I
had ever learned. I determined immediately nev
er to be refused for that same reason again. I
concluded it would be easier to establish a good
reputation where I was not known, and accord
ingly started for new quarters. I went about ten
miles and hired out to another Dutchman. He
had a daughter seventeen years old to whom
I soon became engaged also. I worked early and
3

34 The Ohio Hunter.
late, and in the course of a month or two, thought
I had sufficiently won the old gentleman's confi
dence to justify me in making the great and im
portant desire of my heart known ; and with the
almost perfect assurance too, that he would favor
my suit, and that I should eventually become the
proud possessor of his daughter's hand. But I was
again destined to see the fondest hopes of a life
time withered in an hour, and the cup of happi
ness rudely dashed from my lips by that ruthless
word — no. Oh, fate inexorable ! why was I doomed
to suffer all this ? What had I done that I must
ever meet with disappointment ? But I soon found
that it was not so much on account of what I had
done as what I had not. Yes, here was a little balm
for the bleeding wound : I could stay and work one
year, and if in all that time I proved really hon
est and industrious, and one likely to make for his
daughter a good living, I could have her. So Ja
cob-like I toiled on, iior thought the time long.
But my affections were not altogether as con
stant at that age as they should have been ; and
the sight of a pretty face usually disconcerted me
considerably. Well it so happened there lived
another farmer not far from there, who had a
daughter with features comely and countenance
fair. My peace of mind was considerably dis
turbed by this knowledge, coming to me as it did
through the sense of vision. True my Mary was
all that heart qould wish ; but possibly my atten-

A Mysterious Deity. 35
tions might not be disagreeable to the beautiful
Kate. I determined at least to form her acquaint
ance, and perhaps she too might yet learn to love
me as well as Mary, and if I were so blessed by
the affections of one true heart I should be doubly
so when I had won another. This was all very
pleasant to think about,, but I found the execution
of my blissful dream afforded far less delight. It
required considerable financeering to lay a plan
whereby I might avoid detection ; for my presence
at home on Sabbath evening was expected as a
matter of course, and there was no other evening
in the week when I could reasonably hope to meet
with a favorable reception at the other place. I
could endure this uncertainty no longer. So one
Sabbath afternoon I went to a singing-school a
few miles distant, and after its close, instead of re
turning home, I went as far in the other direction.
I found the fair-faced Kate looking just her sweet
est, her hair lying in beautiful waves above a square
forehead, and her dimpled cheeks and ruby lips
wreathed in such bewitching, smiles. Mary had
suddenly lost all the charms that had so captivated
my heart, and she now appeared so plain and or
dinary that I pitied her. I could no longer love
her, — oh, impossible. The love of Kate was now
the all-absorbing passion. I soon found that my
presence was in no wise embarrassing, and spent
the evening very agreeably, chatting alternately
with the old folks and Kate. The evening wore

36 The Ohio Hunter.
slowly away and the old people retired for the
night. I remained until a late hour and when at
length I endeavored to take my departure I met
with a somewhat serious obstacle, in the shape of
a large cross dog that would not permit me to re
tire until he had set his teeth firmly in the leg of
my pantaloons, and left a very visible mark of his
displeasure by a large right-angled rent. I said
nothing about the deeper impressions he made.
On returning home I was immediately questioned in
regard to my absence, also to the rent in my panta
loons. I replied that coming home I had treed a
coon, and with a strange dog that had followed me
I had stayed in the woods all night to watch it,
and just before/ 1 started for home the treacherous
dog had tried' to bite me, and finished the sentence
by saying, ," Sofmtieh for trusting strange dogs.
It is best with dogs as with people to prove them
before trustingn'tem too far." I soon saw that
this statement^Vas fully believed and thought I
was getting ouii of the difficulty very nicely for
two or three days ; but then as if to verify the old
maxim " Murder will out," the fatal secret I had
so carefully guarded was most unfortunately re
vealed. I was working in the field with my in
tended wife's two brothers, when suddenly Kate's
rueful little brother came where we were at work.
The first word he said was, " Sam, how is your leg
where Nero bit it ?" I motioned him to be silent ;
but the more anxiously I beckoned him to silence.

A Mysterious Deity. 37
a great deal more he proclaimed it aloud, saying,
" Oh you need n't stand there shaking your head
at me for I'll be darned if you was n't over to our
house and staid with our Kate all night." One
of the boys found it necessary to go to the house
soon after this information had been communica
ted, and the whole family were soon in possession
of this valuable intelligence. At dinner I was
not long in discovering that a storm was gather
ing in our domestic horizon, and it was soon broken
in thundering accents on my head by the old gentle
man, who commenced by saying, " You petter pe
leaving here you d — n rascal if dat ish de way
you do. I finds you out now, you no marry my gal,
you black divil you." The storm continued with
little abatement for several minutes, the light
ning flashing vividly from all eyes, and the thun
der echoing from the hoarse notes of the enraged
father. But as there is usually a calm after a
storm there happened to be one in this case; The
outraged parents were not opposed to a reconcili
ation, and the faithful Mary was willing to listen
to any palliation of the crime, and as such commo
tions are usually followed by powerful reactions,
so it was not long before our wedding day was set,
and the ceremonies solemnized with a father's be
nignant smile resting fully upon us ; and the fol
lowing was recorded in the great family Bible :
Married, Samuel Edwards and Mary Altman,
September 22, 1832.

38 The Ohio Hunter.

CHAPTER III.
GO TO HOUSE-KEEPING — MOVE TO HANCOCK, OHIO
— ARRESTED FOR DEBT — ESCAPE FROM THE CON
STABLE — ARRIVE AT OUR NEW HOME  SUFFER
MANY PRIVATIONS  ATTACKED BY INDIANS 
BEAT THEM DOWN WITH FIST AND CLUB, AND ES
CAPE — APPEAL TO THB INDIAN AGENT.
At this time, I possessed nothing of this world's
goods but my clothes, and my wife received little
else from her home. We went to house-keeping
as best we could. In the year 1833 a new entry
was made in the Family Record, and a son was
christened George. In the same year my father-
in-law moved from Piquay County, Ohio, to
Hancock County, in the same State.
At this time, my father-in-law was greatly re
duced in property to what he had once been, ow
ing to unsteady habits, and the manner of life
we had been leading. I had been engaged with
him in horse-racing, horse-trading, dog-fighting,
and cock-fighting. In the two former, I was usual
ly unfortunate ; but with the latter, most generally
successful. I undertook to go with my father-in-law to his
home in the West, but just as I was starting, was
arrested for the non-payment of the sum of ten
dollars, which at that time it would have been

« *¦ JSsTi.. »"-\"^Vi

EAHLY DAYS OF OHIO.

A Race with a Constable. 39
impossible for me to pay. When brought before
the magistrate, I dodged the constable, giving leg
bail for my appearance at court. I had to run
through the town of Circleville, and then nearly a
mile across the commons. The further the chase
was pursued the further in the rear I left my
pursuers, until at length they were lost sight of
by me entirely. It was now dark, but I traveled
nearly all night, for my father-in-law, with my
wife and child, had started early the previous
morning. A short time before day-light I lay down
in the woods and tried to sleep a little. I had
reached the tow-path near Columbus. I thought
now I was safe. The moon shone dimly, and I
saw two men approaching, they discovered me
and said, Is this Mr. Edwards ? I made no reply,
but jumped over a fence into a cornfield, closely
followed by my pursuers. My long legs were
of excellent service, and again defeated the vigi-
lence of the law. The next day I overtook the
teams, and obtained something to eat. While rest
ing a little and conversing with my wife, I saw
the constable and two men approaching. I
jumped again into a field of deep ploughed ground,
and ran about eighty rods. The men dismounted
and followed me, but they were not quite my
equals for getting over ploughed ground, and then
coming to a thick woods, I evaded their most dili
gent search.
The next day I again overtook the wagons and

40 The Ohio Hunter.
obtained fresh supplies of the needful. We then
proceeded together unmolested to the new country
for which we had started. The constable gave
up the chase, and we had nothing eventful to en
counter until after our arrival in the wild woods.
To those who have never had any similar experi
ence, it will be impossible for me to describe the
hardships and toils, the privations and sufferings
of a pioneer life. To go into a dense forest and
obtain the subsistence necessary for the support
of a family, with no dependence but your dog and
gun, and then be confined to only such fare as
you can by this means secure, to live with only
the stalwart oak to gaze upon, and only the fierce
barking of the wolves, or piteous moan of the
panther to echo back your murmurings of discon
tent. But many a one who reads this book, can
draw from actual experience a more truthful pic
ture in their own remembrance than I can deline
ate with pen, else all these fruitful fields and
pleasant landscapes would not be thus charmingly
spread out before us. Coming generations can
have but faint conceptions of what their forefath
ers have endured that they might live in the en
joyment of ease and plenty. But many more be
sides myself, have experienced all these things,
and rather than repine that I have been one of
their number, it is now my proudest boast that I
have lived and suffered with them, and were I
still young, I could ask no happier lot than to

Hard Times in the Woods. 41
penetrate our western wilds further than human
feet have ever yet trod, and there with my faithful
dog and gun, with ax and maul, to subdue the
forest, and render it suitable for the abode of civ
ilized man, and in the great school of nature, to
learn the duty His creatures owe to their benefi
cent Author.
I discovered soon after my arrival in the woods,
that there was nothing I could do during the win
ter that would maintain my family. So I re
turned to Piquay County to work at day labor
during the winter. The distance to be traveled
was one hundred and twenty-five miles. I started
on foot, with only a little provision in a basket,
which I carried on my arm, and not a dollar in
ray pocket. Wherever night overtook me, I built
a fire and lay down and slept until morning. The
third night I reached my mother's house, quite
glad to get back once more into a land where
there was bread enough and to spare. I was not
yet quite prepared to meet the constable ; but my
mother saved me all future trouble by paying the
debt, the generous creditor assuming the cost
himself. The next day I went to town, met the
constable who took my hand good naturedly,
and said that he never was outrun before.
I worked hard until I had paid the ten dollars
to my mother, and saved a little besides. I then
returned to my family. I found them well, but
in very destitute circumstances ; provisions were

42 The Ohio Hunter.
very scarce, and my father-in-law said he could,
not keep them any longer. I took my wife and
little boy and went to my brother's. He fur
nished us a bed, and we furnished our own board.
I had a cow that supplied us with milk whenever
we were so fortunate as to find her ; but in the
great wilderness which the larger part of Han
cock County then was, it was very easy for her
to bid defiance to all pursuit. Having been ab
sent on one occasion rather longer than usual, I
Started with my dog in pursuit of her. Notteing
accustomed to the great forests of the West,- that
seemed in their nature, interminable, I lost my way
and traveled all day without knowing whither I
was going, or whether I was every moment draw
ing nearer to, or receding from, my home. But
night at last overtook me, buried deep in the for
est. With my flint and pocket knife, I started a
fire, and was about camping for the night when a
turkey flew upon her roost at no great distance.
It was turkey or no supper. I had a famous gun
that from the havoc it had made among beasts
and fowls, had received the distinguishing appel
lative of "killall." Killall was leveled straight
at her head, and with that precision and skill that
seldom failed me, the turkey was soon lying dead
at my feet. This splendid bird, upon examina
tion, proved to have been worthy of a better
roasting than it that night received ; it would have
been dainty meat for wedding guests, but it was

A Nice Breakfast. 43
that night substantial food for a weary hunter.
As soon as the savory odors of the roasting tur
key were carried out upon the breeze, the wolves
commenced barking ferociously. They came
close enough for me to see them, and then old
killall answered their rude call, and stopped all
further interference on their part.
The next morning, having breakfasted on roast
turkey, I set out once more for home. I at
length came to a small clearing where a new
house had just been built. I went to the house,
found a woman and two smajl children. They
appeared very much frightened as I entered and
inquired who lived there. She told me their
name was Peterson. I inquired for her husband.
She told me he had gone back to the place they
came from for another load of goods. I then
asked her if she could tell what direction from ,
there Fort Findlay was. She could tell only by
pointing toward it, which was northwest. She .
then asked me where I lived, and I told her in
Jackson Township. She said they lived in the
same Township. I inquired the section, she said
she did not know. I asked to see their deed, and
from that learned that their land was in section
thirty-one, and I lived in section ten, which lay
four miles apart. The hospitable woman gave me
some dinner, and I started for home, and reached
there just as the shade's of twilight were deepening.
1 faaad that my protracted stay was creating a

44 The Ohio Hunter.
great deal of excitement, and no small anxiety at
home, and a search was about to be instituted for
my recovery.
This was late in the winter, and provisions
were becoming extremely scarce. One morning
at breakfast my wife told me there was no more
bread-stuff in the house, and she guessed that now
we should have to starve. I pointed to old killall
and told her not while that friend proved faithful.
A few days previous to this there had been a load
of corn meal sold in Findley, at two dollars per
.bushel; but as I had no money, I cOuld purchase
none, and my gun and the immense forests were
the only resources left me now. There was a nice
snow on the ground, and deer could be seen at a
great distance. I took my wife's brother, a boy
about fourteen years old, along with me. We
proceeded several miles, when we met a man
hunting with neither dog nor gun. I asked him
what he was hunting, he replied, he was hunting
bees. He said that yesterday, it being quite
warm, the bees could be seen in great numbers,
and were even now lying quite thick upon the
snow. I looked carefully about me for some time,
and then discovered the tree. I told my brother-
in-law to cut the tree while I went home for the
buckets to carry the honey in. I started for
home, had about four miles to go. As I was go
ing along, guided by my compass, a large deer
started just in front of me. I took aim at him,

A Harvest of Wild Honey. 45
and he was soon struggling his last. I walked
up to him and cut his throat, and left him lying
there until I should return. When I reached
home and told my wife what I had done, she
looked at me rather incredulously for a moment,
but seeing me arm myself with the buckets, con
cluded at last that I must be in earnest, and said.
Well, we shall not have to starve for a few days.
When I returned, John, for that was my brother-
in-law's name, had the tree nearly cut down, and
I soon finished it. We took out three buckets
full of pure honey, but could not put it all in the
buckets, so we had to leave the rest until another
time. Then we cut a long pole, and with some
bark that we could gather, tied the buckets at
equal distances from each other along the pole ;
all things being arranged, he took one end and I
the other, and started for home. When we came
to where the deer lay, we cut some bark and
hung it up out of the reach of the wolves, and
were obliged to leave him there until morning ;
for it was then too late to return that evening.
The next morning we returned and secured the re
mainder of the honey, and then went for the deer.
When we came to it, the wolves were howling
madly about it, but could not reach it. We cut
it down and carried it home. My wife met us
at the door, and said we could live now, for we
had meat and wild honey. There was over ten
gallons of honey, most of which I took to Findley

46 The Ohio Hunter.
and sold for seventy-five cents per gallon, and
bought instead, corn meal, coffee, and tobacco,
and went home feeling richer than I think several
thousand could make me feel now. This was in
January, 1834.
I now thought it best to make some provision
for the coming year. I bought ten acres and paid
for it by clearing ten acres more. I built me
what was denominated a cabin-house, and com
menced clearing. When we wanted meat, I would
take my gun and go into the woods and kill a
deer, or turkey, or some other game with which
the forest abounded. I worked very hard the
ensuing summer, and by unremitting industry,
was enabled to keep the "wolf" from the door. I
soon had my land paid for, and by 1836 could
raise my own bread. When my ten acres were
nearly cleared, I was offered five dollars per acre,
and sold it. I then bought forty acres right in
the woods. I built another house after the same
style as the former, and moved again into the
woods. All this time provisions were extremely
scarce, and very high. The country was settling
very rapidly, and the demand for food much
greater than the supply ; and all that could be
obtained, must be brought from Logan and Cham
pagne Counties, a distance of from eighty to one
hundred miles. By the help of some friends in
loaning me money, I hired a yoke of cattle and
one horse, and commenced hauling flour and meal

A Fight with Indians. 47
from Urbanna, to supply the people with bread,
and prevent their starving. Most of the way
the road at that time consisted simply of a track
cut through the woods, and most of the time this
was so wet and muddy as to be hardly traversable.
Not unfrequently would my team becpme stalled
in the mud, and the entire load have to be removed,
item by item, and carried for some distance on
my shoulder, and the team with the empty wagon
helped out of some mire hole. At such times, I
was often obliged to wade to my waist in mud and
water. There were very few houses along the
entire road. I would sometimes travel a whole
day without seeing the habitation of human be
ings. There was no friendly inn along that
dreary road, where the weary traveler might find
rest, and comfortable stalls inviting his jaded
team to pleasant repose ; but instead of this, the
pioneer of the Maumee Valley reposed upon the
bosom of the earth, and turned loose his way
worn team to feed on herbage and flowers, while
he himself dressed some unfortunate deer that had
been so unwise as to cross his pathway, and made
his supper on corn bread and broiled venison, and
then lay down by his watch-fire and slept in
quietude. In this manner, I performed seven trips during
the summer, and saved many an unhappy family
from starvation.
When making my third trip, I was attacked by

48 The Ohio Hunter.
a band of Indians. A severe contest ensued. In
going up the Blanchard river, through what was
then called the twelve-mile woods, there was a
deer lick where I always watered my team. While
there, I saw four Indians come out of the thicket.
One of them leading a horse, approached the spot
where I was standing. I soon discovered that
they were in a state of intoxication, and my fears
were accordingly increased, for to meet so many
Indians alone in the woods, and particularly at
that time when the white man's encroachments
were looked upon by no means favorably, was not
very desirable ; and liquor does not affect the
Indian much more favorably than the white man.
They wanted to know how I would trade horses.
The reader will, perhaps, remember there was a
law against trading with the Indians, and I ap-
cordingly told them I did not wish to trade.
This did not satisfy them, and they still insisted
that I should make them an offer. But having
watered my team, I mounted the wagon to pro
ceed on my journey. This they would not per
mit ; but detained me by catching the bridle rein
of my horse, and still bantering for a trade. I
at last told them I would trade for ten dollars.
This so enraged the Indians that one of them
drew a club and struck me upon the nose, making
it bleed badly. Before this, I had been very
much frightened, but now all fear forsook me and
I replied to his civility- with a blow from my fist

INDIANS AND WIOVTAM.

A Fight with the Indians. 49
just over his eye, which laid him senseless at my
feet. Another came furiously toward me and
attempted to catch my legs. I caught him by
the neck, and giving him an underhand lick, soon
silenced him. There is a rule among the Indians
when a number of them wish to take a spree, that
one of the number must keep sober. I noticed that
there was one of thein that did not appear
intoxicated, and I looked to him fbr protection.
But an Indian will always resent an injury done
to a comrade. So when they saw the other two
lying senseless before them, they were so enraged
one grabbed a club and the other drew a butcher
knife from under his " waumus." When I saw the
knife, I gave him the length of a club that hap
pened to be near, against the side of the head,
and brought him to the ground. The knife flew
out of his hand and I ran for it, but the other
Indian reached it first, and upon gaining the val
uable weapon, he ran again into the thicket. On
finding myself alone, I sprung for the team and
started. I heard one of them say he would go
for his gun and shoot me. They started for their
wigwams, which were about twenty rods distant.
They were weak from the effects of the liquor
they had been drinking, else I probably could not
have handled so great a number of them as easily.
When they reached the wigwams, I heard them
quarrelling among themselves. Their squaws
4

50 The Ohio Hunter.
would not let them have their guns, because they
were drunk ; so I went on as fast as possible,
hoping soon to be out of their reach. I had not
proceeded far on my way when I met two team
sters, who knew me. Not being very often en
couraged by the sight of a white man along that
lonely road, we did not pass each other with a
cold bow, or some other formal salutation; but
usually stopped and held some friendly conversa
tion on the prospects of the country, and our own
success or reverses in business. At this time, my
face was yet covered with the blood that was still
flowing freely, and the first interrogatives were
concerning my own personal safety. After the
subject had been fully talked over, we determined
to go back and kill them all, so we armed our
selves with clubs, and such weapons as the forest
could afford, and started in pursuit of them.
When they saw us approaching, they again hid
themselves in the bushes, and we thought it not
best to pursue them further. It was nearly night,
and I had to camp again in the woods. I turned
my team loose in the forest, and Liid down by a
log and tried to sleep. The night seemed very
long. But the morning came at length, and the
day following I came out of the woods. After
this, I went to the Indian agent, and told him
what the Indians had done, and he offered to
send a guide with me, and if I could ascertain
what Indians it was that had interfered with my

Reflections. .51
rights as a traveler, he would bring them to jus
tice. But it was impossible for me to identify
the marauders, for Indians all looked alike to me,
and so they were left to commit new depre
dations wherever their revengeful natures should
lead them. But they never troubled me any
more, and perhaps they would not have done so
this time, but for the accursed liquor that had
fired their blood.
The Indian is by no means the only race of
men that are troubled with a similar weakness ;
but the strong-minded white man, the crowning
glory of creation, the pillar of strength in the
normal condition of nature, will often by his own
voluntary act, reduce himself far below the condi
tion of the Indian, and with the same right arm
that is sworn to protect and shield the helpless
ones that are dependent upon him, wield the
weapon that has not unfrequently cost the life of
his victim. Aye, how much more freely can I
forgive the poor benighted Indian, who, yielding
to the impulse of so base a passion as an ungov-
erned appetite, draws the weapon of death against
my life, than I can forgive the man, who living
where the light of science and religion is shining
in the full beauty of noon-day, and when reason
and conscience are unshackled by superstition, will
degrade the name of man, by basely yielding all
his nobler faculties to the despotism of passion.

52 The Ohio Hunter.

CHAPTER IV.
COMMENCE A SERIES OF HUNTING EXCURSIONS 
START OUT ON THE SABBATH  THE UNFORTU
NATE METHODIST  HUNTING WILD HOGS.
In the fall of 1838, I commenced a series of
hunting excursions, which proved very successful,
and it is my purpose now to give the reader a de
tail of some of the scenes that followed. I com
menced in October, and during the remainder of
the, autumn and the following winter, I killed
thirty-eight deer.
One of my first successes was on the Sab
bath. I had started with only my gun, and after
several hours spent in the woods, I came upon an
old buck that I only succeeded in wounding at
first. I had no dog with me, and the artful deer
was too cunning to be shot again. I followed
him about five miles, close to where there lived a
devoted Methodist. At this time, I paid no re
gard to days myself, and did not regard other
people's preferences very highly. I told the old
gentleman I had wounded a large buck, and I
wanted him to go with his dog and help me catch
it. When I first addressed him he said, " Heigh !
old fellow, I'll return you for hunting on the Sab
bath;" but upon being stipulated with by a prom-

Adventure with a Methodist. 53
ise of half the spoil, he consented and went. I
told him the buck was a very large one, and I
was afraid it would hurt the dog. He replied, no
danger, that deer did not run the woods that could
hurt him. Well, if he was willing to risk the dog,
I was the deer, and we proceeded on together un
til we came in sight of the game. He told his
dog to go, and away he went. The poor deer,
weak from the loss of blood, could not do much at
running ; and seeing that he was likely to be
overtaken by the dog, turned around and com
menced a different kind of warfare. The dog,
like his master, was very brave, and made no halt
until met, not exactly face to face, but head to
head by the deer. The head of the latter being a
little the hardest, the poor fellow was soon howl
ing piteously. I was willing to see a little fun,
so I told Mr. H. to go and help the dog. He
run up with a little brush in his hand, and rather
imperatively demanded that the deer should let
the dog alone. The deer obeyed the first injunc
tion and took after the man, who proved himself
a fine pedestrian, but hardly equal to the occa
sion. However, before the deer was able to do
him any serious injury, he found himself pursued
in the rear. The buck was thrown, and I caught
him by the horns, and told Mr. H. to cut his
throat. Mr. H. walked up before him just as he
lay, and commenced cutting at his throat, but he
was not the deer that would lay perfectly still

54 The Ohio Hunter.
and have his throat cut without resistance ; but
he drew up his legs and sent the aggressor
down the hill, making very graceful revolutions
as he went. The infuriated buck made several
more jumps, carrying me as an appendage to his
horns, but after a little, with the help of the dog,
I succeeded in bringing him again to the ground.
I called the man to come and cut his throat, but
he now said he would not, because it was Sunday.
He did not believe it was good luck to hunt on
Sunday. I at last succeeded in accomplishing
the difficult feat alone. We then divided the deer
between us, and each started for home, just as the
shades of night came on. The weight I had to
carry was eighty pounds, and the distance to be
gone, over five miles.
Not long after this, I went out and wounded an
other deer. I had no dog yet, so I had to follow it
alone. I pursued it till it lay down behind a log.
I went very close to it, and was taking aim at his
head, when suddenly he sprung toward me. I
found refuge behind a small tree. He jumped
against the tree with his head, and I thus caught
him by the horns. I was now in quite a dilemma.
It required all my strength and both my hands to
hold him. So there must be some expedient de
vised for cutting his throat ; after he stopped rear
ing and plunging, I managed to hold one of the
horns with my foot and the other with one hand,
and with the other, get my knife out of my pock-

A Fight with a Suck. 56
et and cut his throat. Just as I had finished my
work, L heard aloud laugh, and looking round
saw some old hunters who had concealed them
selves to watch the sport. They now came out
of their hiding place and congratulated me on
my success. One said, " Sam, this will spoil you.
Some old buck will kill you yet, you will not al
ways find a tree to hide behind." But I have had
many more difficult encounters than that since,
and am not dead yet.
Soon after this, I bought me a dog and trained
him especially for hunting. He would stay close
by my side, no matter if he saw twenty deer, until
I told him to chase them, then he was sure to hum
ble the proudest. On one occasion I wounded one
in the foot, it was a cold day, and the ice was
frozen about half an inch thick ; the deer started
on the ice and broke through. He waded on,
breaking the ice as he went, the dog followed
him, and the deer managed to get Bravo under the
ice. As soon as I discovered the condition of my
dog, I waded into the water up to my knees and
rescued my favorite from drowning. He was
large and shaggy, and was soon ornamented with
a row of icicles hanging all-around his great body.
I relieved him of these with my knife, and to
gether we soon overcame the cold by the vigorous
exercise we took in catching the deer. I had got
my gun wet while rescuing the dog, so I could
not shoot, and there now remained no means of

56 The Ohio Hunter.
capture but the chase. I gave Bravo the word,
and he was soon bounding rapidly away in the
direction of the deer. I followed after, but if
Bravo had not cornered his prey, I think I should
have been a long time overtaking them ; but I
soon knew by the barking, that he had his enemy
in close quarters. When I came to them. Bravo
was standing at a distance, barking ; but did not
seem anxious for a closer intimacy until there was
some one to share the sport with him. Upon dis
covering the embarrassing situation of my dog, 1
immediately threw aside my gun and shot pouch,
and with tomahawk in hand, proceeded to the
contest. I first struck the deer on the horns, but
the blow glanced off, and my tomahawk flew far
out of my hand. He was about to give me a
toss with his horns, when I disappointed his plans
by placing a firm grasp about those convenient
members, and holding him at a respectful distance.
Bravo caught him by the hind leg and held him
firmly ; between us both, we laid the dextrous ani
mal on the ground. But there was nothing ac
cessible to cut his throat with. I had left my
butcher knife in my shot pouch, and my toma
hawk was lost. So I ordered Bravo to bite his
throat ; but the deer was not going to submit to
such a tedious process of dying as that, and by
moans of his floundering and jumping, we at last
came upon the tomahawk, when the process was
expedited considerably.

Hunting Wild H6gs. 57
I will now tell you a story about a hunt for
wild hogs, which I took shortly afterward. A
man by the name of Ward wanted me to go with
him to hunt wild hogs. Weil, this was a game
well enough understood by him, but not at all
understood by myself. I supposed them to be
like common hogs, and their capture not much
more difficult, and my friend took no pains to en
lighten me on the subject. We had a large dog,
and his master told him to go, and soon we heard
the preliminaries of a fight. We followed them
in the direction indicated by the noise, and when
we reached the spot, we found quite a number,
but they were all small excepting one, that was
very large. The dog caught her and held her by
the ear, and I caught hold of her legs and threw
her down. We did not want to kill her, so Mr.
W. said I should hold her while he took the dog
where it might not hurt her.
When I thought they had retired to a suita
ble distance, I let go my hold. And the captive,
that I had by means of the advantage of my po
sition held with comparative ease, now that her
freedom was gained, thought to return the com
pliment. She came after me with all speed, I
ran as fast as I could, calling on the dog for help.
He came to my deliverance just in time to save
me a more severe struggle than I ever before or
since had with any beast of the forest. We
downed her again, and when W. wanted to take

S8 The Ohio HunteS,.
the dog off a second time, I ajUowed the hog hef
liberty while he was still near enough to be her
first choice, and I ran in the opposite direction.
She knocked him down and there followed some
of the loudest vocal sounds I had ever heard.
But the faithful dog took her off again, and I
went up and held her. We dragged her beside
a large log and climbed upon it ourselves out of
her reach, and then we let her go. She looked
at us maliciously for some time, but seeing she
could do no more, she at length left us, and we
saw her no more.
We still continued our hunt for some time, and
then came upon the track of eight very large
ones. Said W., " We can never take them with
this dog." I replied that I had two dogs at home,
liut I could not see the necessity of going after
them to catch a hog while we had a good one with
us. "The hogs will kill him in a minute," he
replied. Then we will go for mine, said I. " This
had better be done before we commence," said he,
" and if you will risk them, I will give you half
the meat." The offer was quite tempting, and
the dogs were soon brought. As soon as we came
in sight of the hogs, we let our dogs go. W. told
me that wild hogs would follow a man as far as
they could see him, and the only safe way was to
hide behind a tree and shoot as soon as the dogs
had stopped them. I followed his advice, stop
ping on one side of the hogs, and W. on the other.

V
Hunting Wild Hogs. 59
I drew my gun and fired, bringing one to the
ground. W. shot and wounded one, while I was
reloading my gun. I soon brought down another,
and W. shot again more successfully than at first.
I loaded my gun again and saw that the hogs
were looking for us. But I was hid behind a tree
and W. brought down a third. Just as he got
his gun loaded one of them saw him and started
for him. He ran as fast as possible, but when he
saw his best efforts were insufficient, he reversed
the usual order of shooting, and fired without aim
at the hog, not remitting for one moment the
race. He wounded him in the shoulder, so that
he could not follow him any further and then re
turned. There were three left, and I soon dis
covered that, while I was watching W., the place
of my retreat had been discovered, and saw them
all coming tow^ard me. My gun was not loaded,
and my only defense was my long legs. These
never failed me in time of danger, and I was soon
mounted upon a large log so high they could not
reach me, and there deliberately loading my gun,
the entire number was soon subdued. I had
not heard anything from my dogs for some time,
and now began to look for them. I found one
dead with his entrails all torn out, and the other
badly wounded. But that one was taken home
and carefully tended until he at length recov
ered. I had by this time learned that a wild
hog was more savage and dangerous than any

60

The Ohio Hunter.

other beast of the forest, when cornered ; but
when at liberty, the wildest ; and it is harder to
get a shot at them, unless first cornered by the
dogs, than it is to shoot a deer.

w

1^R OH EhO OW CO

i'' J

Taking Deer by Strategy. 61

CHAPTER V.
A LUCKY NIGHT AT BIG CREEK — A SEVERE CON
TEST — A WOLF CHASE — THE WOLF NOT DAN
GEROUS TO THE HUMAN SPECIES — A LIVE WOLF
CARRIED HOME ON THE SHOULDER.
There was in that country a stream called Big
Creek where the deer were in the habit of going
to drink. Not far from the place an old man had
built a house close to the bank. He had no fire
place in his house, but built a fire out of doors to
do his cooking. It was warm weather and the deer
came in the evening to drink. I one day asked
the old gentleman why he did not kill the deer
when they came so close. He replied they al
ways came in the night, when he could not see to
shoot. So I told him I would come some night
and kill them for him. He told me to come, and
the next night before dark I had everything ready
for an evening hunt. I took my brother John
along with me. Now the deer is a very timid an
imal and will start and look about at the slightest
noise. So I planted a long pole in the ground,
and fastened, a little bell to the end of it and tied
a string just below, so that by giving the string a
slight pull the bell would ring. The fires were
kindled and my brother stationed himself at . the

62 The Ohio Hunter.
bell rope. We had it so arranged that a bright
light could be kindled instantly when wanted.
The deer came as usual, the bell was rung and the
light made simultaneously. A deer looked up,
as we expected, and I drew a direct aim at his
head. The shot was successful and there was
soon a great dashing and splashing amid the waves.
Soon I heard another noise, the bell was rung and
the fire made, the gun discharged and another
deer was killed. I ran into the water and we
dragged it to shore. I looked about, it seemed to
me there were deer on every side. I shot again
and a third was killed. The deer then went away
and it is said that from that time they forsook
forever their old watering place. We went back
to the house and by what very much resembled our
camp fires, roasted some of our venison ; and
after duly celebrating our brilliant success re
turned home.
After this I procured an old United States mus
ket, and after having received directions about
loading it I went into the woods to watch for deer.
I put into my gun a handful of powder and thir
teen small rifle balls, and secreted myself behind
a tree near the Creek. Soon after a deer came
by and I shot. The deer fell, but not until some
time after I did. I had lain there senseless I
know not how long, when my brother came and
picked me up. On being told that I had killed
the deer I soon recovered the use of my limbs and

Convicting a Deer of Trespass. 63
went in search of it. She lay not many feet from
where she was shot, her body pierced with ten balls.
We continued hunting deer, being very successful
all the season.
That summer a new neighbor moved into the
woods, and he kept such things as pork, flour,
salt, and other things usually stored in barrels, in
a broad porch at the back of the house. There
was an old buck that was in the habit of coming
every night to the porch and licking the salt bar
rel. He had a small dog that would chase him
a little way then he would chase the dog. The
farmer being unaccustomed to having wild beasts
come to his door at night was considerably annoy
ed by his nocturnal visitor. Some of his neigh
bors told him I was a great hunter, and he came
several miles to see if I would not come and take
care of the intruder. I promised him that I would
do so on Saturday night. At the appointed time
I went and took my faithful dog, whose name was
Lead, along with me. When night came and the
rest of the family retired, I laid down on the floor
in front of the fire with Lead by my side. About
two o'clock the trespasser came. I peered cau
tiously out through a small aperture close by the
door, and saw two beautiful, full-sized deer. I took
my aim at the largest which instantly fell dead.
I then opened the door and let Lead loose upon
the other. He ran a few rods and then turned
around expecting to chase the dog awhile ; but he

64 The Ohio Hunter,
found it was Lead, not Run Bach, that was chasing
him this time. A severe contest ensued. I soon
heard him choking and snorting and went to the
place where they were. Lead had him by the
throat and had choked him almost to death. I
took him by the hind legs and threw him upon his
side holding him until the dog choked him to death.
The man came and helped me drag him to the
house where the other lay, and we hung them up
under the porch and I went for help to carry them
home, for they were a rich prize.
Another day when there was a nice snow on the
ground I started in pursuit of deer. I soon dis
covered a fresh track that was marked with blood. I
knew then that some one else was after him, so I
would not let my dog follow him. In looking the
way the deer had come from, I saw what I at first
took to be a large dog, but afterward discovered to
be a wolf. I set Lead on him, but the contest prov
ed very unequal, and I loaded my gun and proceed
ed for his deliverance. When the wolf saw me ap
proaching he left the dog and was soon far away in
the woods. I came across another hunter with a large
dog and we sent them both in pursuit. The two
together mastered the wolf and held him until I
came near to where they were, and shot him. I took
his hide and scalp, which is all that is valuable
about a wolf, and went home.
A wolf is much larger than' a dog and much
more ferocious. Few dogs can withstand his at-

Nature op the Wolf. 65
tack. He has a large head, strong jaws and large
teeth. They can run very swiftly, and also pos
sess immense strength. They will catch deer and
kill and eat them. They subsist principally up
on flesh, killing small animals and some of con
siderable size. For all they are so ferocious and
blood-thirsty in their nature, they nevertheless are
sociable and peaceable with one another. They
will help one another in time of battle, and never
eat their morsel alone. Instinct seems more per
fectly developed in the wolf than in any other for
est animal. They understand each other's plans
and purposes perfectly. Sometimes quite a number
will congregate together and arrange a hunt for
deer. After the consultation is finished the com
pany will caper around the spot where the deer is
known to be concealed and one only make direct
mark for the unfortunate animal. If this one fails
the others that are standing guard will catch him
as he passes. Whenever the deer is caught they
set up a great howl and all are quickly assembled
to partake of the feast.
The wolf is not so dangerous to the human spe
cies as he ¦ has often been represented. I have
been well acquainted with them for over thirty
years and I have never known them to run after
a man unless he had a dog they wanted ; while I
have frequently known them to follow my dogs
when they had been away from me until they
5

66 The Ohio Hunter.
came where I was. Then they would turn and
run much more rapidly in the other direction. Al
though after night they will come very close and
howl and make a very great noise that would
frighten some people terribly — and if they had
chanced to be in the same situation, would have
told that the wolves came after them and made
every possible effort to kill them, but were by
magic or some other mysterious power kept from
being injured by them, yet the truth is they would
not have come so near as they really did, if they
had fully known in what close proximity they were
with the human species.
It is said that all animals will fight in defense
of their young. Now even this is not true of the
wolf when her young are molested by man. I
have entered many dens of wolves and destroyed
their young with the old one present. Sometimes
they would come very close to me and howl pite
ously, but never touch me. The way we find the
wolf is by going into the woods in the evening and
when all is quiet, setting up a howl like a wolf. Then
one with her young will answer, and by this means
we find the direction of the den. We then wait until
morning and howl again ; if the answer comes from
the same direction we conclude of a certainty in
regard to the locality of the den. We then fol
low in the direction indicated by the sound until
we come upon the track, which is ascertained some
times by trails made by the young in the grass af-

A Bloody Battle. 67
ter they are large enough to go out and play ; al
so by means of feathers, bones, skins, &c., which
are scattered about their den, and sometimes by
the blood of the game which the male wolf always
brings home as food for the female and young.
Their dens usually consist of hollow trees, or holes
in the rocks. Sometimes they make wooden pens.
When found in pens you can go in with all safety ;
for though they will growl and show their teeth
they will never bite. When caught in a trap you
can go up to them and tie them and take them
home alive. One day as I was going home from a
hunt I came upon a wolf trap ; soon after I over
took a man with a wolf on his back. I asked him
what he was going to do with the wolf, he said he
had two dogs in the camp and he was going to
take it to them and see if they would fight it.
When we reached the camp one of the dogs beat
a hasty retreat. The other presented himself for
fight ; but the latter giving no signs of an en
gagement, we took sharp sticks and struck at him
until we made him mad, and then again set the
dog upon hia. A bloody battle ensued in which
the wolf proved victorious, the dog being glad to
retreat with the loss of one of his eyes.

68 The Ohio Hunter.

CHAPTER VL
TRIP TO BUCYRUS — WALK FORTY-FIVE MILES IN A
DAY — LOSE THE TRAIL — AN ADVENTURE AMONG
THB INDIANS — A YOUNG SQUAW ENAMORED OF
THB LOST HUNTER.
When I first emigrated to what was then known
as the " Sandusky Purchase," in the year 1832,
I settled near Fort Findlay ; and from the exer
cise of a strong propensity to roam the woods in
pursuit of game, I very soon became thoroughly
acquainted with the "lay of the land" in quite an
important locality ; and my services as Cicerone
to the new-comer were quite indispensable. I
could always point them to the best lots of land,
and direct them to the most favorable localities
for their particular kind of business, — or those
best suited to their means.
At one time there came two land hunters to my
house, and wanted to profit by the superior knowl
edge of the country which two or three years' stay
in the woods gave me over the new-comer. I was
always very liberal of such knowledge, and never,
from motives of policy or otherwise, kept back any
information that I could give to the enterprising
emigrant. I was anxious to see the country set
tled, and never felt like some monopolizers I have

Adventure with Land-Hunters. 69
met, willing to keep the country a swamp and wil
derness, that some future generation might say
that one of their ancient ancestors owned all the
land that joined him. I knew that land was val
uable only in proportion as the country in which it
lay was rendered suitable for the habitation of man.
I always believed that the one who came first had a
perfect right to the first choice ; that they who
" bore the burden and heat of the day" were the
rightful ones to possess the most favored portions
of the land.
I liked the appearance of the two young men
above referred to, and felt highly gratified that it
was in my power to show them a favor. I accord
ingly took them to the most desirable section yet
unoccupied in our township. It, lay right beside
a neighbor of mine. It so happened that this
neighbor had his eye upon the land, and was only
waiting a favorable opportunity for making the
purchase. This was all unknown to me, and my
young friends, after satisfying themselves as to
the qua.lity and location, and taking the number
of the lot, thought to introduce themselves to
their new neighbors. They told the man that
lived nearest that they had come to purchase the
adjoining farm, expecting, of course, to be con
gratulated upon their enterprize, and to receive a
hearty welcome to his hospitality. But these ex
pectations were doomed to a early disappointment.
When they told their enterprising neighbor their

70 The Ohio Hunter.
scheme, he very curtly replied, " You no get that
land, I buys him myself!" Our young friends
told him he might, if he could get it before they
could, and accordingly, started for the Land office.
The outraged German now came to me for advice.
He wanted to know if I could furnish him with a
horse. I told him I could not, and after consid
erable inquiry about horses, all to no purpose, he
proposed tljsij; J should go to the office for him.
The distanpp fi be traveled was forty-five miles ;
this was nothing for me to walk in a day ; so be
ing stipulated with for the sum of five dollars,
which was no trifling amount in those days, I was
on my journey the next morning^ before daylight.
At three o'clock that afternoon I entered the
Land office, gave the agent the number of the lot,
and upon being told that it was yet for sale, gave
him the price of the land, which was one dollar
and a quarter per acre, and received the requisite
certificate. The office was crowded with people, all endeav
oring to get nearest the stand ; and I was trying
as fast as I could to make my way to the outside.
I had made but little progress toward the door
when the two young men entered. I relaxed my
effort to gain the door,and listened to the inter
view. They presented their claim to the agent,
who told them that lot had just been entered ;
this surprised them very much, and they were
looking around to see wbo the lucky jj^^ividual

Trip to the Land-Office. 71
was, when their eyes fell upon me. They imme
diately approached me and inquired how I came
there. I told them I had walked all the way that
day. They would not believe this statement, and
commenced questioning me about my business
there. I told them I had come to accomodate a
neighbor ; that the land I showed them the day
before I afterward learned was wanted very much
by my neighbor, and as it was joining his, he was
most strongly entitled to it; that there was a
great deal more equally good land, still unoccu
pied, and they could suit themselves just as well
elsewhere, — while any other piece equally good
would not have answered my neighbor near as
well, because it could not be so conveniently loca
ted. They expressed very great disappointment,
and offered me twenty dollars for my bargain. I
told them I could ijot betray my trust, and thus
the conference ended.
My route home could be shortened five miles, by
following an Indian trail which led by a creek,
called Broken Sword, instead of taking the road
which went by Upper Sandusky. I concluded to
go the nearest way. Before I left Bucyrus I
bought me a side bottle and filled it with brandy,
which was a custom in those days, and not yet
as effectually passed away as could be wished. It
was quite late when I started, yet I thought I
could get through to a settlement before nightfall ;
but I found by an old Indian that could speak En-

72 The Ohio Hunter.
glish, that there were twelve miles of unbroken
woods before I came to any white families. I still
pressed on, determined not to spend the night in
the woods, or among the Indians, the Indian be
ing the only thing that lived wild in the woods
that I ever feared ; for in his nature were united,
when once roused to passion, the ferocity of a
beast and the understanding of a man.
At last I lost the trail, but still pursued my
way. It was too cold to lie down without fire,
and I durst not make a fire for fear of being seen
by the Indians. I wandered on until it became
very dark and was quite late, when in the gloom
there appeared a light. ' This afforded considera
ble consolation to a poor traveler, oppressed with
fatigue and hunger. , I gladly approached it, be
lieving that I had now got through the Indian Re
serve, and was once more in the locality of the
white man. But as I neared the house, and the
great dogs came out to bark at me, I saw a tall
Indian come out to call his dogs. I knew that
retreat now was impossible, for should I attempt
an escape they would doubtless follow me ; so I
thought it best to go in.
The tall Indian met me at the door, and said,
" Is white man lost ?" I ansWei'ed "Yes.'' He
told me to come in, and I obeyed. I there saw
only the robust Indian, an aged squaw, and a
young woman of tawny skin. The Indian who
could talk some English, said to me, " Is white

#fe. '^^y>

SaUAMT AND PAPPOOSE.

A Hospitable Wigwam. 73
man hungry ?" I replied in the affirmative, when
he said sometning to his squaw in Indian that I
could not understand, and she proceeded to set
before me some corn bread*and a little dried meat,
which the Indians called "jerk." The bread had
a very unpleasant smell, and I could not eat it ;
but the meat was very good, and I devoured it
greedily. After partaking liberally of the simple
meal, my fears gradually began to subside, and I
thought to return the kind hospitality of mine
host, by a refreshing draught from my demijohn.
I very soon discovered that this was a mistaken
kindness, for the Indian, like the white man, can
not always stop this seductive indulgence at mod
eration. He drank freely himself, and gave to
his squaw, who drank with equal freedom. .1 then
offered it to the young woman, but she refused. It
was not long before the Indian and his dusky mate
wanted to drink again. He smiled very good-
naturedly when I presented it to him, and after
drinking the second time, became very sociable
and extremely good-natured. He would come
very close to me and lay his hand upon my head
and say, " White man not ugly ; white man very
good." He soon became very noisy in his dem
onstrations, and sung and hallooed vociferously.
I felt a little awed by his presence, and could not
help wishing that either he or I were somewhere
else. Again they wanted more, and I concluded
this was the best wand I could wield over the

74 The Ohio Hunter.
strength of the red mati, so I gave them both all
they wanted of the brandy, which nearly emptied
my bottle. The squaw then sat down and was
soon fast asleep ; and not long after, the arms of
Morpheus held the strong Indian securely in his
embrace. I was then left alone with the young Indian
girl. As soon as the old Indians were asleep, she
commenced being quite sociable. The first word
she spoke, I saw that she was conversant with the
English language. She inquired of me where I
was traveling. I told her I was hunting me an
Indian wife. She told me the white man did not
like the dark-faced Indian maid. I told her that
she was more beautiful than many white girls,
which was indeed a truth ; but I was too much
overcome by the labors of the day just past, to be
very sociable, and there was a pause in the con
versation. She soon disappeared from my sight
for a few moments, and then returned arrayed in
the most gorgeous apparel I had ever beheld.
Her dress was embroidered with beads, from the
little red turban she wore on her head, to the
soft velvet moccasins that covered her feet, — and
really the dress was very becoming to her swarthy
complexion, or she was very becoming to the
dress. The thread of conversation was taken up
about the same place it had been laid down, and
continued until I quite forgot my fears and my
fatigue. But she being more thoughtful than

Kindness of a Young Souaw. 75
myself, asked me if I would not like to rest. I
replied that I would. She brought some furs
and made me a nice warm bed before the fire,
where I lay down to rest. She then brought
some more, and in another part of the room made
a bed for herself. During our conversatioa, she
told me that she owned one section of land, where
she should go and live when she was married.
That she never would marry an Indian, for they
thoBght their wives were made only for slaves ;
that they cared only for hunting, and would make
their squaws go along, and carry the game, or
stay at home and raise all the corn and potatoes.
I slept very quietly until morning, when I was
awakened by the thirsty Indian, who wanted
more rum. I took the bottle from under my
head and handed it to him, which he emptied, and
then lay down again ; as soon as he was asleep,
I arose and prepared to start on my journey.
Before leaving, the kind-hearted Indiap girl gave
me some more of the dried meat, which was the
best entertainment they possessed, and wished me
a prosperous journey. I gave her rather a mili
tary salute as I departed, and thus closed my
pleasant, though brief acquaintance, with the
hospitable Indian family.

76 The Ohio Hunter.

CHAPTER VII.
prepare for another hunting excursion —
game scarce — the nearest hunting grounds
FORTY miles AWAY — EQUIP MYSELF FOR A COON
HUNT — GONE THIRTY DAYS — CAPTURE SIXTY-TWO
COON — TAKE ANOTHER TRIP — KILL TWO LARGE
BEARS.
In the year 1846, while still living in Hancock
County, I found myself in very straitened cir
cumstances. The country was new, and the pro
ducts in no wise numerous or abundant. My
family now numbered nine, and my cares and ne
cessities were correspondingly increased. At
this time I was greatly in debt, and had very
limited means for the sustenance of my family.
It was winter, and the earth would not yield her
fruits before another summer. My wife was se
riously opposed to my hunting, and now. her ob
jections were somewhat justifiable, for the hunt
ing grounds were forty miles from where we lived.
In the thirteen years that I had lived in Hancock,
both the Indian and the white man had seen their
*ich hunting grounds laid waste by the woodman's
ax. And although the forests were by no means
all converted into fruitful fields, they were bro
ken and deserted by game.
The nearest place where there were any valua-

Equip for a Hunt. 77
ble hunting grounds was in the edge of Putnam
and Paulding Counties. I proposed to my wife
that I should go and spend the winter in what
was commonly designated " the big woods." She
was at first greatly opposed to the plan, and in
consequence I stayed at home until she was
willing that I should go.
Her fears were by no means unfounded. The
exposures of the camp at such a season, the fe
rocity of the beasts, which it is not easy to con
vince a faithful wife exists only in story, the pos
sibility of deep snows and heavy rains, and only
the canopy of heaven for protection, all these,
and many other things, both possible and impos
sible, were among the objections with which she
detained me for several days. But at last, our
necessities proving a stronger argument than any
thing which I could adduce, she at length gave
an unwilling consent that I should go. She did
all that woman's skill and assiduity could to
make me comfortable, and all, and much more
was needful before my thirty days' stay in the
woods had expired.
With a knapsack well stored with such provis
ions as corn meal, ground coffee, ground pepper,
and plenty of salt, a loaf of bread and some cakes,
I started for the woods. My knapsack on my
back, my gun upon my shoulder, a tin bucket on
my arm, an ax in my hand, and clad in my hunt
er's dress of fur, with three dogs leaping and

78 The Ohio Hunter.
capering about me, I was, if not an object of in
terest, at least one of curiosity. I started early
in the morning, and reached my destination just
in the edge of evening. I built my fire, ate a
cold supper, and camped for the night.
The woods in which I was encamped, were wa
tered by a stream called Powell's Creek, and
frOto that received the name of Powell Creek
Swamp. It was an immense swamp, uninhabited
for twenty by forty miles. There was a place in
it called the North Bear Marsh, about two miles
'?vide and six miles long. Here were found bear,
deer, wolves, wild cats, foxes, coon, and all kinds
of game usually found in the western forests.
The price of coon skins then was high, and the
demand greater than for any other kind of fur.
I had my dogs well trained to that particular
kind of hunting, and confined my attention ex
clusively to that.
The first thing I did after my arrival in the
swamp, was to build me a camp, which consisted
of logs so arranged as to afiord a partial protec
tion from the winds and storm on three sides, and
covered with "puncheon" overhead. This I
used as a place of deposit for my furs, and as a
rendezvous for myself through the day. In front
of it I built my camp fires, and cooked my food,
or as the hunter terms it, "grub." Now it is
not uncommon to hear " poor, oppressed down
trodden women," when surrounded with all the

A Hunter's Kitchen. 79
conveniences and comforts of life, complain of the
privation they must daily undergo, while they
positively assert, and I suppose as positively be
lieve, that men would starve to death if they had
to undergo the same difficulties. They also think
that men always supply themselves with every
requisite for labor, and that the kitchen is the
only barren waste where all the necessary con
veniences have been forgotten. Well, to such
unfortunate housekeepers I am going to give a
little of my experience in the culinary arts. I was
not favored with one of Stuart's Improved cook-
stoves, but in its stead I had a fire made of sticks
after no definite plan, and with no patent ; but I
had invented a coffee boiler, which, but for the
inconveniences of traveling in those days, and
my remote distance from the place where such
enterprises were attended to, I think I should
have had patented. Now if you will promise me not
to steal the pattern, I will tell you how it was made.-
Well, I had a smooth round stone about six inch
es in diameter (I do not know whether one of any
other shape or dimensions would have answered
equally well or not, never having tried any other),
which I used to throw in the fire and heat very
hot, and then transfer it to a carefully prepared
trough containing exactly water enough for thrte
cups of coffee ; it would soon boil very hard, and
then I would add the coffee, unmixed with egg or
any of the modern improvpnient.-i. When boiled

80 The Ohio Hunter.
sufficiently, the round stone was removed and
laid safely by for future use, and we will leave
the coffee in the trough close by the fire to keep
warm, while we shall finish cooking the meat,
which is a full sized coon carefully dressed, and
thickly sprinkled with salt and pepper, and with
out further dissecting, is systematically arranged
upon sticks, by the hottest side of the fire, and is
roasting, and will be entirely done by the time we
examine the bread which is in process of baking.
Well, now my wife never could convince me of
the utility of saleratus or soda, as it is sometimes
called, and I never had the faculty of making
yeast ferment in an exact period of time. So I
preferred the more plain and simple method of
mixing my flour with only wat§r and salt, and
then there was never any such complaint heard as,
"Didn't have good luck with my bread," for it
was invariably one and the same thing. Now my
manner of making bread was not so novel after
all, for I used a wooden bowl, the same as modern
housekeepers do, only it might have been of ru
der pattern, for it was made with a hunter's hand
and a hunter's ax ; but I have heard experi
enced housekeepers say bread always rises best
in a wooden bowl, and I believe it, for mine
was always just so light and no lighter, and my
dripping-pan was a basswood pole ; and if it
I would not contain my bread, my bread would
nearly contain it; for I wrapped it carefully

A Hunter's Kitchen. 81
around it, and then supported it upon some cross
pieces previously arranged for its support, at a
very convenient distance from the fire.
I had often heard it said that bread baked in
the open air was a great deal sweeter than bread
baked in a close oven ; that it absorbed more ox
ygen and threw out more carbon, and consequent
ly contained more of the health-inspiring princi
ple. Although these were meaningless terms to
me, I had no difficulty in believing the truth of
the statement, for I never tasted sweeter bread
in all my life, and if I have not woman's skill in
making bread, roasting meat, boiling coffee, and
setting table all at once, I can at least do one at
a time, and in process of time accomplish the
whole. My breakfast is now all ready but setting the
table, and if you will assist me in this process, I
will endeavor to do the eating alone. My table
is not of the extension pattern ; there is no need
of that, for it is the oblong earth. There was
no snowy damask linen to cover it, for it was at
this time covered with nature's own tapestry of
the same delicate complexion. My dishes are
not numerous, and therefore the work not com
plicated. One wooden dish dug from the inside of
my bread-bowl contains the meat, another of the
same manufacture, the bread, a tin cup for the
coffee, and a pocket knife and fork manufactured
6

82 The Ohio Hunter.
of wood, and the arrangements are complete.
But I have no doubt that this regimen will af
ford no attraction to the more highly wrought
sensitive natures of the fair sex, who have slept
in air-tight bedrooms, deeply buried in feather
beds, and so I will forbear giving you an invita
tion to my rustic meal ; but to a hungry hunter,
whose appetite partakes somewhat of the nature
of his prey, it has a peculiar relish, and gives un
mistakable evidence of superior cooking.
Well, now with all these comforts and conven
iences, I presume you will not think it was hard
when I tell you I spent thirty days in the woods,
hunting nights, and sometimes sleeping days,
without seeing the face of a human being but
once. This was a traveler whom I observed fol
lowing an Indian trail, that was the only path
through the woods. He was ahead of me, so I
started in a way that would bring me upon the
trail ahead of him. When he saw me, he thought
me a robber, and was very much frightened. I
accosted him with the customary salutation of a
hunter, and asked him where he was traveling.
He replied, with trembling voice, " Not very far."
I saw the poor man was badly frightened, and I
endeavored to make myself look as humane and
innocent as possible. I told him I was, a hunter,
and invited him to my camp to take some refresh
ments. He saw from my load of fur, that I really
was what I pretended, and began to manifest a

An Embarrassed Guest. 83
little more courage, and explained his embarrass
ment by saying he at first took me for a robber.
He had heard that the woods were infested with
robbers, and he supposed that he had unluckily
fallen into their hands. I replied, that there were
no robbers there, only such as wished to rob the
forest of its game ; and should there be any oth
ers, I thought they would find it rather a dull
place for their business. By this time we had
reached the camp, and I built my fire, and com
menced the process of cooking a dinner, with
utensils before described. When the man saw
me mix the coffee and cold water in the trough,
as I sometimes did, he could not help asking me
what I was going to do. I told him I was going
to boil my coffee ; but it exhausted his ingenuity
to conceive how I could boil it in a wooden trough.
Well, when he could guess no more ways, I ex
plained the mystery, by dropping the stone right
into the midst of it, causing it to boil vehemently,
and after drinking three cups, he declared it to
be equal to that prepared by the most skillful
house-wifery. We had a very pleasant visit to
gether, and after he was gone, I felt more forci
bly than ever the truth of the inspired proverb,
" As iron sharpeneth iron, so is the face of a man
to his friend."
During the thirty-days' hunt, I caught sixty-
two coons, and sold their skins for one dollar and
twenty-five cents apiece, which brought me seventy-

84 The Ohio Hunter.
seven dollars and fifty cents. I went home with
money enough to pay all my debts, and had some
left, and I felt quite rich ; for when a man can
look the whole world in the face, and say that he
" Owes no man anything," he is independent,
though he may have but a single dollar in his
pocket. By my success, I had gained my wife's
approval of the business, and during the winter,
made several more trips to the woods, with vari
ous successes, as will be seen hereafter.
My next expedition was in pursuit of bear. I
had learned, while in the swamp before, that bears
were very thick there, so this time I equipped
myself especially for that particular kind of hunt
ing. I procured four large dogs, and took my
brother John along with me. There was a nice
tracking snow, and we soon found bear tracks so
thick that we could not tell one from another.
We circled around, until we came upon one that
we could follow. We set our dogs, which were
six in number, upon their track ; but they being
unacquainted with the sport, seemed little inter
ested. They had not run him far, when they re
turned, all but one. After awhile this one came
too, his ears badly boxed. He was very indig
nant at the treatment he had received, and was
anxious to wreak his vengeance on the head of
his enemy. But I restrained his fury, and kept
him by my side, until I came to the spot where
they had been fighting. As soon as the dog saw

COMMON BLACK BEAH.

A Bear Chase, 8(
the ground covered with blood, he would submi
to no further restraint ; but defying all authority
started immediately in pursuit of his foe. So '.
sent the other dogs to his assistance, and we fol
lowed after them. In about two hours, we me
them returning, badly whipped. I had one doj
whose name was "Bill," which was my favorit(
coon dog ; he was the most severely injured o
all, and still the most anxious to return. W(
followed them to where they had last fought, anc
found the. ground red with the blood of the dogs
but the bear was uninjured still. We did no
pursue it further then, but built our fires an(
camped for the night.
Early the next morning, the chase was renewed
As soon as the bear started, the dogs pursued i
with zeal unprecedented. I followed them ai
fast as I could, but the dogs and bear were sooi
out of my hearing. But I continued to follov
the trail until I came up to the place where thi
dogs, by their perseverance and skill, had thei;
honorable opponent securely caged in the top o
a tree. When I approached the spot, he lookec
down quite sarcastically upon ihyself and dogs, ai
though he had bid defiance to further pursuit, anc
wished us to understand the superiority of his po
sition. I did not care to undertake to bring hin
down alone, so I left him to the enjoyment of hii
lofty supremacy until my brother came up. Whei
he saw him, he wanted me to shoot, as I was th(

86 The Ohio Hunter.
best marksman ; for anything short of a dead
shot, would greatly endanger the lives of our
dogs, as they were already badly bruised and
bleeding, and we knew that if we only wounded
him, he would be much more ferocious than be
fore. But killall seldom failed ; and in this in
stance served his master with rather more than
usual fidelity ; and soon old Bruin came with ac
celerated velocity down to the ground, his brain
being seriously dislocated. The dogs leaped up
on their prey as though they would yet glut their
vengeance on his senseless body. Then they left
aim, and looked first at the bear and then at me,
as if they would have me understand the infinite
satisfaction this triumph afforded them. We were
now about seven miles from camp, and it cost
something of an effort to carry our game to its
place of deposit, but we never yielded to difficul
ties, and always found some means of accomplish
ing our purposes. So we tied some bark to his
head,, and together drew him back to the camp.
We were now obliged to let our dogs rest a few
days, after which we started on another chase. The
dogs were very soon on track of another bear,
which they soon treed. But when the bear saw
me approaching, he did not stop long to enjoy the
advantage of his situation, but descended about
as rapidly as he went up. But as soon as he
touched the ground, the dogs all met him, and a fierce
contest ensued, in which the bear was like to prove

A Prize.

87

victorious. I could not see my brave dogs van
quished in such a contest, so I joined their allied
forces, and soon laid him senseless at their feet
by another successful discharge of old killall.
We did not wait now to kill any more, but loaded
our game on a hastily-constructed hand-sled, and
started for home. We sold most of the meat at
ten cents per pound, and the two skins for four
teen dollars ; besides having plenty of pure oil for
our hair and shoes.

88 The Ohio Hunter.

CHAPTER VIIL
AN IMPUDENT DEER — A BIG CHASE AFTER SEVEN
bears — CATCH A CUB — DECEIVED BY HUNTERS
 FIDELITY OF A DOG — ANOTHER BEAR CAP
TURED — THB HABITS OF BEARS.
There is one rule that is almost universally
observed by skillful hunters, that is, to pursue
but one kind of game in a season. We always
have a set of dogs trained to a particular kind of
hunting, and then confine them entirely to that,
if we would be successful. Thus, a coon -dog is
not suitable for bears, nor a wolf-dog for deer ;
and when we allow them to follow different kinds
of game, they soon become efficacious for none.
This was often the cause of much perplexity, for
not unfrequently when in pursuit of one kind of
game, another kind, equally as valuable, would
come so provokingly near, that neither myself or
dog knew how to pardon their impudence.
On one occasion, when I had started on the
track of a bear, being at this time engaged exclu
sively in bear-hunting, I came close up to a deer
that stood looking at me with as much coolness
as if his life was insured against all peril in bear-
hunting season. I told him he had better be go
ing, or my unlucky gun might shoot him. He

A Foolish Deeb. 89
only answered by nodding his head. Again I
addressed him by saying, " I will stand guard ov
er old killall until I reach the large log yonder,
then I will no longer hold myself responsible for
its conduct." Still more haughtily he curbed his
neck. My dogs were now leaping and dancing
with eagerness for the chase ; but still I detained
them, while I walked leisurely up to the designa
ted spot. I again looked at the deer, whose in
vincible coolness was no longer tolerable. I made
a charge, and the beautiful animal was soon wel
tering in his gore. I drew my game to a place of
safety, and started in pursuit of the bear. I very
soon came upon the tracks of four large bears,
and three cubs, each cub weighing about one hun
dred pounds. I started them, and told the dogs
to go. The old bear kept behind her cubs to
guard them; when the dogs came a little too
close, she would abandon the chase for a few
minutes, and fight the dogs. One of the bears
soon left the company and started in a different
direction. Old Madge, which was my largest
and best bear-dog, followed him. At last I heard
Madge bark. I knew that he had the bear in
close quarters, for he never would bark at any
thing but a bear, and only then when he had cor
nered or treed him ; so I went as fast as possible
to where the sound proceeded from, and found
that Madge had treed one of the cubs. I brought
him down with very little ceremony, and hung

90 The Ohio Hunter.
him up out of the reach of other animals, and
rapidly pursued the others. It was now about ten
o'clock. As soon as we found the track, Madge
pursued them, and I followed on a fast run, which
I could do all day. About two o'clock, I heard
the dogs coming back.
Before proceeding further, I will give you a
description of my dogs. They were four in num
ber Two of them were hounds, one half
hound, and Madge half greyhound. Soon I saw
the bear going past me. I shot at him as he
went, but missed him. Soon after he passed me,
up came Madge nearly tuckered out. The other
dogs were together. I hallooed at them, and
they increased their speed. Madge was about
forty rods behind the bear; and the hounds about
eighty. The bear took a circle ol about eight
miles. I succeeded in heading him, but could not
get a shot at him. The chase had proved too
much for Madge, for he was now about forty rods
in rear of the hounds. They were within twenty
rods of the bear. I told them to catch him, and
they accordingly quickened their pace. They
caught him but could not hold him. I urged on
old Madge, who at length came up to the scene of
contest. But the bear defied their vigilence, and the
chase was still pursued. I followed on till dark,
and then with my knife and flint struck a fire,
and lay down beside it, believing that I had not
traveled less than seventy miles that day.

Another Bear Chase. 91
No dogs came back that night. The next
morning I took the track and followed it for some
miles. At length I came to where they had had
the bear up a tree. I saw by the appearance
about the tree, that there had been hard fighting.
The bear had made several attempts to go up the
tree, but the dogs would pull her back ; at last
she had succeeded in ascending out of their reach,
and the dogs had lain down at the foot of the tree
to watch. But Madge, for the first time since
our acquaintance, had abandoned the chase, and
gone back to the camp to recuperate. The other
dogs had followed the bear, but had probably
started some time in the night, and I concluded
that to follow them would be useless ; so after re-
connoitering round the scene for some minutes, I
concluded to follow Madge's example. I went to
the camp, and found Madge. We stayed there
until the next day. Then I took him and started
in pursuit of my dogs. We had only gone a
short distance, when Madge, without any orders,
very unceremoniously left my side, and started at
a rapid rate to the right. I knew this was the
omen of a bear fight, and I accordingly followed
as rapidly as possible. He was hardly out of
sight, when I heard the fight commence. I has
tened forward, and almost the first thing I saw,
was a large bear that Madge was holding firmly
by the hind leg. I walked up to them and leveled
old killall at the right flank, causing the ball to

92 Thp Ohio Hunter.
pass forward toward the shoulder. Just before I
fired upon him, a strange dog came up in front
and offered fight ; but Bruin caught him by the
shoulder and crushed it by one ferocious grip.
I afterward ran up to where the bear was still
holding firmly to the dog, and taking my toma
hawk from my belt, gave the bear a heavy blow
across the back of the neck with its edge, which
caused his head to abandon its upright position,
and the teeth to unloosen their grasp, and the poor
dog pursued at a very moderate speed the back
ward track. I concluded there probably was some
hunter on the track, and so I hallooed, but re
ceived no answer ; after some time, I hallooed
again. " Halloo !" was answered back, and soon
three inefficient-looking hunters, that I doubt ev
er having killed a bear in all their lives, came up.
The first salutation was, " You have got our
bear." I replied that I had a bear which myself
and dog had caught. They answered, "We have
been in pursuit of it ever since daylight, and our
dog never would have surrendered until he killed
him." I explained to them the gallant fight their dog
had had with the bear, and the unconditional sur
render. Well, they said they had the earliest
claim upon the bear, and would take the hide and
three-quarters of the meat, and give me the other
quarter for my trouble. So we commenced
skinning the bear. I told them I would take the

Duped by Hunters. 93
skin and they might have all the meat ; but this
did not meet their views, and I, finding myself in
the minority, was obliged to yield the disputed
point. I then told them if they would give me
five dollars, they might have it all. They finally
gave me four dollars, which they said was all they
had. Some time afterward I met one of the men,
and we talked the matter over, when he told me
they had not followed him at all, that the dog had
just started him, and they had been going on at
tending to other business, until the dog returned
badly wounded, when they agreed tb follow his
track and ascertain what had done it ; that they
were just about to abandon the pursuit when they
heard me halloo. They then agreed if any hunt
er had killed a bear, they would tell him they
had been following it all day, and make him give
it up. They worked their scheme quite success
fully, and left the dupe of their caprice fifty dol
lars out of pocket.
Instead of hunting bear, I continued hunting
dogs, and did not flnd the full complement until
the third day, and then, by returning to my
camp. They had, in the mean time, chased the
bear by my home, which was forty miles distant ;
but soon after this, abandoned the chase, and two
of the dogs returned to the camp, but one went
to the house. He at first showed great delight at
again seeing the family ; but after finding that I
was not there, he went out doors, gave two or

94 The Ohio Hunter.
three mournful howls, and then started at full
speed for the camp. I was awakened in the night
by this faithful animal licking my face.
The fidelity of a dog to his master, is undoubt
edly the most imperishable of the workings of in
stinct ; — cold or hunger, fatigue or abuse, none
of these will ever lessen the attachments of a dog
— but , on the contrary, only seem to draw the
chords of affection still closer. The constancy
with which the irrational brute proves his affec
tion, ought to put to blush the transient friend
ships of their superior race.
The next day my dogs were entirely unfit for
duty, so I left them in the camp, while I went af
ter the deer that was spoken of at the com
mencement of this chapter. I thought to bring
it in for food for myself and dogs. While on my
way, I found a coon-tree ; this I cut and found in
it two coons and two gallons of very excellent
honey. I dug out a trough for my honey, and
carried this also to the camp. There came a
fresh snow that night, which made it just right for
bear hunting ; by this time my dogs were consider
ably recruited, and anxious for another chase.
We very soon crossed a fresh bear track, as we
were going toward the south. Madge turned to the
left and started on his usual hunting pace. I
told the other dogs to follow, while I brought up
the rear at no very moderate rate. This was
early in the morning, and the chase was pursued

A Boxing Bear. 95
vith no abatement until noon, when I saw where
the dogs had overtaken him, and the snow had
been made red with the blood of their victim.
But he had again evaded their attack, and the
chase was renewed. I followed them on the
same fast run I had kept up all day, and which I
ever did when in pursuit of a bear, for I never
knew what it was to tire in a bear chase until
the conquest over my victim was complete. I
soon came to a place where the bear had lain
down in the fight, and the ice was badly scratched
and marked with blood. This gave me good en
couragement, and I quickened my pace a little.
Soon I heard the barking of my dogs as in a fight.
I made now some rapid strides, which soon brought
me in sight of the bear. He was surrounded by
the dogs, so that he could not escape ; but still
he kept them at a distance, by boxing.
I did not want that they should discover my
approach, for that would make the bear much
more ferocious, and the dogs more venturesome.
I hoped to get a shot at him before he had time
to seriously injure my dogs. He had by this
time stationed himself upon a large log, and by
diligent use of his paws, kept the dogs from in
juring him. I had approached within eighty rods
of the spot, and was endeavoring to take aim at
his head, which he was keeping in active exer
cise. Finding it impossible to shoot while he was
so constantly engaged with the dogs, I approached

96 The Ohio Hunter.
still nearer, but Madge saw me, and with ong
bold spring, brought the bear to the ground, and
with the help of the other dogs, a bloody fight
quickly ensued. I now ran very close and fired,
but did not give him a mortal wound. My next
resort was the tomahawk ; this I used pretty ¦
skillfully just back of the ears, and gave him a
deadly wound, which soon laid him cold and mo
tionless at our feet. Neither the dogs nor myself
were sorry when the sport was finished, for we
discovered soon after, that we had gone to about
the fullest extent of our strength.
Befoie I became acquainted with bears, I had
frequently heard them spoken of as awkward and
clumsy, slow on foot, and easily overtaken by
dogs ; but my experience by no means verifies
this statement. The bear is as quick and active
as a cat, and their great size and immense strength
make their movements count. I have measured
their leaps, which were eighteen feet, and these
were made with the nimbleness of a deer. When
pursued, they will run from five to fifteen miles
without stopping. It has also been said that a
' bear can only climb a large tree ; this, too, is a
mistake. They will climb any tree that can sus
tain their weight. In the swamps, they will
climb • very small saplings, and break off the
branches and pile the brush, and form for them
selves a bed ; and if , not disturbed, they will re
main in their nests all winter ; unless there is a

Nature OP the Female Bear. 97
great deal of mast, then they will not lay up at
all through the winter. The female bear makes
her nest in January and February, and remains
with her young until April. During this time,
she never leaves her nest for food. The bear
never eats when in a state of quiet ; but will re
main in his nest from fall till spring without tast
ing food.
When lying in their nests with their young,
you can go as close to them as you please, with
out being molested, unless you disturb their young.
Then you had better be prepared to defend your
life. In this they are not like the wolf. That
animal will not fight, even in defense of its young.
But the bear lies very quiet while you walk all
around her nest, but the moment you lay hand
upon her cubs, she is ready for fight ; and a per
son undertaking this dangerous amusement, better
be well protected with dogs and double barreled
revolvers. When a bear has no young, it is per
fectly safe to enter the cave or hole in the rock
where they are concealed. In this condition they
seem dormant, and will not fight — only the most
powerful influences can rouse them — but when
once aroused, they are energetic and ferocious.
From what has already been written, much of
the true nature of the bear is undoubtedly correct
ly understood. But there remain some few char
acteristics to be explained. Among other a-ttributes
7

98 The Ohio Hunter.
of his nature, is a passionate fondness for sweet.
He will roam the forests over in search of honey.
He is much more skillful than man in following
the bees to their secret haunts, and woe to the
luckless Bee family that comes within his obser
vation ! To accomplish their destruction, he will
climb the loftiest trees, enter their hollow trunks,
and extract therefrom the precious store which is
their only hope of sustenance through the long
and perilous winter. He cares nothing for the
stings of the despairing defenders. His impene
trable skin, for which he is principally hunted,
and which in common times most frequently is
the price of his life, here becomes his safeguard
and defense ; and he pays no more attention to
their merciless inflictions, than the ironclad does
to the Minie balls.
The following extraordinary process of catch
ing a bear without the use of firearms, is related of
the Russian peasants, who are but poorly sup
plied with these more destructive weapons.
" In a forest known to contain bears, the hunt
ers examine all the hollow trees, till they discov
er a wild-bee hive. A branch of the tree is then
chosen, directly above the hole ; if there is no
such branch, a stout peg is driven into the trunk.
To this peg a strong cord is fastened, and to the
end of the cord, a heavy stone or cannon ball is
suspended at about half a foot from the ground.
The bear, in l^is researches, comes upon the treas^

Novel Bear-Catching. 99
ures of honey. The pendulous barrier obstructs
and incommodes him a good deal. He is an ir
ritable brute, in such cases, one of the most ir
ritable as well as one of the most stupid in the
forest. He begins by shoving the stone or weight
aside ; but it presses against his head, and he
gives it a slight knock to free himself from the
inconvenience. It recoils a moment, and he re
ceives a smart tap upon the ear. His temper is
roused, and he again pushes off the hard and heavy
mass, but more violently ; he gets rather a severe
blow on the side of the skull in its return. He
becomes furious, and with a powerful jerk, sends
the rock swinging away. The pendulum is not
the first to tire of the game, as it is a game
on which the blows are felt on one side exclusive
ly. The bear alone sufiers, and the point is, he
suffers as much by the strokes he gives as those
he receives. He takes double punishment. His
very retaliations are all against himself, and for_,
every furious push which makes his skull ache, he
receives an immediate equivalent, which makes it
ache again.
" At last his rage is unbounded. He hugs the
block, — he strikes it — he bites it, — but whenever
he would thrust his head into the hive, back on
his ear falls the obstruction, against which neither
his terrible hug, nor the blows of his paw are of
any avail. The brute is maddened. He faces
his strange and pertinacious tormentor, and makes

100 The Ohio Hunter.
it once more rebound from his skull. But back
it swings like a curse, which returns upon the
head from whence it started. The bear falls ex
hausted under these reiterated blows, one more
violent than another ; and if he be not dead, the
hunters, who have watched the singular contest
from their hiding place, soon dispatch him."
Another characteristic of the bear, is his re
markable tenacity of life. ' He will stand the
wounds of many a rifle shot, and fight valiantly his
assailants, until his brain is dislocated, or the
natural action of the heart obstructed. They are
heavily built, slow of motion, until pursued, then,
when fairly started in the chase, their movements
are rapid and prodigious. There are three spe
cies of bear. The American, or black bear ; the
grizzly, and the white bear. The latter is con
fined exclusively to the arctic or polar regions.
The grizzly is found in the immense forests of the
West, but in several particulars, is unlike the
black bear, one distinguishing difference is, it
never climbs, but meets its enemy fairly upon the
ground. The height of the black bear is from five to
seven feet, and its length from six to nine, and they
weigh from two hundred and fifty to seven hun
dred pounds. They are hunted principally for
their skins and oil, though their meat also is con
sidered by many, very excellent.

A Day with the Lines. 101

CHAPTER IX.
A DAY AMONG THE LINES — MAMMOTH FISHERIES OF
THE MAUMEE — GO TO THE FISHERIES AND SPEAR
A STURGEON NINE FEET LONG — RESORT TO THE
SEINE  A STRANGE KIND OP GAME — APPALLING
SPECTACLE — THE MxSTERY SOLVED.
Who has not ventured forth on a beautiful sum
mer afternoon, with a kind, warm-hearted friend
by his side, and with measured line dropped his
baited hook beneath the rippling surface of the
shining waters, and then glided smoothly along
over the languid water, quite oblivious of time or
space, while his fair companion beguiled the hours
into minutes, and miles into narrow spaces, until
there was a certain feeling of quiet satisfaction,
equivalent to — don't care whether fish bite or not
— when suddenly the silken thread of conversation
is broken by a gentle twitching of the line, and
the devoted listener is roused to something like a
sense of the painful duty before him — painful, did
I say ? — ^yes, painful. Painful because the poor
fish's lacerated gill must be separated from the
cruel hook ? oh, no, not that ; but painful because
a mind lost to everything but the communion of a
kindred spirit must thus forcibly and suddenly be
brought back to the wakeful and real in life, while

102 The Ohio Hunter.
it would much rather repose in dreamlike rhap
sodies under the soothing influences of quiet, spark
ling waters, and still more sparkling wit. But the
hook must be drawn to the surface, and there
comes up with it a beautiful sunfish. Oh, how de
licious that will be fried in sweet butter, and shared
with a friend for supper. But the little creature
makes many remonstrances against such a course.
He writhes his little body into many distorted
shapes, and the sympathetic friend by your side
pleads so eloquently for the life of the little suf
ferer that you begin to feel how cruel it would be
to kill it, and the hook is much more tenderly re
moved than perhaps the same hook has been on
former occasions, and the little fish, after being
admired for a moment, is thrown again into the
water, instead of the empty trough that you ex
pected to see by this time well filled. The line is
wound up, and the fishing abandoned for the af
ternoon, and the fisherman relapses again into the
before-described state of luxurious repose, while
the lazy breeze idly wafts them back to the little
port from whence they glided.
Now it is not such a fishing excursion as this
that I am going to describe. Indeed, I do not ex
pect it to resemble it in the smallest particular.
I have only drawn this opposite sketch, thinking
some might have met the former in their own ex
perience, and when compared with some more re
cent experience, found the contrast pleasant.

The Maumee Fisheries. 103
I am now going to make just as sudden a trans
ition from the fanciful and false, to the common
place and true, as the young lover makes when he
exchanges the golden hours and honied words of
courtship for the leaden years and tart words of
dull, prosaic life.
I was living in Hancock Co., Ohio, when I heard
of the mammoth fisheries of the Maumee. Now
fishing possessed a charm for me second to noth
ing but hunting, and as it was not the season for
hunting, I thought I would fill up the interval of
time by fishing. At that age I was rather ambi
tious, and quite fond of leading the van whenever
associated with company in any business. At this
time I was quite successful in raising a crew, and
started for the "big fisheries," about fifty miles
distant. Among the number who accompanied
me, was my brother, to whom the reader has pre
viously been introduced. He had been to the fish
eries the previous summer, and so entertained us
en route, by marvelous stories of the size and num
ber of the fish, particularly the sturgeon, until my
mind was so engrossed with thoughts of sturgeon
that I was ready for battle as soon as one present
ed itself to my sight. c4.
We had no sooner landed than a large one came
popping its head out of the water close to the place
where I was standing. I caught a spear which
luckily lay on the bank, and started for the fish.
The owner of the valuable article saw the trick.

104 The Ohio Hunter.
and hallooed at me to bring back his spear. I
told him if I broke it I was able to pay for it. He
replied that he did not want the pay, he wanted
the spear, which was much more valuable to him
at that time and in that place than the money it
cost ; but I was far out in the water, and did not
heed the admonition ; but my brother explained
the case to him, telling him there was no danger
of .me, I was half fish myself, and if I could not
bring it to shore I would go down stream along
with it. There were about fifty men on ^the bank
watching the exploit, and what man is not willing
to make some ventures where there are others
standing by to applaud his heroism ? I felt at
that time that I could have been a second Na
poleon, had the same opportunities for daring
bravery presented themselves, and the same num
ber of anxious beholders stood by to watch the
result. I fastened a loop of the cord that was
attached to the spear around my left hand, and
with the instrument of death firmly clenched in
my right, I made a bold start toward the young
leviathan. Now I suppose I need not tell the
dweller in the Maumee Valley, that the sturgeon
is the most powerful fish found in the fresh water.
Though very lazy and languid in its movements,
it is, when attacked, found to possess immense
strength. The water in which I approached him
was about two feet deep, and the bottom was of
smooth, solid rock. But a few rods further down

A Monster Fish. 105
the stream there was a sudden jog in the limestone
rouk, and the water was six or eight feet deep, and
the current just above very rapid. I knew that
my chances of success lay in immediate action,
and accordingly I plied the spear. It penetrated
the tough hide, and entered the flesh just below the
gills. The moment the spear struck him, he made
one powerful plunge into the water, carrying the
spear quite out of my reach ; and I soon discov
ered that he was not only carrying the spear, but
by means of the cord attached to my left hand, I
too was following at quite a rapid rate. This un
intentional drift down stream gave me no small
anxiety as to the result ; and after following my
captor several rods, I determined to reverse the
motion. I had now the disadvantage of heavy
clothing, swift current, and a powerful, refractory
force, from which I could not get free if I would.
But in time of danger my strength never forsook
me, and at this time my efforts were equal to the
task. I at length swam safely to the shore, the
subjugated sturgeon following me at a rapid rate.
My friends congratulated me upon having accom
plished a very daring feat. We drew the fish
ashore, and he measured nine feet in length.
At another time my brother and myself waded
in together, and thought that between us we could
surely capture a fish only ten feet long. The water
was about three feet deep, and the undaunted stur
geon lay there lazily upon the surface while we

106 The Ohio Hunter.
approached and leisurely surveyed him. We made
all our arrangements for capturing him — John
was to catch him by the tail, and I would seize
him by the gills. When I should say. Ready, we
were with simultaneous movements to lift the finny
monster entirely out of his liquid element, and then
we would have him quite within our power. But
ah, delusive thought ! we did not rightly estimate
the strength of our supposed captive, until we
found ourselves upon our backs beneath the surface
of the ruffled water. Before deliberating very long
upon the comparative strength of the fish, and our
own inability to capture him, we turned our atten
tion to the more practical matter of regaining our
footing. When this was accomplished, we saw the
wake of the fish far in the distance. We did not
follow him, but quietly sought the shore, our am
bition fully satisfied with that kind of fishing.
After this we followed the more approved plan
of fishing with the net and seine ; and in twenty-
four hours we had caught nine barrels, and had
them salted and ready to start for home. The
place where the fish were caught was just below
the dam, and one of the company would go very
close to the fall of the water, and the rest would
hold the seine just below, the one above with
a long pole driving the fish into the net.
At one time my brother proposed going behind
the sheet of water that fell from the dam, and
driving the fish through. He said he would go

A Modern Jonah. 107
along until he came to where the fish were most
abundant, then he would indicate the locality
by running the pole through the falling water, and
there we should set our seine. We did so, and
several times we drew it well filled with nice, large
catfish. The fourth time we had no more than set
our net, when something much heavier than a fish
struck it, and we thought the old cat and all was
to pay. We drew it ashore, eager to discern the
nature of our gain. We looked cautiously in, and
there by the pale, glimmering light of the moon
we saw the drenched body of a man. In spite of
all our bravery, the stoutest heart shuddered at
the appalling spectacle. Long, dripping locks,
parted in heavy strands about the forehead, sin-
ewey hands convulsively clasped, and jaws rigid
ly set. In that distorted visage it took me some
moments to discern the likeness of my brother ; but
I was not equally slow in resorting to the usual re
storatives, and in the course of half an hour he be
gan to show signs of recovery, and at length the
mystery was cleared up. My brother having re
mained quite as long as was agreeable in the dense
fog and vapor, and feeling a sickening, suffocating
sensation, occasioned by the dampness, thought
the shortest route to fresh air led through the
spray, and he would follow it. But the weight of
falling water precipitated him violently to the
rocky bottom beneath, and he arose just in front
of the net. When entering the opening of the

108

The Ohio Hunter.

net, he thought the days of Nineveh were revived,
and a mammoth fish had been prepared for his re
ception. While reposing in his capacious stom
ach, he felt annoyed by the innumerable company
of little fishes that had been swallowed with him,
and to prove himself the most important of the
company, was what had occasioned the violent
kicking and floundering that so nearly destroyed
our little seine.

Working on the Canal. 109

CHAPTER X.
go to DITCHING ON THE WABASH CANAL — SOON
exchange canal digging FOR DEER HUNTING
 CATCH A BILOUS FEVER — A SHARP FIGHT
WITH A DEER IN THE WATER — TREATED TO A
COLD BATH — FEVER LEAVES — THOUGHTS ON HY
DROPATHY AND VENTILATION.
In the year 1838, finding it rather difficult
to maintain my family on the products of the al
most unbroken forest, I responded to a call from
the Erie and Wabash Canal Company for assis
tance in their laborious enterprise. Myself and
brother went to a place where they were working
the canal, and hired "Out as day laborers. It
was always rather more congenial to my feel
ings to have other people work, where I was ex
pected to dictate, than for me to labor under an
other's dictation. Whenever I found myself in
this situation I was usually not very slow in de
vising some plan of shifting the' unwelcome yoke.
I soon learned from some of the men that had been
working on the canal considerably longer than
myself, that the deer were in the habit of coming
into the river at night to drink, I asked them why
some of their number did not shoot them. The
reply was, that no one was skillful enough with
the gun to shoot by moonlight. I now detev*

110 The Ohio Hunter.
mined to prove my skill to my laboring comrades
before many moonlight nights should expire.
The following night my brother and myself got
a. canoe, and waited along the edge of the river
until long after dark, when we heard the deer
coming into the water. I placed a light in the
bow of the boat, and standing behind it, steered
the craft. I could see the deer some two hundred
yards distant, but we glided so smoothly and qui
etly up to the place where they were feeding on
the green herbage that they did not notice our
approach. When near enough I shot, killing
sometimes one and sometimes two before they
could leave the water.
At one time we came upon two old bucks, near
Gerty's Island, that were feeding quietly on the
green herbage in the water. My brother was
steering, and I stood with my hand on my gun,
ready to shoot as soon as the most favorable op
portunity should present itself. They did not
stir from their seemingly fixed position until we
approached within a rod of them, then I shot one,
and plied with double energy the oars until we
reached the spot where the buck fell. Just as we
neared it he sprung to his feet and started
for the shore. - As he was passing the boat, I
sprung upon his back and clinched him by the
horns, ^he water was not quite so favorable a
place for fighting with a sturdy buck as terra fir-
ma and the brave little anirhal soon had the best

troop; OF DEEK.

Go TO Hunting Deer. Ill
of the bargain, getting me underneath his feet and
giving me such a drubbing as I never got from
man or beast, before or since. However, I did
not let go my hold about the horns, and in pro
cess of time found myself again in the ascendency,
and then treated the little offender to an immer
sion in the waves in return for the civil compli
ment that he had paid me. I held his head under
the water until he drowned. My brother, now
came up with the boat, and took us both in, ia'iter
the engagement was ended, quite to my relief, hav
ing myself submitted to rather a longer immersion
in cold water than is prescribed by the most ap
proved system of hydropathy.
By this time, as we continued our hunts from
evening to evening, we discovered that our sport
was becoming more profitable than our daily la
bor, and we rather eased off on the work and re
doubled our energy in hunting. We could sell all
the deer we could catch to the workmen for meat,
and carry the skins to Fort Defiance, where they
found a ready market. We were very successful
for a while, killing from one to five in a night ;
but the evening exercise, or marsh miasma, or
both combined, had not a very salutary effect on
my health, for I was very suddenly and violently
attacked with bilous fever. The shanty in which
we found our board and lodgings was not very
commodious, even when well, but then we did not
BO seriously feel the inconvenience, but when tor-

112 The Ohio Hunter.
tured with pain and burning with fever the close
quarters became very uncoriifortable. My broth
er paid me unceasing attention, until at length it
terminated in ague, when I did not require so con
stant watching. As soon as my brother could leave
me, he went out again for.the purpose of killing deer,
alone, and returned stating that he had shot the
largest buck he ever saw ! He said he was stand
ing on the bank when he shot, and he did not
know whether he had hit the buck or not. I had
a dog that was well trained for deer, and my
brother wanted, if I felt able to ride, that I should
take my dog and get into the canoe, and go to the
place where the deer was shot and render him
such assistance as I could in his capture.
We proceeded together down the stream until
we came to the designated spot, then sent the dog
ashore. He soon assured us that the deer had
been wounded. ' We remained in our boat, just where
we sent the dog ashore, until we heard him return
ing with the monstrous deer, who immediately
jumped into the river closely pursued by the dog.
Our canoe which had been moored against the
shore was now immediately launched upon the
current, and we followed as swiftly as possible in the
rear j but the water being very shallow, and the
bottom solid, the deer could wade while the dog
was obliged to swim ; and such low water was not
at all favorable to rapid rowing.
While following the deer at our utmost speed,

Perilous Situation. 113
the boat struck against a rock, rising abruptly
from the bottom, and threw me overboard into the
river, precipitating me rather violently to the bot
tom. At this juncture the deer made for shore,
the dog closely following it. I called to my broth
er to pursue the deer, and not abandon the chase
to look for me. I made my way to the shore as
best I could. Soon the dog and deer entered the
river below me, and both commenced swimming
down stream. My brother returned for our guns,
which had been left on shore at the time our ca
noes were moored. At last they came upon an
other ghallow place in the river, when the deer
could wade and the dog had to swim. The inge
nious buck understood the advantage of his posi
tion, and stopped and waited until the dog came
up and then gave him rather of an uncomfortable
ducking in the waves beneath. I saw that the
poor dog's life was in danger, and determined to
venture for his relief, as what hunter would not
for a faithful dog. I did not reach them be
fore my services were needed, for ere I could effect
his release from the firmly set hoof of the deer,
the poor little fellow was nearly drowned. He
swam, however, safely to a rock that rose above
the surface of the water, and was again resuscita
ted, while I took his place and for a while battled
with the craggy bottom and the pelting hoofs of the
infuriated deer.
8

114 The Ohio Hunter.
I soon felt my strength rapidly failing, and
needed help, if ever in my life. I called on my
faithful dog, and he that is so fortunate as to have
a good dog, will never find himself wanting a
friend in time of danger. He sprung at once up
on the jaded buck, catching him by the nose. I
renewed my grip at the horns, and at length be
tween the persevering energy of the dog, and my
own tact, for strength I had not at that time, we
treated the feverish deer to a cold bath, and held
its head under water until quite dead.
My brother had returned by this time, and see
ing our perilous situation swam for our relief. I
swam to shore alone, and "my brother swam carry
ing the deer along with him. We fastened a line
to the deer, and towed him along to the shanty
where we were boarding.
We then dressed the deer, and after he was
dressed, he weighed two hundred and fourteen
pounds ! — the largest one I ever knew caught in
Ohio ; their common weight being from eighty to
a hundred and twenty pounds. The news of
this capture ran along the canal line with almost
the rapidity of telegraphing, and we were applied
to for meat by different contractors, with very
much of the assurance that all deers would be
large, if we killed them.
The times then were very hard for provisions,
especially meat, and such a thing as wheat bread
yfas almost wnl^ea,rd of ^ the principal djet being

The Maumee Valley. 115
corn-mush fried in grease, and full of worms at
that. This book will doubtless fall into the hands
of some who are living witnesses to the truth of
this statement.
After this, I recovered my health very rapidly,
and my brother and myself abandoned day labor,
and applied ourselves, assiduously to the catching
of deer, which were at the time quite numerous.
I never since then have doubted the virtue of
cold water, or its ability to cure ague or any bil
ious difficulty — though in this particular, I am
decidedly of the opinion that " an ounce of pre
ventive is worth a pound of cure." I believe, how
ever that if water were judiciously used, or applied
to the person in such a manner as to keep perfectly
clean the pores of the skin, with a sufficient
amount of healthful outdoor exercise to keep the
organs of the body in a healthful condition, bil
ious fever and ague would be unheard of.
Another thing I will here speak of. Our sec
tion of the globe has been represented as a bilious
country, — and I can recollect when fever and
ague, and the Maumee River, were so intimately
associated in my imagination, that I could not
think of one without involuntary thoughts of the
other. But I wish to join issue with such of my
readers as still retain the opinion last expressed,
by giving, as my unequivocal opinion, that there
is not a more healthful climate on the globe : —

116 The Ohio Hunter.
that consumption is almost unheard of in our
midst, and many families, suffering so frequently
and so acutely from bilious attacks, have no need
to go out of their own bedrooms to find the cause.
And if you will allow me to express my senti
ments in my own homely language, I should say,
we are more troubled with bilious bedrooms than
a bilious climate. To my certain knowledge,
many families will occupy sleeping apartments
from fall until spring, without ever allowing a
single breath of fresh air to enter them.
I will not, however, presume to doubt the
intelligence of my readers, by entering upon a
lengthy exposition of the subject of air, and show
ing the poisonous and deleterious effects of air
that has been inhaled and exhaled several times,
upon the human system, and how totally unfit it
must then be for the purposes of respiration.
Just think of living in a room where the thick,
fetid, poisonous atmosphere of three months' con
finement exists, and the many thousand exhala
tions are never exchanged for one breath of the
pure, sweet air of heaven ! I have stood the ex
posure of many hunting campaigns, where the
cold, bronzed earth was my bed, and the dews
were distilled pure and healthful right from heav
en upon my head, until my* locks were dripping
with moisture, and never in all the time did I
feel the slightest symptom of fever or ague ; but
I could not endure the mock miasma of one close:-

Ventilation. 117
ly confined cooking establishment, where unsavory
odors commingled with many breaths, combined to
render the atmosphere a " stench in the nostrils,"
for three weeks, before my system would become
exceedingly bilious.
Now in our- own favored land of America, there
are a great many crying sins. Among the fore
most of these, may be reckoned American Slavery,
which to-day we can only count among "the
things that were;" but the faint echo is still re
verberating through the land, of the once loud,
and piteous wail, that so long rent the heavens,
coming from the distressed victims of the slave
power. There is another scarcely less piteous moan
to-day filling the heavens, from the fifty thousand
who die annually the victims of intemperance ;
and next to these two greatest of abominations,
I do not believe there now exists a more heinous
sin than this wholesale suicide and homicide that
we are daily committing.
Our churches, school-rooms, theatres, work
shops, sitting-rooms, sleeping apartments, and
every haunt of pleasure or usefulness,, are too often
made the secret agents of poisoning our systems,
undermining our constitutions, and slowly, but
surely destroying our lives, in the way of impure
and unhealthy air. .What plea shall we render
the world, or our heavenly Father, for this de
struction of the priceless jewel that he has to our
keeping trusted ? Will He accept ignorance as

118 The Ohio Hunter.
an excuse for such a crime, when the light of
science is burning its way to every sentient crea
ture, by means of books, papers, pamphlets, lec
tures, and even common observation ? Ah,
"none so blind as they that wont see." Let us
lay aside the tinselings of fashion, and adorn our
minds with a little of useful knowledge. Let us
spend a little of the money so foolishly squandered
for the trappings of fashion, and furnish our
homes with some instructive manual of health ; —
not a receipt book, to tell you how to prepare a
thousand invaluable remedies for disease, but one
that points out the path where disease dare not
lurk.» Then may we confidently expect our days
to be " threescore years and ten," and possibly
by reason of strength, they will be fourscore.
Then " there shall be no more thence an infant of
days^ nor an old man that hath not filled his
days." And they shall build houses and inhabit
them ; and they shall plant Vineyards and eat the
fruit of them. They shall not build and an
other inhabit ; they shall not plant and another
eat ; for as the days of a tree, so are the days of
my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the
work of their hands."

A CooN Campaign. 119

CHAPTER XI.
ANOTHER TRIP TO THE SWAMP TO HUNT FOR COON
— HEAVY SNOW  ILL SUCCESS — FORM NEW AC
QUAINTANCES — CHASE FOR DEER — TENACITY OF
LIFE EVIDENCE OF WITCHCRAFT — GREAT TIME
HUNTING COON — A DUTCHMAN INITIATED  AN
OTHER winter's hunt PLANNED — ^CATCH ALL
SORTS or GAME — A NEGRO HUNTER — ANOTHER
TRIP TO THB SWAMP FOR COON — THEIR HABITS —
THE WOODCHUCK.
In February, 1846, I went again to the swamp
with Madge and Bill in pursuit of coon. Soon
after my arrival, there came a heavy fall of snow,
which entirely stopped the coon from running.
I remained in the woods several days without
killing as much game as kept myself and dogs
liberally supplied with meat.
Prosperity in business, I care not what that
business is, is the best stimulant to keep our spir
its from depression ; and if it is only hunting, a
lively and successful chase will enable the weary
hunter to lie down in the midst of the dense for-'
est, with no companions but his dogs and lifeless
game, and exult in the comforts of his situation ;
whereas the approximate bankrupt merchant may
retire from his counting-room, to recline on
"downy beds of ease," and there toss restlessly

120 The Ohio Hunter.
from side to side of his velvet couch, recount
ing naught but the miseries and vexations that
surround and envelop him.
I had experienced several days' ill success, and
each evening retired to my camp a little more de
pressed in spirit than on the former one. The fourth
evening, I think I really had what people now-a-
days denominate, "the blues." I was very de
jected, and thought myself almost inconsolable.
I remained, watching my camp-fire for about the
space of two hours. I gazed steadily upon the
blazing faggots, and descried monsters of every
variety ; in fact, I worked myself up to a pitch of
suffering quite intolerant. I must do something
to get rid of my thoughts. But where should I
go ? what companionship should I seek there in
that " Dismal swamp ?" But I was never slow in
arriving at expedients, — ^and my tact served me
admirably in this instance.
There was a stranger who had moved into the
woods that winter, about two miles from my camp,
and though I had never seen him, I thought J
could find his house, and the sight of a human
face would act like a magic in dispelling the va-^,-''
pors that had gathered over my imagination. It
was eight o'clock in the evening when I reached
his domicil, and before the hands on the old-fash
ioned dial pointed out the hour of ten, I had
quite forgotten my insufferable mental agonies,
and was happy and contented. X'

A Bewitched Deer. 121
The situation pleased me so much better than
camping alone, that I hired my board with the
rustic old gentleman, and remained until the
weather became more favorable for hunting, and
then took the ruralizer with me on a chase. Now
the chase I am going to describe is rather pecu
liar in some of its characteristics, and to the cas
ual reader may bear something of the character
of fiction ; but in this work I have dealt substan
tially in facts, and shall not deviate from them in
this sketch.
The first game that we pursued, was deer. I
shot a very large buck, what we hunters called a
"gut shot." It makes them very sick, but does
not affect them mortally. The buck lay down,
and I shot him again, this time the ball passing
through the neck. He then sprung upon his feet
and attempted to run, but could make but little
headway. I pursued and overtook him, and after
laying him flat upon his side, cut his throat from
ear to ear, and held him there awhile to bleed.
Then I let him go, and he immediately got up
and started to walk ! The man that was with me
said, " If he can walk after this, we will profit by
this means of getting him home ;" so we each cut
a little brush and stepped up to him, and com
menced whipping him. He gave a bound and
started at his usual pace, and we had to take his
track and follow him for several miles. Now the
windpipe and jugular veins were entirely cut off,

122 The Ohio Hunter.
still he breathed as naturally through the severed
orifice as in health. At last we came in sight of him.
I shot again, the ball entering his left eye. He
started to run again, but the man that was with
me, stopped him with a ball in the other eye, when
the exhausted animal lay down and instantly
expired. My partner in the affair, now said it was a
witch in the form of a deer, and he would have
nothing to do either with the dressing or eating
of the game. But I had been effectually cured
of witchcraft when young, and heartily enjoyed a
piece of the roasted venison after the protracted
chase was concluded.
After this good fortune I returned to my camp,
quite able to bear the ills of life uncomplainingly
and alone for a season. The snow being favora
ble for tracking, I started in pursuit of bear.
Soon I came on track of one. We routed him,
but the dogs could not stop him. We followed
him to a log which I discovered to be inhabited
by bees. I then gave up the chase, and went to
work gathering the honey. I had nothing to put
it in but a large cotton handkerchief.
I tied it up full of the nicest quality of honey,
and returned to my camp. I lived very well now
for a few days ; but then the bread-stuff gave out,
and I commenced thinking about home ; but I
had made nothing by this expedition, and did not

A Dutch Comrade. 128
much fancy the idea of going home with an empty
pocket. About nine miles from here, lived a Dutchman,
whom I called upon as I was going home. He
was a very clever fellow, and it being rather late
in the day, after having enjoyed a social chat
for an hour, he proposed that I should stay all
night with him. As this prospect was rather
more inviting than camping in the woods, I had
no reason for objecting, and accordingly made
myself at hoine for the night. The next morn
ing looked very favorable for hunting coon, and
the honest Dutchman says, " You no go home
dish day ; but takes me mit you in de woods, and
fights coon. Den I gibs you half we catch." I
told him I had no bread. " You eats my pread,
and drinks my peer, vile you stays," was the
reply. As the offer was full as generous as I could ask,
I accepted the proposition. So we started for the
swamp. We caught four coon while on our way.
The next day we caught one coon, one wild cat,
and one deer ; and the Dutchman said " Dat
vash very goot luck a catchin dat wild cat afore
he catch us." The weather now changed, so that
the coon did not run, and we went to hunting deer.
This was not according to the most approved sys
tem of hunting, but our dogs were old, and al
ready knew so much of everything, that it was

124 The Ohio Hunter.
hard spoiling them, so we concluded to let them
follow whatever game was most numerous.
That day I killed five deer, and several tur
keys ; but at that time therd was little profit in
deer, and the weather was moderating. The
next day we renewed the hunt in favor of coon.
Mr. Dutchman went one way, and myself another.
I gave him Bill, which was my favorite coon dog ;
but I had faithful Madge, and my chances were
as good with him as they could be with any dog.
After catching four coon, and being on the track
of more, I heard Madge bark a great way off. I
immediately left the coon trail and started for the
new contest, for I knew by the noise that a bear
was treed.
Long before I got to them, I heard Bill bark
ing, too, in the same place. This fully satisfied
my opinion that a bear was treed, for they had a
bark peculiar to that kind of game, which they
never gave on any other occasion. When I got
there, I found them barking near a hollow tree,
which had a small hole at the root just large enough
for a coon to enter. Soon the Dutchman came,
puffing and blowing, and when he saw the hole in
the tree, said, " We gits coon plenty now ; here
Madge and Pill, you just stand pack, vile I cuts
him down ;" and just as the ax was raised for a
ponderous blow at the tree, the unfortunate in
mate stuck out an immense paw, which proved to
be the fore foot of a bear. The Dutchman's ax

•WlliD 'I'UBKiUX.

A Lucky Day. 125
fell heavily upon it, and the luckless bear was
thereby deprived of the right arm of power. The
Dutchman going close to the hole says, "Now I
scratch mit you." The bear next presentedher
face to the hole, and Madge unceremoniously set
his teeth firmly about the nose. The bear there
upon gave unparalleled shrieks, and signs of tor
ture, but the merciless Madge would not let go
his hold, until the victim gave over roaring and
plunging, and lay down quietly in his cage. Then
Madge obyed his new dictator, and retired a few
feet from the tree, while the inflated Dutchman
vigorously wielded the ax, saying, " You lies still,
Madge — soon I prings him out."
The bear now endeavored to climb up the in
side of the tree, but finding herself minus a very
important member, could make but poor headway.
When the Dutchman had made the hole large
enough, I went up, and when she raised up to
look at me, I shot her in the head, which proved
effectual. When we took her out of the tree,
there were two young ones with her, one she had
killed in the fight, the other we saved alive. My
Dutch friend had caught three coon before he
came to me, and we continued hunting very suc
cessfully for a few days, redeeming the time we
had lost. We caught a large number of coon,
and found a hundred weight of honey. The
Dutchman's brother came with a team and carried
home the proceeds of our hunt.

126

The Ohio Hunter.

This trip was attended with poor success, and
I was obliged to go home little profited. The win
ter being nearly spent, I did not return any more
that season, but went to work instead, on my little
farm, and found thus far, the summer season
much the more profitable for business.

'./,->'¦

Another Expedition. 127

CHAPTER XII
A CAMPAIGN FOR COON AND DEER — FORM A HUNT
ING co-partnership — CATCH A BEAR — AN AF
RICAN HUNTER  A LUCKY SHOT — HABITS OF
COON.
After the excursion mentioned in the preceding
chapter I did not hunt much for a few years, but at
tended more carefully to the affairs of my farm.
But when money began to be scarce, and hard to
get, I knew one commodity that never failed to
bring the useful article without compromise. So
in the fall I commenced my arrangements for a
winter's campaign in the woods with the wild an
imals. I had a friend by the name of Radabaugh,
with whom I entered into a co-partnership, and
we spent the winter in the woods together very
agreeably. We commenced hunting coon and deer, it be
ing too early in the season for bear. One night
while we were hunting for coon, Mr. R. and myself
sat down on a log and waited for our dogs to pur
sue their game alone. Soon our attention was
attracted by the loud barking of our dogs, which
plainly told us something more than coon were
the object of the chase. There was a great deal
of water in the woods at that time, and the ice

128 The Okio Hunter.
was frozen just enough to induce both dogs and
game to venture on it, only to be let down in the
water. There had been a hard race during the
day after a wounded deer, and Bill was lying
weary and exhausted at our feet. The other
dogs were making a great outcry, and my friend
Radabaugh, and Bill and myself, joined in the
chase. When we heard them coming, Radabaugh
said to me, "It is an old buck and a smaller
deer," but a little closer observation showed us
that it was a large bear. She came to where we
were standing, when Bill sprung at her and she
went up a tree. The night was clear and cold,
the moon was shining beautifully,, and defined
the position of our game almost as distinctly as
day-light could have done. It was so very cold
that I requested my friend to shoot, but he pre
ferred conferring the honor upon me. After we
stopped running, we very soon felt the effects of
the cold weather. However this was an opportu
nity not to be lost, and I commenced running
and jumping to regain the use of my hands and
feet, and then, aiming directly at the enormous
head of the bear, cut off a full quarter-inch of her
right ear. I then took my friend's gun that was
loaded and drew again, and a little more seriously
injured her ear. She then made a rapid descent
upon her enemies, and I planted myself firmly at
the foot of the tree, to await her arrival. Before
she reached the ground, Radabaugh shot at her

Hard Marching. 129
with a pistol, but missing his aim, the infuriated
animal ascended to the top of the tree.
I then told my friend that I believed I could
shoot her through the heart, and accordingly
drew another aim. The ball proved effectual,
and brought the heroic beast from the tree life
less. We were now about two miles from camp,
and the game to be carried was rather heavy ;
we tied it to a pole and placed it on our shoul
ders ; but it was like shouldering a pig in the
morning, and having it grow to be a full-sized
hog before night ! Mr. R. not being quite so
accustomed to the chase and labors attendant
thereupon as myself, did not endure all this fatigue
undisturbed. We had not accomplished more
than half the distance, before our burden became
rather grievous, and my friend was obliged to
rest every twenty or thirty rods. At last he
gave out entirely, and declared he would go no
further with it, and laid it down and seated him
self upon it to rest. He said we should leave it
there until morning. I replied I should eat a
piece of that bear before I slept. He said he
could carry it no further. I told him then I
could carry it alone. After resting awhile, I
shouldered the bear and proceeded a few rods,
but it was rather more of a burden than I was
able to bear very far, and Mr. R. again came to
my assistance. We reached the camp about mid
night. 9

130 The Ohio Hunter.
My Companion being utterly exhausted, stretched
himself upon the ground, and was soon in the
enjoyment of tired Nature's sweet restorer. I
dressed the bear, and when I had some of the
meat nicely roasted, awakened my companion,
who, rousing himself from his slumbers, enjoyed
with me a portion of the delicious game. We
then both lay down and rested until morning,
which was not far off. After this, we hunted a
few more days for coon, and having obtained as
many furs as we could carry, started for home.
I found an anxious wife and seven children there
to welcome me, and these re-unions were often
quite affecting.
Before closing this chapter, I will tell my read
ers of the lucky capture of an old "Residenter"
bear, for which I had wearied myself in the chase
more than once, — though the writer of these
sketches was not the fortunate one to be bene
fited by this truly valuable prize. His tragical
death occurred on this wise. In the fall after I
had the chase for him, four sportsmen came into
the swamp to hunt, and brought with them what
they denominated "a darkey," to cook. They
armed their dusky comrade with an old musket,
and allowed him to improve his leisure time in
such amusements as best suited his taste.
They remained several days, and with their
best endeavors, were unsuccessful in catching
game. They had finally ponclu4ed tp pull up

A Terrified Darkey. 131
stakes and move ; but before they started, they
decided to take one more small hunt. So the
darkey, after his part ,of the work was finished,
took the aforesaid musket and went near a place
where the deer were in the habit of going for
water. He stationed himself at a convenient
distance and awaited their approach. While
watching very assiduously, he saw something
quite unlike a deer approaching the spot, and
then it was lost in the thicket. He was
somewhat alarmed, but pacified his fears by tell
ing himself that it was but a cow, or some " udder
'mestic animal ; ' ' but soon it emerged from the thick
et, and came and sat down- on a log close by where
the Negro was standing, and looked at him with
invincible gravity. The poor Negro was now in
a dilemma. He dared not shoot for fear of
missing his aim, and he dare not run, lest he
should be pursued b^ one more fleet of foot than
himself. The terrified darkey debated the question with his
courage and fears for some time, and at last de
termined to shoot, as the best alternative. The
gun was fired, he did not wait to watch the
result, but as soon as he heard the report, thought
to set double guard over his life,. — a bold flight in
front and a rear-guard of nimble heels. When
he reached the camp he found one huntsman, and
he soon roused the others up. When assembled,
the darkey in breathless terror told them the

132 The Ohio Hunter.
story of his adventure; — that he "had seen suth-
in drefful in de woods ;" that it was " large as a
boss, and black as a nigger," and he thought it
must be "de Debil hissef !"
They then asked him if he shot it.
" Oh mercy, yes ; I was so feered I couldn't
help." "Where did you kill it?"
" Dun no ; sars. I nebber looked."
" Where did you leave him ?"
" Out dar, in de big woods."
" Go and show us the spot where you left him."'
" Golly, no ; if it be de Debil, he git dis nigger,
sure, if he see him anymore."
" Go long, you fool you ; the Devil wouldn't
have you."
" Oh, mercy, sars ; he's been tryin ebery way
to git me, eber since I know'd him ; he want dis
darkey, sure."
But the hunters, more interested about gaining
possession of the valuable game, than concerned
about the relationship between Sambo and the
aforesaid personage, had already got him several
rods in the direction indicated by the narrative,
and could now succeed only in making him follow,
pointing out the direction, while they boldly led
the way.
At last they came to the designated spot, and
there could easily be traced by the blood of his
victim, the evil spirit Sambo so much dreaded.

Capture of a Monster Bear. 138
After this, they no longer needed the services of
their terror-stricken guide, but left him to seek
protection in the hollow of a tree, while they pur
sued their game. They had only to follow it a
short distance, before they came upon the bear,
stone dead. Then they returned and drew the
trembling negro from his hiding place, by telling
him of the wonderful exploit he had performed,
he came forth dancing and skipping and saying,
" Tought dis darkey git de start of dat old
feller some day !"
Upon examination, it was found to be the same
old residenter that had so often been chased be
fore, but had evaded the most vigilent pursuit of
the white man. It was so heavy, that they could
not carry it into their camp until they got their
horses to haul it. They offered the darkey sixty
dollars for his game, but he wouldn't take it.
Its weight was six hundred and forty-seven pounds,
and it yielded fifteen gallons of pure oil !
In the year 1 847, I made another trip to the
swamp, my object at this time being coons. I
had now a set of dogs trained for hunting these
little animals by day-light. This may appear a
little odd to some of my readers, who are accus
tomed to hunt them only in the night ; but dogs
can be so trained that they will follow on their
trail only in the day-time. This is done by go
ing out in the morning before day-light, and con
tinuing to tree them until after day-light. Con-

134 The Ohio Hunter.
tinue in this way for some time, hunting each
morning a little later, and they will soon hunt
them all day, by smelling along the trail where
the coon have run at night. Now this is much
the best way to hunt them, for then you always
tree them in hollow trees, which are more easily
cut, and less valuable, — whereas if you tree them
in the night, they are as likely to run up a sound
tree as a hollow one ;. and more than this, in tree
ing them in hollow trees, there are usually to be
found more than one in a tree, and when the tree
is cut by day-light, it is easy to catch them ; but
in the night there is quite a probability of their
escaping and running up another tree.
I have sometimes had to cut six or eight
trees to catch a single coon. But when you hunt
in the day-time, you always find them in a hole ;
and they will not go out until you disturb them.
Perhaps I cannot tell you anything you do not
already know about the nature of the coon, for it
inhabits all parts of the United States, and there
is rarely a school-boy twelve years old, that has
not killed many a one. But you may have never
noticed that they subsist principally on snakes in
the summer season. They will also eat frogs, crabs,
grasshoppers, various insects, and even small fowl.
In the winter they eat acOrns, beechnuts, and
corn. When there is much snow on the ground,
they will remain in their holes for weeks, and
even months, without ever tasting food.

The Seven Sleepers. 186
It has been said by some naturalists that they
remain in a torpid state during these months J but
this is not so. I have caught them at all times of
winter, and always found them awake and ready
for a fight. But the woodchuck, sometimes known
as the ground-hog, will lay apparently lifeless
from the first of November until the first of Feb
ruary. At this time they always go out and
hunt their mates, and then go back and stay
about one month longer.
One day, in the month of January, I went to
where I knew there was an old ground-hog holed
up. When they establish themselves in winter
quarters, they always close up the entrance to
their domicil. I dug them out, and thought they
were dead. I took them home to save their hides,
and was goin^ to skin them, when my mother
told me they were not dead, but were what were
called "the seven sleepers."
I cut one's head off and saw him gasp a little.
The blood in him was as cold as the' ground from
whence he was taken. The other I put into a
barrel and watched him carefully from day to
day. I still believed him to be dead, until the
second day of February, when true to the old
legend, he became perfectly lifelike and com
menced gnawing the barrel to get out. They are
an animal that subsists entirely upon vegetable
food, while they will not taste of flesh.
I must tell you one thing more about the coon.

136 The Ohio Hunter.
It always judges the quality of its food by the
sense of feeling. It will never taste of food un
til it has first felt it carefully with its paw, and
after that, never examines it either by smelling
or vision ; while most animals judge entirely by
smelling.

Arrange for a Bear Hunt, 187

CHAPTER XIII
ANOTHER TRIP TO THE SWAMP — A DOG ENGAGE
MENT — KILL A LARGE CATAMOUNT — COURAGE OF
A DOG — CAPTURE A BEAR — CARRY A BEAR TEN
MILES ON MY SHOULDER — TAKE ANOTHER BEAR
— SELL THB BEARS FOR TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS
 THIS TRIP PROVES A DAMAGE TO MY HITH
ERTO STRONG CONSTITUTION.
On this occasion, as I was making preparations
for a bear hunt, I concluded that I had not quite
dogs enough, so I went to my brother-in-law and
asked him if he would let me take his dog. He
replied that he would, though he did not know
how he would succeed in a bear chase, as he was
entirely unaccustomed to such sport ; but he had
never yet been whipped by anything but man, and
he would risk him with a bear. His name was
Turk, and as I shall have occasion to refer to him
several times during my story, I thought it best
to have him formally introduced to the reader.
He was a large, strong, and sinewy dog, but
good-natured and agreeable in his manners, unless
molested or imposed upon — then he was ferocious
and revengeful.
One special reason I had in desiring his services
in this campaign, was, that I had to pass a
house on my road to the swamp, where lived a

138 The Ohio Hunter.
very wealthy farmer who always kept a large
number of dogs, among which was a very ferocious
bull dog (whether these were kept to guard his
money or property, I never learned). But they
were very annoying to the traveler, especially if
he, too, had dogs. On several occasions they had
oome out and declared war against my dogs, and
generally came off victorious. I determined this
time to give them their equal. My hounds were
so very afraid that they would not venture an
inch from my side. The old bull dog came out as
usual, and Turk met him with undaunted courage.
The bull dog at once looked doubtful, and would
not make the attack. Turk would never attack
another dog first unless told to do so. I saw that
we were likely to pass in peace, and not having
sufficiently forgotten the insult of former occasions,
a feeling of revenge at once rose in my breast ;
for an insult offered a dog is always an offense to
his master. I turned to Turk and told him to
"bite him !" Turk, always willing to obey such
commands, grabbed him with his immense jaws
about the throat, and commenced shaking him vi
olently. His adversary was rendered almost help
less by the superior advantage gained by Turk,
but rallied all his power to resist his foe. Some
times he would succeed in regaining his feet, then
Turk would throw him again. The farmer chanced
to observe what was passing, and hastened in mad
dened terror to obtain revenge. He came close

Rouse up a Panther. 189
up to the dogs and was brandishing the club in
his hand wherewith he intended to destroy their
lives. But I met him in the way and told him
they belonged to me. I then turned round and
spoke to Turk, who relinquished his hold of the
bull dog. As soon as the latter had time to re
gain his self-complacency he followed his master
to the house considerably humbled, and, I hope,
improved in disposition and manners. The hounds
stood by at a little distance and looked on, and I
think enjoyed the sport. After all was over we
proceeded on our way to the swamp, — Turk and
the hounds rather exultingly. y
We reached the swamp just at dark, and lay
down by the side of a log to sleep. Just before
day-light the next morning, I heard a noise, the
sound very much resembling that of a person in
distress. Bill immediately hastened to the spot
from whence the sound proceeded, and I followed
as rapidly as I could, accompanied by Turk and
the other dogs. I had plucked a brand from the
burning fire before starting, and now built anoth
er fire and lay down under the tree until day-light.
When I looked up in the tree I saw not a bear,
but a large catamount — the largest one I had ever
seen. I now saw that he was getting uneasy, and would
come down soon. I thought this was a good op
portunity for initiating Turk into the mysteries of
hunting, so I took the hounds and Bill to a little

140 The Ohio Hunter.
distance and tied them, and watched for the cata
mount to come down. At length he descended,
and Turk met him at the foot of the tree. The
encounter veas indeed terrific, but Turk proved
himself equal to the occasion. The snow was very
soon covered with blood, and it was for some mo
ments doubtful which of the combatants would
prove victorious. At length it was clearly decided
in favor of the gallant Turk — the catamount mak
ing an unconditional surrender.
I now concluded that Turk would be perfectly
safe with a bear, and before long had an excellent
opportunity of testing his skill in that kind of
fighting. In the contest with the catamount he
was considerably scratched and otherwise injured,
but had no deep wounds. This catamount measured
six feet in length, and had immense paws.
I then went back to my place of stopping for
the night, and cooked my breakfast, gathered up
my traps, proceeded a few miles further in the
swamp and built me a temporary habitation, and
then started on a bear chase.
I very soon found a track, and pursued it. As
yet Turk knew nothing at all of bear, but he soon
gave good evidence that he would not be very
slow in learning. In tracking a bear, Bill was al
ways the regulator to tell us when the bear was
gone from his bed, and as soon as he smelled him
he would start. He now went along for some
rods, his nose close upon the trail ; presently he

A Bear Encounter. 141
started upon a full gallop, and the other dogs af
ter him, I bringing up the rear. Soon they com
menced barking loudly, which convinced me
that they had him treed. I now made my way to
the spot as rapidly as possible, but when the bear
saw me approaching he immediately came down to
the ground. Turk met him at the foot of the tree
in the same manner he had the catamount, but he
soon found himself embraced by arms more potent
than the catamount's. But the other dogs were
at work, and Turk endured the violent caressing
as amiably as was profitable .under the circum
stances. The only indignation shown was a vio
lent grip at the bear's nose. This is an indignity
which a bear cannot endure without great expres
sions of pain, and the halloo that he gave was al
most deafening !
Bill had the bear by one hind leg, and succeed
ed in removing that means of support from under
him. These extreme annoyances caused the
bear to loosen his grasp, and Turk succeeded in
making good his escape from so passionate an em
brace ; yet he did not retreat, but planted himself
firmly before the bear. His exasperated foe rais
ed his fore foot and gave Turk a violent rap
against the side of the head which brought him to
the ground, and then turned with redoubled ener
gy upon Bill. But this was nothing new to Bill ;
for he had learned in many a previous contest how
to meet such civilities, and he could ward off the

142 The Ohio Hunter.
blows with perfect safety. Turk, too, was soon
ready for service again, and surrounded with so
many antagonists the bear concluded his safest re
treat was in the tree top. This would have been
a very secure asylum but for old killall, the only
passive enemy when on the ground, and the only
dangerous one when in the tree top. With un
swerving fidelity it brought the bear to the ground,
yielding him an easy victim to its coadjutors.
Soon after the chase last described, I started
for another bear hunt, taking along with me my
old friend Radabaugh as partner. We went to
my old camp, and upon our arrival on the ground
found it previously occupied by some hunters who
had stopped there to rendezvous. They were
hunting coon and our object was bear. We asked
them if they had seen any signs of bear since they
had been in the woods. They said they had, but
declined giving any further information on the
subject, unless we would take them along as part
ners. I replied that so many having an interest
in the spoils would so diminish the profits as to
make it of little account to any one ; but they were
persistent in their request to share the sport with
us, and it was finally agreed that one of the men
should go along with us.
Early the next morning we started for the bear
site, which was about six miles from our camp.
We traveled until about noon when my friend
Radabaugh abandoned the chase, saying he was

Capture a Bear. 148
no match for myself and Myers, which was the
name of the stranger who had joined us. Myers
was counted a great traveler, and Radabapgh
knew me of old, and although he was a very skill
ful hunter, he was rather too short-geared and
fleshy to keep up with me in a bear chase.- Myers
and myself still kept in search of the bear track,
until at last we came upon the trail of a small one.
We soon routed the bear from his hiding place,
and before long the dogs had him treed. When
we came to the tree, I told Myers I wanted to
bring him down from there alive, and give the
dogs a chance for -another fight, for this was a fa
vorable opportunity for training them. At that
time I could shoot an eye out of a bear with al
most perfect certainty, from the top of the high
est tree ; so this time I thought I would only
graze its nose enough to make it a, little furious,
and then he would descend upon the dogs for re
venge. The ball pierced the flesh just as I in
tended it should, and the bear came rushing down
to wreak his vengeance upon his exultant foes.
Turk met him at the base of the tree just as he
always did, and there followed an open field and
fair fight ; for some time it was doubtful how the
contest would end ; sometimes one appeared in the
ascendency and sometimes the other, but at last
Turk gained the advantage of power, and biting
the bear fiercely in the breast, held him securely
until the ferocious Jittle animal expired.

144 The Ohio Hunter.
We were about twelve miles from camp and it
was night. Myers said we would hang it up and
come after it some other time. I replied, it must
go to the camp that night or I should stay with it ;
for the snow was leaving very rapidly, and before
we could return for it the snow would be gone, so
that we could not find it ; and the little time the
snow did remain I wanted to improve in catching
the large bear, whose track we had seen the pre
vious day. Accordingly I shouldered the bear
and we proceeded on our journey. I carried it
about two miles and halted; and laying down my
burden, proposed to Myers to carry it awhile.
He sat down and I mounted it upon his shoulders
and we started again.
We had only gone about twenty rods when My
ers gave out ! He said he could carry it no fur
ther if we lost it entirely ; and once more proposed
leaving it until some more favorable opportunity
for getting it to camp. I replied that the bear
should be taken into camp that night, skinned and
dressed ; and I would eat a piece of it before I
slept. Myers said if I would do all that, I was wel
come to it, and could have it all, and he would not
take any part, for he certainly was not able to do it.
I told him I was willing to work according to my
strength, and he should have a share just the same.
At half past one o'clock we reached the camp,
Myers completely exhausted. He lay down im
mediately to rest, and I, after having carried the

Start Another Bear. 145
bear over ten miles of the route, dressed it, cooked
some of its ribs, ate my supper and retired just
a few minutes before four o'clock. I slept until
six and got up and was ready for the big track I
had seen the day before.
This was Sunday morning, and my friend Rad
abaugh was a member of the Disciple church, and
Myers belonged to the Methodist ; but as for my
self I respected no particular day, although a mem
ber of the Disciple church. I believed that the
" Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the
Sabbath," and if I found a favorable opportunity
for making a good bargain, or doing a day's work
to any profit, the Sabbath was seldom any hind
rance. But although I felt very little respect for
the day itself, I always respected the opinion of
others, and would not ask them to violate it. So
I did not ask either of my companions to join me
in the chase, but only asked them if they would
allow me to take their dogs. They replied that
they would.
I now shouldered my gun, and with a little pro
vision in my knapsack, and my dogs by my side,
started for the chase. I had only proceeded a
few rods, when one of them called to me and said
he did not like to see me go off alone, and said he
would accompany me. We accordingly went on
until about noon before we found any track ; then
we started a bear, and the dogs and ourselves fol
lowed it at a rapid rate. After following it sev-
10

146 The Ohio Hunter.
eral miles we heard the dogs barking violently.
This was a signal that the bear was either treed or
cornered. We hastened to where the sound pro
ceeded from, and found in the top of a tall sycamore
the largest bear we had caught that summer. I
reached the tree first, and set down and waited
until Radabaugh came up. We were both very
tired, and rested a few minutes, then I told him
to shoot. He did so making a dead shot the first
time. The weather had been moderating all day,
and the snow disappearing very rapidly.
We then undertook to draw the bear into camp,
by means of bark, but as it was nearly night, and as
both of us were exhausted we lay down by the
side of our game and slept until morning. Then we
had to draw our game into camp on bare ground.
This was the most fatiguing march I had ever
taken, and before many months I learned that
that trip to the swamp had done me more
injury than any previous chase I had ever taken.
Soon after this I found myself broken in constitu
tion and weighed down with years ; and from the
night that I carried the bear so many miles I
have never been able to endure what I could be
fore, without sensibly feeling it. After reaching
camp we had to carry our bear five miles further
before we could obtain the means of conveyance.
The two bears netted us seventy-five dollars, but
this was a poor recompense for the health and
strength it cost.

RETURN HOME.

Return to My Old Camp. 147

CHAPTER XIV.
NINE days' stay IN THE SWAMP — UNEXPECTED
success in small game — DOGS FIND A BBB-
TREE  CHASE AND CAPTURE OF BEAR AND CUBS
— PROCEEDS OF HUNT — RETURN HOME.
Early in the winter of 1848, I returned to my
old hunting grounds in the swamps of Paulding
and Putnam Counties, Ohio. I went to my old
camp and made a place of deposit for my furs,
and arranged as comfortable rendezvous as I
could for myself. As soon as the arrangements
were complete, I started for a hunt. The, first
day out, I found no bear, but caught one mink,
a coon, and a turkey. This supplied me abun
dantly with camp-meat, of superior quality, and af
ter feasting my healthful appetite on the choice
dainties, I lay down by my camp-fires to enjoy a
refreshing slumber, — ^having fully paid the price
of a good night's rest, by the active exercises of
the day. But my quiet sleeping was disturbed
about midnight, by Bill, whose incessant industry,
when coon were awake and stirring, never al
lowed him to sleep at the same time.
Bill came close to my face and commenced
barking. I arose and followed him. He led me
to a very large tree, and by his inimitable skill in

148 The Ohio Hunter.
sign-making, succeeded in making me understand
that his favorite game was in the tree-top. I
built me a fire and lay down until morning.
When day-light came, I looked up in the tree and
saw two large coons. I immediately dislodged
them from their elevated position by a shot from
old killall, and carried them to my camp, feeling
almost as exultant as Bill over the success ; for I
knew they would bring me a dollar apiece.
After cooking my breakfast, I started again,
and soon found two more large coon. As I was
returning to my camp, I heard the bark of one
unruly dog that had slipped off by himself and
was already in pursuit of deer. The rest com
menced leaping, and skipping, anxious to be off;
but I detained them at my side. Presently I saw
the deer, and one decisive shot from old killall
ended the chase. I now felt that Providence had
really favored me, in sending me so much meat
and wild honey to eat in the wilderness ; for I
must not forget to tell you that my dogs had acci
dentally discovered a bee-tree in which there were
forty pounds of pure, white, honey, which I had
placed in a trough, dug out for that purpose, and
had carried also to my camp,
I drew the deer into the camp and dressed it.
After sharing the meat with my dogs, we started
out again on rather a miscellaneous search, for I
had determined by this time to kill whatever pre
sented itself for the interesting ceremony. W$

Catch Another Coon. 149
had not gone far, until my dogs treed another
coon. The tree was very large, and I thought I
would not cut it ; but the dogs were unwilling to
leave it, and at length, yielding to their entreat
ies, the tedious operation was commenced. When
the tree fell, the dogs ran immediately into its
top, and soon had a large coon secure in their
grasp. I saw another run out of the tree-top,
and started in pursuit of that. I soon caught it,
and went back to the dogs. I then took the two
coons and went back to the camp, which was at
no great distance. I did not go out any more
that night, but stayed in my camp, ate plentifully
of venison and honey, and lay down and slept
soundly until morning.
' When I awoke, and brushed the snow off trom
my face, I found that it was about two inches
deep, which greatly facilitated the bear hunting.
After eating our breakfast, I said to Madge and
Bill, "We will now capture a bear !" I think
they must have partially understood me, dogs
though they were, for they started right off, andi
were soon following a bear track at no moderate
pace. At last we came to where the bear was in
ambush, and we started him, the dogs now show
ing the utmost of their ability for a chase. I fol
lowed them in the chase, well accoutered with
gun, ax, butcherknife, and knapsack. At last I
met Bill coming back very bloody. When he
saw me, he made all the maneuvers requisite to

150 The Ohio Hunter.
tell me they had treed the bear, and had come fo
me and killall to conclude the scene. He has
tened back to the scene of conflict, and I followe(
as fast as possible. When I came in sight, thi
dogs that had been lying under the tree to rest
jumped up and commenced barking.
I went up to the tree and found a fine largi
bear in its top. I enjoyed the scene to my satis
faction for some minutes, and then brought hie
to the ground, and we returned to the camp. Af
ter carefully dressing my game, I proceeded ti
the more difficult task of preparing my eveninj
meal, which consisted of johnnycake and meat.
I made my corn bread after a fashion peculiar
ly my own, placing it on a board in front of th(
fire to bake, and arranging a piece of the bear oi
forked sticks just above it, so that the drippingi
of the meat should fall on the unbaked bread
and thus supply it with shortening. When th(
frugal meal was eaten, I lay down by my fire t(
sleep, quite satisfied that a good day's work hac
been accomplished, and consequently slept ii
peace. The fifth day I went out again, an(
hunted all day and found nothing. I did not fee
as contented on that evening as on the forme:
one ; but then I knew life was not made up entirely
of successes, and I did not expect more than mj
share. In the evening, I thought of the patient wif
and little children at home, and realized if '.

On the Track Again. 161
should at last become the prey of some wild beast,
how indefinite must their knowledge ever be of
the fate of the wild-woods hunter, around whose
destiny so many interests lingered. But I was at
length transported from such thoughts as these,
to grand hunting expeditions, in dream-land, and
did not become conscious of the fact that these
were only flights of imagination, until the light
was streaking the blackened heavens with gray,
reminding me that it was time for a coon-hunter
to be at his post.
I went out and caught three coons and one
opossum. The seventh day was the Sabbath, and I
stayed in my camp all day and fed upon roast
venison, roast bear, roast turkey, corn-bread and
honey. The next morning, the snow being near
ly all gone on the highlands — but just right on
the lowland for tracking coon — I started with my
dogs for that purpose. We soon found plenty of
tracks, but they curved around in such indefinite
circles, that it was impossible even for the sharp-
scented Bill to determine their origin, or their
end. They led over, and under, and around, a large
log that lay at the foot of a big sycamore tree,
and the dogs had many times mounted its sum
mit, but at last Bill crept under and soon gave
the significant yelp which told that the coon were
found ! I examined closely, and found a hole in
the root of the tree where they entered. I then
cut another just above it, and there I discovered

152 The Ohio Hunter.
the coon. Bill was not slow now in bringing
them to light. He went right into the hole and
clinched first one and brought it out, then anoth
er, until the trick had been repeated no less than
seven times ! It would be needless to say that
his hearty grasp was returned by one equally af
fectionate, — and that the faithful dog was sorely
wounded and bleeding about the throat, — but he
never complained, and the meek sufferer was
ready for the next day's duty as early as if he
had not been out skirmishing late the previous
evening. It was quite a satisfactory day's work to my
self, and after dressing their hides and eating my
frugal meal, I lay down by my camp fire, and
slept soundly until morning.
It snowed again that night, which was very
advantageous to my business. The next morning
I said to my dogs, " We will have another bear
to-day!" We now made straight for the bear
marsh, which was about two miles distant, and
there we found the tracks so thick it was hard
again to distinguish one from another. At last I
found one that led off from the rest, and discov
ered it to be the trail of a female and her cubs.
I followed this until I came to their nest, when I
routed them, and the dogs followed in quick pur
suit. At lafet they succeeded in treeing one of
the cubs, but they still followed on after the old
bear and another cub. When they had left the

Kill a Cub. 153
tree, the cub came down, and returning toward
its nest, unfortunately met me in the way, — and
a dog which I that day named Coward, having
stayed behind in the chase, not having sufficient
courage to attack the old bear, I thought to give
a first lesson in cub-fighting. He started
after him, but could not bear to leave me far be
hind in the chase. I saw him come up to him
once in the chase, but the cub offered a little re
sistance to his incivilities, and Coward beat a
hasty retreat ; but the cub passed up a tree,
which was just what I wanted. I soon brought
him down from there, and left him lying on the
ground, while I pursued the other bear.
I had not gone far when I heard the barking of
the dogs, which assured me that their game was
safe. When I came up I found they had got her
stopped under a high log, while she kept her pur
suers at bay with dextrous blows from her ponder
ous paw. When she saw me approaching, she
made one bold grab at Madge ; but Bill soon
showed her he was somewhere there, too, artd
catching her by the hind leg, made her relinquish
the grasp she had made upon Madge's sensitive ol
factory. Madge was soon out of her reach, and Bill
made good his escape, and the old bear went up a
tree, which was just what I wanted. Old killall
was so accustomed to bringing them down from
such places, that I was never afraid of his fidelity,
and soon the old bear came floundering down to the

154 The Ohio Hunter.
ground. I now looked around for my dogs.
All were there but Coward, which was quite as
tonishing, — as he was not in the habit of ventur
ing far from the strongest side.
But as his services were not very important in
time of danger, I did not trouble myself much
about his safety, but cut a withe and fastened it
in the nose of the bear and started back to the
camp. When I came to the place where I left
the cub, it was not to be found, but there was a
trail and we followed it ; and the sequel showed
that the ball had only passed through the upper
portion of the head, stunning it, and after a while
it had come to, and started ofi. Coward, embold
ened by its mangled appearance, had ventured to
follow it at a respectful distance, and when from
exhaustion it laid down to die, "had helped it
through the difficult ceremony by savagely biting
it about the thrpat. I felt quite well satisfied
with the last day's gain, and concluded now to
return home with the spoils. I will here give an
account of the proceeds of my hunt, for the nine
days. Caught fourteen coon, three bear, one deer, one
mink, one opossum, and a turkey, and found
about forty pounds of good honey. I afterward
went to Fort Findlay with my furs. I there
sold the old bear skin for $7.06. The other two
bear skins for $8.00. The mink brought 50cts.
The opossum, IScts. And for the fourteen coon

Return Home.

155

skins, I got $12.25. For the deer skin I re
ceived 50cts. Making in all, $28.40. The tur
key I ate myself, and the deer I divided between
myself and dogs. The bear meat I carried home,
and ate in my family. The oil amounted to
about twenty dollars, so that the entire proceeds
of my hunt were not less than sixty dollars. By
this means, I yearly increased my little " earthly
all," until it became a very comfortable reliance
for my family.

-n^ ^ ^^'^-

156 The Ohio Hunter.

CHAPTER XV.
another cruise for bears— take a young
german for company  pursue a bear  stop
for thb night with a strange family —
dreadful fight with a large she-bear —
capture her and three little cubs  take
thb cubs home alive — another bear chase —
accident to my comrade — an awful night
in the swamp — vexed and weary, return
home again.
In February, 1848, I went again to my old
hunting grounds for a bear hunt. About nine
miles from there, I stopped and stayed all night
with a German family ; they were very clever
and hospitable people. There was one young
man in the family, and he proposed that I should
lake him with me on my hunting expedition. As
it was rather dull camping in the woods alone,
;uid he seemed like a brave, honest fellow, I saw
no good reasons for objecting ; accordingly it
was agreed that he should go along for " axman."
He was entirely inexperienced in the art of hunt
ing, but very willing to do anything when told.
Soon after our arrival in the marsh, we came
upon the track of a very large bear. We fol
lowed the track until we got him started on the chase,
and then sent our dogs in rapid pursuit. The

Barefooted Children.- 157
chase was continued until late in the afternoon,
when it commenced snowing very fast. We knew
there was an old hunter living somewhere in the
swamp, and so we determined to find him and
obtain, if possible, lodgings for the night. There
was no road and no trail whereby our course
might be directed, but we had some idea of the
locality, and started as nearly in the direction as
our senses could guide us. We wandered on for
some distance without observing any signs of hu
man habitation, and were about giving up the idea
of discovering the hunter's house that night, when
we came upon the tracks of two barefooted chil
dren. The snow was about eight inches deep,
and the tracks fresh. We concluded to follow
their tracks, thinking they would lead us to the
shanty, or if perchance it should be traces of some
unfortunate children that had strayed from their
homes, and were now wandering in the stormy
woods, not knowing whither they were going, and
perhaps starving and perishing from hunger and
cold, possibly we might be of service to them in
their hour of distress. So we followed on their
track, now much more intent upon discovering the
actual condition of what seemed our suffering
victims, than anxious about obtaining shelter for
ourselves. We followed their tracks about half a mile,
when we came in sight of the little adventurers,
and their father's shanty, at the same time. When

158 The Ohio Hunter.
we first saw them, we were nearing a small clear
ing, and upon discovering that they were pursued,
I never saw more nimble feet and elastic limbs set in
motion. They were within a few yards of the fence
that enclosed their premises, and this they scaled
without touching either hand or foot, and ran
with the fleetness of deer until they reached the
hut ; there they were met by their parents, who
immediately inquired the cause of their fright.
They only replied by pointing to us, and escaped
entirely beyond the reach of further observation.
When we reached the house, the old gentleman
invited us in, and treated us very civilly. His wife
inquired if we were hungry ; we replied that we had
taken supper from our knapsacks previous to our ar
rival there. So we all gathered around thelarge fire
place and were soon earnestly engaged in conver
sation. The subject, of course, being the most
approved system of hunting. There was some
strife, — as is usual on such occasions, when two
experienced hunters come together, — which should
tell the largest stories !
I kept my credit quite good for some time, un
til he commenced telling about killing bears as
large as elephants, then I was obliged to give up
beat, — not having anything larger to compare
mine to. It was now quite a mystery to me where
the nimble-footed children had disappeared to ;
for there was not a child to be seen about the
house, — the. only visible occupants being the old

A Strange Family. 159
gentleman and his wife and daughter — a girl of
about eighteen. This girl sat in the corner with
a piece of blanket about her, — her only covering,
— except a small close jacket and short skirt.
There did not appear to be any chamber-room to
their house, and no bedrooms, closets, or other
hiding-places where the timid children could find
an asylum, so that it was rather a mystery to me
what had become of them. But as it did not be
long to me to look after them, I refrained from in
quiries, until I saw little timid heads peering from
under the bed-rail ! At length one crept cau
tiously from his hiding-place, close along the side
of the wall, until he came to the fire-place, — the
cold, f presume, being the propelling cause.
Then another, a little smaller, followed along the
same circuitous rout, their eyes being closely riv
eted upon me. I still continued my conversation
with the old gentleman, and did not appear to no
tice their movements at all.
Soon another followed on the same track, and
then another, until the entire group, five in num
ber, had taken their places around the fire. If I
chanced to glance my eyes upon them, they would
immediately hide their faces, either with their
hands or their scanty garments. The old lady
had observed the entire pantomime, and knew
that I could not help noticing their singular con
duct, and at length she spoke and said that their
"children had always lived in the woods," where

160 The Ohio Hunter.
they never saw any one, until they were much
more afraid of a person than they were of a bear.
She admonished them for their awkwardness,
and told them to hold up their heads and act like
somebody, or she should get down " that stick in
the corner ;" but such threats as that did not ter
rify them in the least, and as my attention was
thus directed to them, they only hung down their
heads the more sheepishly, and shrank further
from observation.
At length the hour for retiring arrived, and the
old gentleman told us we were welcome to lie by
his fire, but beds he had none to give us. We
told him a place by his warm, comfortable fire,
was much better than a bed in the snow on such a
night, and if he could let us lie there it was all
we asked. The family, one by one, began to
retire. The old lady and gentleman and oldest
daughter slept in the bed, and a few tattered
blankets and some furs were spread on the floor
for the five young hopefuls that had so secretly
emerged from under the bed. After all the rest
were quiet, we drew off our boots, placed them un
der our heads for pillows and stretched ourselves
before the capacious fire-place for the night. As
we lay there all quietly sleeping, except myself,
I was forced to think of the homely old adage ;
" One half of the world don't know how the other
half lives;" though I do hope not quite so large
a portion as one-half live in the manner they did.

Stay to Breakfast. 161
The next morning they invited us to stay to
breakfast, which we did, and they furnished us a
repast that would have been creditable to a better
establishment. They lived in the woods, or so
near it, that they could enrich their store with all
the choice berries, nuts, and other luxuries of the
forest. The old man had cleared land enough to
raise his corn and vegetables. The corn he car
ried to Fort Defiance on horseback to have it
ground, the distance being sixteen miles; and
they fattened their own pork. Thus, besides the
wild meat they caught in the forest, they were
able to keep themselves in plenty of eatables ; but
they had lived so far from the influences of civili
zation so long, that they seemed to care but little
in what manner food was cooked, or set upon the
table ; and paid no regard whatever to personal
appearance, or as I might say — decency !
After breakfast, the old gentleman told us il
we only had that big bull dog of his, we would
have no further trouble in the capture of the bear
we had pursued to no purpose the day before. I
told him we would take him along with us if he
thought it best. He did not seem entirely willing
to trust such valuable property in the hands of
strangers, and particularly in the claws of the
bear so we did not take him that day.
There had been a heavy fajl of snow during
the night, and the next morning the bushes were
loaded with damp snow, and in traveling, Nimrod
11

162 The Ohio Hunter.
and I were soon as wet as if drenched in a
shower. We were obliged to retreat to where we
could get some wood to make a fire, and dry our
clothes. About noon the weather changed, be
coming very cold, and so froze the snow to the
bushes. We then started again for the thicket.
The old bear tracks were now entirely lost m the
deep snow, and we had to commence anew.
I told Nimrod, my Dutch comrade, that I would
start Madge and Bill, and perhaps they would
find whore the bear was lodged. It never required
a great deal of time for Madge to find a bear, if
there were any in the woods ; and as they were
quite numerous at that time, he was not long in
discovering their secret retreats. Whenever
Madge or Bill barked, if sent on a chase, it meant
something. Soon we heard loud barking, and I
knew that a bear was either cornered or treed.
Nimrod had a very large dog that we put great
dependence upon for a bear fight ; but he soon
convinced us that it was misplaced confidence, for
as soon as he approached the spot where the dogs
were keeping' the bear at bay, • and saw its angry
looks, and heard the low, deep growl, he re
turned much more rapidly than he went. We
could not persuade him to return with us, but he
went as fast as possible in the opposito direction.
We hastened- to the scene of contest, and there
found one of the largest she-bears I ever saw !
The thicket was so close that I had to go within

Fight with a Bear. 163
five paces to see her. She stood looking at me
with invincible coolness, until I drew up my gun
and shot her. The ball entered her eye, but did
little other harm than to enrage her. When I
shot, Madge was standing on one side and Bill on
the other, with Nimrod in the rear. The moment
the gun cracked, the dogs jumped upon her, and
thus she found herself assailed on every side.
She soon knocked the dogs right and left, and
made for the bed from whence she had first been
started. After vanquishing the dogs, she made
at us. Nimrod was sorely frightened, and com
menced running at a very rapid rate. I knew
where she wanted to go, and thought to head her.
We ran in the direction from whence she caihe,
until we came upon her bed, and there we found
three young cubs.
I now saw that we had run in the wrong direc
tion, and made an unfortunate selection of vic
tims, if indeed the bear should prove the victim,
which was a little doubtful ; for the female bear,
when driven from her nest, and her young dis
turbed, is a powerful enemy to contend with. I
saw that her rage was at me, and I ran for a
short distance as rapidly as possible, until I could
obtain some means of defense. I called upon
Nimrod for the ax, which he handed me whil*
running at the top of his speed. I determined
then, if I died, to die fighting. I turned about and
met the bear face to face, — and most fortunately

164 The Ohio Hunter.
for me, poor Madge, whom we had left for mortally
wounded, appeared just at this crisis for my de
liverance, and attracted the bear's attention just
as she was springing with open paws upon me,
and gave her such a violent jerk by the hind leg
as to disappoint her expectations of making game
of me. She then left me to pursue her new as
sailant, but did not follow him far before she found
she had another enemy near by.
Bill, by this time, was impeding her progress
by catching at her legs. She was so enraged by
this, that she forsook Madge and started after
Bill, While she was pursuing him, I hunted up
my gun which had been lost in the engagement,
loafed it, and followed the dog and bear. By
the time I came to them, I found the bear pretty
well whipped, and about ready to abandon the
defense she had so tenaciously kept over her nest,
and seek only her own personal safety. I tried
to get a shot at her, but could not find her still, not
for one second. She was either running after one
dog or the other, or else she was running for her
own freedom ; and finding that the best alterna
tive, I drew my gun and shot her while running.
That shot was more effectual than the previous,
for entering below the shoulder, it disabled one
leg so that she could not put it to the ground.
But a bear, especially the female bear with cubs,
will sell her life as dearly as possible, and will
yield to nothing short of the actual extinction of life.

Narrow Escape. 165
She now ran after me, and I saw that my only
safety was in immediate flight. I ran with as
great velocity as my long legs could maintain, for
some rods, but saw that I must soon be overtaken,
for my strength and endurance were not at all
equal to that of the bear. She was just in reach
of me once more, when the timely presence of old
Madge again purchased my deliverance. The
dogs both held her firmly, and I said to Nimrod,
"Now use the ax." He commenced with nerve
less arm to peck at her head, all to but little pur
pose. He called to me to take the ax, for he
could not hurt her ! Fear and ^ revenge had
nerved my arm to more than usual strength, and
I clinched the ax and struck at her. She m^?he
blow with her paw. This unexpected resistance
forced it from my hand, and we were again obliged
to run, leaving our gun and ax on the ground.
She did not follow us this time ; but we kad to
wait until she left the spot before we could return
for our ax and gun.
We then returned for our weapons, and I load
ed my gun and pursued her. By this time, she
had get some distance in the advance, I followed,
until I came close upon her ; then I shot again,
this time wounding her slightly in the shoulder.
With the strength gained through suffering,
she offered one more bold fight, and I was again
obliged to run. I found old Madge on the way
'almost dead ; but when he saw me, he got up and

166 The Ohio HunteH.
followed as best he could. The bear did not want
to follow far, and then I stopped and loaded my
gun and told Nimrod that I was going to try and
make the bear turn upon me again ; — then I could
shoot her while my gun was loaded. I ran up
close behind her, and she again laid back her ears
and came with increased vengeance upon me.
I levelled my gun at her, and shot her in the
throat — her head not being three feet from the
muzzle of the gun at the time. The ball went into
the mouth and down the throat ; still she nevef
relaxed the muscles of her ears, or paused a mo
ment in her course ; and my only safety lay in
dqfilging her motions.* We were now in rather
open ground. She wheeled and ran into the
thicket. I then for the first, commenced encour
aging the dogs, for I saw that the last shot had
disabled her from biting, and they could attack
her with less danger to themselves.
During all this , time, we had not obtained a
single glimpse of that stout, heavy mastiff, we
had so much relied upon at the outset ; but now, as
if taught "by some secret instinct that the bear
could no longer bite, he came up very bravely, and
grabbed the poor bear by the head and brought
her down with the power of a lion. I then drew
out my fifteen-inch knife, and stabbed her in the
breast, which made a finish of her. When all was
over, Darrick, the big mastiff who had officiated
so powerfully in the closing scene, looked up with

Carry Home Three Cubs. 167
touch importance, as if to say, "I and Peggy
killed the bear!"
We now left the bear and dogs lying side by
side, while we returned for the cubs. One which
had been knocked out of its nest in the fight, had
crawled back, and we found them all three lying
together as quietly and contentedly as so many
kittens. When we commenced handling them, they
snarled and snapped at us, and showed the bear
propensity for fight. I told Nimrod wc must
take them home alive, "if they did bite." He
replied, if they fought him, he would kill every
"tarnal varmint of them." I turned them over
with my foot, but they did not bite it, so we took
a bag that we had carried our "grub" in, and put
them in it. After cutting a few air holes, I threw
it over my shoulder, and we went back to where
the dogs and bear were. We then cut poles and
forks and hung up our game, and started for the
old hunter's cabin, where we had stayed the night
before. We only stopped a few minutes, and»then start
ed for the Dutchman's house, where we could pro
cure some nourishment for the cub-bears. It was
nearly night, and there was ten miles to be trav
eled right through the woods. Just as soon as
we entered the woods the cubs commenced squal
ling, an,d might have been easily heard half-a-
mile. ¦ I did not know how soon some bear would

168 The Ohio HuntER.
hear them and attack us ; but still we did not get
at all disconcerted by the danger, but pursued
our way until the entire distance had been trav
eled. The only one that probably understood
their peculiar dialect was beyond the reach of
hearing. The next day we brought the bear home with a
horse. When we came to the hut of the old hunt
er, the big bull dog which he had recommended
so hugely at the outset of our hunt, was so fright
ened at the sight of the bear, that he ran as soon
as he saw us approaching, and did not return un
til we were gone. We took this, bear home, and
went back to try our skill at bear-fighting again.
This time we went into the marsh, and very
soon started another bear. While we were run
ning the bear with all the speed possible, Nimrod
unluckily struck his foot against a snag that lay
in his way, and seriously wounded himself in the
knee with the ax he carried in his hand. Noth
ing short of a human life could attract much at
tention with me, when the capture of a bear was at
stake. I saw him fall, and noticed that he did
not get up again. I paused in the chase and
found that my friend Nimrod was quite seriously
injured, though by no means fatally. The indis
pensable cotton pocket-handkerchief which I al
ways carried in my vest pocket, was of excellent
service, and I bound up his leg as best I could,
and proceeded on my chase, — Nimrod following

Nimrod Badly Hurt. 169
at such a distance as he thought most becoming in
true deference to his late affliction. I did not
leave him far behind, until I felt impelled to re
turn and ascertain what assistance he might possi
bly be needing.
I found it was only with the utmost difficulty
that he could walk at all. We did not pursue
the bear further, but started immediately for home.
We were now many miles distant, and from his
inability to travel at our usual rates, night over
took us while buried deeply in the wilderness. I
then cut down a dry tree, and stripped it of its
bark, and formed as comfortable a bed as possible.
Poor Nimrod suffered dreadfully during the night,
and when morning came, his limb was swollen
badly, and very much inflamed. I made him
some crutches and helped him what I could, until
at last we reached his home, where I left him
and returned for the bear.
The next day it commenced raining,-^the
snow leaving very fast. The water and ice
was about six inches deep all over the ground.
Late in the evening I started to cross the marsh,
but night came suddenly upon me while but yet
in the midst of it. The sky was overspread with
dark, dense clouds, and the gloom soon became
impenetrable. I was obliged to stop ; but could

itO The Ohio Hunter.
water. A pole was at length discovered that lay
a little out of the water.
I undertook to lay on this, and by holding
tightly around some shrubs or bushes that grew
near by, I could make out to balance myself on
the narrow bed. At length I went to sleep, when
my fingers relaxed their hold about the bushes,
and I went into the water about as easy as "roll
ing off a log." My poor dogs, too, had to spend
the night in the water. It was a long and dreary
one, and that was a welcome ray of light that
first gleamed ; and when gray morning dawned in
the east, the vexed and weary hunter, with his
famishing dogs, wended his way homeward, to
live no more in the wilderness that year.

In the Swamp Again. 1*71

CHAPTER XVI.
spend the winter in thb swamp — TAKE THE
DUTCHMAN ALONG WITH ME — SMALL GAIN AND
HARD PARE — A DAY WITHOUT FOOD — EAT SOME
COON — FRESH SUPPLIES RECEIVED — PLENTY OF
WILD HONEY — BEREAVED OF MY WIFE — A MOURN
ING CIRCLE — START FOR ANOTHER HUJiT — NOV
EL METHOD OF DETERMINING A COON-TREE — A
HOUSE AFLOAT — NOVEL PREDICAMENT FOR THE
NIGHT — MARRIED.
When winter came again it found me ready for
the woods. It had become as natural for me to
go to the swamp in winter, as for the game to hunt
their dens. This time I also took the aforesaid
Dutchman with me, and we arranged our camp
and set our tents for the winter. Our successes
were attended with many reverses, yet we made a
very good average of the time.
When we first went into the woods we did not
kill enough to keep ourselves in meat, and soon our
limited store of breadstuff was consumed by our
selves and dogs. One morning, when the weath
er was very unfavorable for hunting coon, we found
ourselves entirely destitute of anything to eat.
The prospect seemed rather dubious and I was in
favor of going home for something to eat ; but my
German friend said if I would stay and hunt he

172 The Ohio Hunter.
would go home and bring some grub. I told him
I would do it, and accordingly we both started on
our different routes, — neither ourselves nor dogs
having had any breakfast. I was very successful
that day catching coon, but skinned them and threw
them away as fast as they were caught, so that
when night came I had nothing to eat myself, or
to feed my dogs. We then laid down and slept
until about two hours before daylight, when we
got up and started again for coon, this being the
best hour in the day to hunt them. By this time
alimentiveness was the most active phrenological
development, and clamored loudly in favor of the
neglected stomach. The first coon we caught
were hastily dressed and a fire built, and the roast
ing process was commenced, but no sooner had the
savory odors greeted my olfactories than the
roasting was suspended, and I commenced satis
fying my ravenous appetite with unbaked coon !
Had I been fresh from the city, where it is gen
teel and customary to eat raw meat, the effect
might have been more favorable ; but in the woods
we always cooked our meat ; and where meat was
so plenty I never was partial to taking it rare.
But in this instance I did not stop until I had
nearly demolished one good size and fair pro
portioned little animal of the coon species. This
proved sufficient, however, and I have molested
that delicate meat but little since !
Early the next morning my German friend re-

Bereaved of My Wife. 173
turned with the promised subsistence, but I al
ready had an overloaded stomach, — and such deli
cacies as corn bread and boiled pork possessed no
attractions ; and for several hours I ^elt little in
clined either to eat, hunt, or take any exercise.
I was quite willing to stay in camp the remain
der of that day and the following night ; but ear
ly the next morning I was as eager as ever to fol
low the coon, though for a rather different reason.
The first tree we cut contained four coon, and
thirty pounds of pure honey. This last-mentioned
article regulated the gastric organs admirably.
After this signal good fortune, I returned to the
camp and lay down and rested very contentedly.
In an hour or so, my friend, who had been in quite
a different direction, came in with only one coon,
declaring, " Coon no run in daylight, and when
Dutchman around!" We hunted together the
next week and had very good success. As soon
as our load of fur was large enough, we started for
home. The proceeds of that hunt paid me admir
ably for the time it cost. When I reached home
I found my family exceedingly anxious about
my welfare, for my stay had been protracted
beyond their expectations. I found them well,
however, and I soon left them again for my haunt
in the woods.
In the year 1848 I was bereaved of the com
panion who had for sixteen years been the partner
of my toils. Hand in hand we had walked the

174 The Ohio Hunter.
rugged path of pioneer life, and just as we were
nearing the borders of a more comfortable exist
ence, just as the woodsman's ax and maufacturer's
tools had subdued the forest, and.comfortable homes
had been erected, and pleasant, fertile vales been
spread out before the laboring pioneer as the re
ward of his industry, and we were promising our
selves " better days," — just then the great de
stroyer of human plans and human expectations,
with unsheathed sword, laid low in the dust the
fondest of my cherished hopes. The light of my
home was extinguished at noonday, — the pall of
gloom was settled over my darkened hearth. But
in that dark hour I learned as never before, that
" sweet are the uses of adversity ;" for it is loss
es and crosses that tighten the bands that unite us
to the Great Head of the church. From that event
I must ever date a more perfect faith and reliance
upon Him who never leaves or forsakes his chil
dren in the hour of trial.
It was indeed a trial to gather my family around
me and look upon the broken circle ; for besides
my own heart being widowed, there were eight
children made orphans ; and though I felt my own
loss irreparable, I knew that theirs was so. And
from them at least, the mysterious hand of Provi
dence, whose ways are past finding out, had re
moved the truest, tenderest friend God ever gave.
I will not underrate a father's love, but the ten
derest, deepest, purest, devotion of the human

Start On Another Hunt. 175
heart, is the Christian mother's undying love for her
children. She alone can divine their little wants.
She only can minister to their mental, moral, and
physical necessities, the proper aliment ; and she,
of all the world, is the only one who can develop,
in exact proportions, the mental, moral, and so
cial element of their unformed characters so as to
bring forth a perfectly symmetrical whole.
The winter passed slowly and gloomily by ;
sometimes I endeavored to follow along in the law
ful and laudable pursuits of life ; at other times I
abandoned everything to my grief. I had an
aged mother, now past seventy years of age, who
assisted me in keeping my family from separation.
Spring at length emerged from the depth of that
gloomy winter ; and though it brought sunshine
and gladness to many hearts, it brought neither
to my desolate home ; and through the multitude
of cares and anxieties, which now set with far
more than double weight upon my mind, how
could I purchase forgetfulness ?
In the fall, my friend Kinney and myself start
ed for another hunt. This time we came into the
immense forests of Wood and Henry counties,
instead of Putnam and Paulding. My partner
had traveled the route before, but to myself it was
entirely new. We journeyed on for three days
before we got through; but at the close of the
second day I was obliged to give up in conse
quence of ill health and exhaustion. By this

176 The Ohio Hunter.
time we had reached the hunting grounds, which
lay along the banks of a creek, called Turkey
Foot, in Henry county. Mr. K. told me that
there was a family living on the Creek, by the
name of Hill, — that they were very clever, hos
pitable people, and- that I must go there and stay
all night, for as I was not well it would be im
prudent for me to camp in the woods.
About ten o'clock that night we reached his
house and obtained permission to stay all night.
Our hospitable hostess, who was just enjoying her
first and most refreshing slumber, did not com
plain that her luxurious repose was disturbed, but
with ready hands she prepared us supper, and set
before the weary and exhausted hunters the best
provisions her humble home afforded. My friend
ate heartily, but a very small quantity sufficed for
me, and we soon laid down and rested until morn
ing. A good night's rest did its part toward re
storing me to bodily health, and the next morn
ing we. started for the valley.
We stayed several days in camp without accom
plishing much, though we caught a few coon and
deer, enough to keep ourselves and dogs in meat.
At last we came to a house on the river where we
got permission to stay all night, and the next
morning made arrangements for boarding there
during the remainder of our stay. Coons were
plenty, and we commenced the sport of killing
them in earnest. We were getting quite successful

Discover Traces of Coon. 177
in the business, when my partner was rendered,
incapable of service from the effects of a fel
on on his finger. The man where we were board
ing, whose name was Thorp, said if we would teach
him to hunt, he would go with us for seventy-five
cents per day. We agreed to his terms, and start
ed for the woods. The coon did not run very well,
but we pursued what we could find. My partner
and myself never went together, but took some
thing like parallel ranges, from forty to one hun
dred rods apart ; when we wanted one another we
we would give a signal howl, and thus determine
the course.
Mr. Thorp was to follow me just far enough at
one side so that he could see me and not get lost.
At length I came to a tree that bore unmistak
able traces of coon. I could see the marks where
they went up, but not where they came down. I
saw that Thorp was looking at me, so I placed my
nose against the tree and commenced smelling of
it ! When Thorp came up I told him there were
coon in that tree. He looked carefully about, but
seeing no tracks, said, " How do you know there
are coon in the tree?" Instead of explaining to
him the true theory, I made an evasive reply, and
left him to suppose I had determined the matter by
the sense of smell. Thorp commenced the operation
of cutting the tree, but had not proceeded far, when
I heard Mr. K. howl. I answered, when he told
me he had a coon treed, and wanted I should come
12

178 The Ohio Hunter.
and cut it. I told Thorp he should stay and cut
down the tree, and when he had caught the coon
he could come where I was. At length he
came to where I was hard at work cutting the coon
tree, and said, " I want to know how you knew
there was a coon in that tree." I told him it
was a poor hunter who couldn't tell when he had
treed a coon. But he was persistent in knowing
the means by which it was discovered, and said,
" I'll be darned if I did n't see you smelling up
that tree, before I came up" — and accordingly he
walked up to the tree I was chopping and placed
his prodigious olfactory against the bark. The
evidence was by no means conclusive, and he de
clared he could smell nothing but the bark.
He then wanted to know how I knew that Kin
ney had a coon treed when he howled. I told
him by the different intonations of his voice. He
only responded by saying that we must have bet
ter ears, and noses, too, than he had. This fin
ished our hunting for that day, and we returned
at night to our boarding-place. Early the next
morning, just after the break of day, the dogs
commenced a tremendous barking just behind
the house. We went immediately to the spot and
there was a large wolf holding a deer that it had
paught. Thorp raised his gun and I ordered him
to shoot, for it was a wolf, — correcting his im
pression that it was a dog. He fired, the ball
passing throiigh the ^ank. fiie dogs sprang up-.

Precarious Situation. 179
on the wolf and I ran for the deer, caught and
killed it.
We continued hunting with little intermission
until winter broke up, when we commenced gath
ering together our furs, which had been left at
different places of deposit ; and we agreed to meet
at Mr. Hill's, on Turkey Foot, and stay there un
til we could dispose of them. I got there a day
earlier than my friend. The weather was very
bad, and the water iigh and constantly rising.
The house stood right on the bank of the Creek,
and before bed-time the water commenced coming
into the house, and rose so rapidly that soon the
floor was all afloat, — it not being nailed down, I
brought in plenty of wood and filled the fire-place
and kept the fire above high water mark ; then I
floated in saw-logs and built scaffolding above the
water. The beds and valuables were placed upon
this, and after all was arranged the family retired
for the night ; but there were not beds enopgh,
and some must sit up. The lot fell upon me and
the old gentleman's daughter. Now the scaffold
allotted to us was only just wide enough for two
chairs, side by side, and somehow we couldn't
help getting somewhat acquainted before morn
ing. The high water detained me several days;
but it having at length subsided, I returned to my
home. Found my family well and comfortable.
But my mother, who was very old and somewhat
childish, said she had raised one family and could

180 The Ohio Hunter.
not now in her old age be troubled with the cares
and responsibilities of another, — that I must get
another house-keeper. This was placing me in a
dilemma from which I did not know how to ex
tricate myself. There were a great many very
competent house-keepers, but how to get one —
that was the question. I debated it seriously in
my own mind for several days, then mounted
my horse and determined to try. The success
attendant was worthy the effort it cost, and the
young lady who I had so gallantly preserved
from the liquid element, now ventured to
trust herself more fully in my keeping.

Sell Out. 181

CHAPTER XVII.
REMOVAL FROM HANCOCK TO HENRY
SETTLE AGAIN IN THB WOODS — PURCHASE LAND
ON TRUST — BUILD A HOUSE — SUCCESS IN HUNT
ING — FINAL CAPTURE OF ANOTHER OLD RESI
DENTER,
In the year 1850, I sold my home in Hancock
County, and moved to Henry County. I then
settled again in the woods, and built me a nice,
hewed log house ; the first one that had ever been
built in the township. With the money I sold
for in Hancock, I purchased another farm and
built my house, and then bought a quarter section
on trust, expecting to pay for it in one hundred
dollar payments, the money to be made by hunt
ing. In this I was very successful, and met my
engagements promptly. The first year, I could
hunt but little, as it required all my time and best
efforts to bring my farm into a condition to sus
tain my family. There was house and barn to be
built, rails to be split, and fences made, land to be
cleared, and corn planted. But I had at this
time three boys capable of being of great service
to me, and they -were as willing as they were ca
pable. My eldest son George was now nearly a
full grown man, and of stout, athletic frame. He,
with the assistance of his two younger brothers.

182 The Ohio Hunter.
David and Squire, were fully competent, after the
first preliminaries of taking up a new farm were
accomplished, to carry on the farming and clear
ing alone, and I was soon at liberty to turn my
attention to hunting.
My old bear dog, Madge, that had long been a
faithful friend, was lost, and my favorite coon dog.
Bill, was now dead, and I must begin on new
ground, and with new dogs. The first year I did
not endeavor to hunt large game ; but confined
myself to coon and other small animals, shooting
occasionally a deer for meat, both for myself
while in camp, and my family at home. During
the winter, I caught one hundred and thirty-two
coon, eighty-nine opossum, twenty-two mink, and
quite a number of deer. For the coon skins I
received one dollar and twenty-five cents a piece,
for the mink, seventy-five cents, and for the opos
sum, eight cents, making the proceeds of my hunt
during the winter, $188.62.
The next fall, I commenced again with the
coon, but when cold weather came on, I abandoned
this for the more fascinating chase of the bear. I
had, however, caught seventy-five coon, which
brought me ninety-three dollars and seventy cents.
My dogs were rather awkward in the bear chase
at first, and of course my success in that kind of
sport was not as good for a while, as it had been
on former and more favorable occasions. But at
last, having acquitted themselves quite honorably

THE BEAVER.

Drive a Bear up a Sycamore. 183
in a chase, they succeeded in driving a bear up a
large sycamore tree, and into a hole in the top,
with which the bear was, no doubt, well acquainted.
My two oldest boys were with me, and this was
rare sport for them. We cut down the tree, and
out jumped the bear. The dogs caught her. I
ran very close with my gun, and tried to shoot,
but the sights of my gun would not set, and this
means of destruction failed. My son George
tried to shoot, but nOt being accustomed to so ex
citing sport, could not make his gun work, either.
My other son, David, was unarmed, standing by
the stump of the tree. The bear, knocking the
dogs right and left, got away from them and came
up to the boy. He was badly frightened, and
mounted the stump. I was soon by his side.
When the bear saw me approaching, she laid back
her ears and started on a rapid race, carrying
both dogs along with her. Soon, however, she
freed herself from the dogs, and continued her
chase for about eight miles. We pursued as rap
idly as we could, and at length met the dogs re
turning. They evidently were coming to let us
know they had treed the bear. They ran before
us, frequently looking back to see that we were
coming, until they came to the place where they
left their antagonist. It was a large elm tree,
and there were the marks where she had gone up,
also where she came down. I started the dogs
again in pursuit, and soon heard the fight com-

184 The Ohio Hunter.
mence. I followed rapidly, leaving the boys far
in the rear. When, I came up, they had the bear
treed, and I waited for the boys to come before I
undertook to bring her down. The tree was a
very tall elm, and my eyes were still weak from
the effects of inflammation. I told my son George
to shoot; but as he preferred trusting to my
skill, I drew up my gun and fired, telling him to
be ready to shoot immediately if I failed. We
both missed ; and the bear came down unharmed
among our dogs, and no, gun loaded. The dogs
took hold of her, but I soon saw they needed
help. I went with uplifted ax to their assistance,
and planted it firmly in her brain. The dogs
fought valiantlv ; and I was convinced of their
abilities as bear dogs. We dragged the bear home
by means of bark, quite satisfied with our sport
for one day.

Detect Moccasin Tracks. 185

CHAPTER XVIII.
ANOTHER BEAR CHASE — LOSS OF DOGS — DISCOVER
MOCCASIN TRACKS— FOLLOW INDIAN TRAIL —
COMB TO INDIAN TENT — DISPUTE ABOUT GAME —
RECOVERY OF DOG — INDIANS GIVE UP — RETURN
HOME WITH PROCEEDS OF HUNT.
In the winter of 1857, I started one morning
with two of my boys for a bear chase. I had
three dogs, two of them well trained in bear-hunt
ing. We very early started one, and I sent my
dogs in rapid pursuit. We followed as fast as we
could, and after traveling severaL miles, came to
the place where the dogs had treed him, but could
not keep him. We started on the chase in Henry
County, and at two o'clock we were pretty deep
in Wood County. At this time we came upon
two moccasin tracks, which indicated that Indians
had been in pursuit of the bear. I then started
on a fast race, for I did not believe there was any
biped that could outrun me in a bear chase. But
my boys were at that age unequal to the task of
overtaking the fleet-footed Indian, and I judged
too, by the length of the jumps they had made,
that we were not gaining ground. The boys soon
lagged in the chase, and were quite unwilling that
I should leave them ; so we built our fire, ate
some cakes that we had brought in our Dockets,

186 The Ohio Hunter.
and laid down and slept. In the morning I con
cluded if it were not for the boys I- would follow
the Indians to their camp — they having no relish
for. so long a march ; so I started for home with
them. When we came into the road that would
lead them home, I returned, bound for the Indian
camp. The day before this, two of my dogs had re
turned, but one was missing. Two or three weeks
previous to this, I had chased a bear into the
same woods and left him, and in the chase lost
two of my dogs, one only having returned. I was
now as earnest about the regaining of my dog as
the capture of the bear, being quite satisfied that
the Indians had both in their possession before
this time. I came upon the trail and followed it
to the camp. I there found two large, athletic
Indians lying on the grottnd asleep, my dog sleep
ing also in the corner of the tent, and the skin of
a monstrous bear hanging on the outside. I
asked the Indian, who immediately awoke, if he
caught a bear yesterday ? He replied that he
did. " You caught one last week, too, did you not ?"
"Yes," responded the Indian.
" Did your dog catch him alone ?" said I.
"No ; there was another dog with him."
" Why did you not keep the other dog, too ?"
" He no stay with Indian."
While we were talking, Madge having been

Indians Foiled. 187
awakened by the sound, and recognizing his
master's voice, came bounding out of the tent,
and leaped about me in an ecstasy of delight.
The Indians observing this, hallooed at the dog,
who did not notice their admonitions now that he
was once more under the protection of his old
master. The Indians very soon saw that the dog
knew me, and their countenances fell. They
would not answer any more questions about the
chasfe, but suddenly became very sullen and mo
rose. I told the Indians this was my bear they
had caught, and I was going to have it, that the
other was mine too, but they might have that for
their trouble ; but this I should take myself.
They did not like this disposition of their game,
and one said, " No, me give you two dollars and
keep the bear." I told him no, I would have the
bear-skin, . and the dog too ; and if my dogs
chased any more bear into the woods and they
caught them, I should take them from them, and
accordingly shouldered the skin and started for
home. The Indians cast after me an angry look,
but durst not follow me.
Soon after this, I came across another old resi
denter, that had baffled the pursuit of many hunt
ers, and destroyed the life of many a valuable
dog. My dogs had frequently attacked him, but
always without success. This time, I chanced to
come across another old bear-hunter, and we
united our forces, and went in pursuit of the bear,

188 The Ohio Hunter.
Soon we came within hearing of the two sets of dogs,
where they were fighting the bear. We hastened
to the spot, and found the snow covered with
blood, and one of my dogs lying on the ground
badly wounded. The bear escaped from them
and ran for a short distance, then they caught
him again after another severe contest, in which
the dogs proved most too much for the bear ; but he
again eluded their grasp and ran up a tree. When
we came to him, he sat there looking down from
his ¦ elevated position quite defiantly upon his
pursuers. We allowed him to enjoy the suprema
cy of his situation for some minutes, while we
made the necessary arrangements for bringing
him down successfully. My eyesight at that
time being very poor, I advised my friend Row
land to shoot, telling him I would endeavor it
possible to hit the bear on the head as he descended,
and make his death certain ; for if he came down
only wounded, it would greatly endanger the lives
of our dogs, which we prized so highly, j^
He did not follow my advice, but aiinea at his
heart, and missing that, the ball entered his fore
leg, doing it no serious injury. The enraged an
imal now came down from the tree with great
rapidity. I shot at him as he was coming down,
but missed him. As soon as he reached the
ground the dogs clinched him, and I ran up with
the ax ; but when he saw me coming toward him
he started, and by his immense strength succeeded

Havoc Among the Dogs. 189
in running faster, carrying the dogs along with
him, than I could follow. After he thought he
had gained a sufficient distance, he stopped, and
commenced knocking the dogs off with his paws.
One of my large dogs he gave a violent blow back
of the shoulder, crushing in three of his ribs
which shortly afterward caused his death. The
dogs were all whipped now but two, one was mine,
the other belonged to my friend. They fought
bravely until the desperate animal was again
treed. The gigantic beast went up a large syca
more, entered a hole in the top, and came down in
side to the ground. I commenced cutting a hole in
the tree while my friend watched the hole in- the
top to see that our antagonist did not descend up
on us unobserved.
As soon as I had made a hole in the tree large
enough, the bear came and tried to get out. My
friend who was watching narrowly all of his
movements, took advantage of the opportunity
and shot him, without doing him much injury,
however. He then came up and peeped out cau
tiously again, and I shot him in the eye. This
3nly increased his rage. We continued shooting
until we had lodged ten balls in his head. We
thought that surely was a sufficient number, and
as he lay down quietly, concluded he was dead.
We then proceeded to cut a hole large enough to
take him from his asylum ; but when we reached
in our hands to bring out our prisoner, he sprang

190

The Ohio Hunter.

up ready for fight. I then took the edge of the
ax to his head, which proved more effectual than
all the bullets. We then took him from the tree
and got a team to draw him home. He was a
very large male bear, with the marks of many a
fight in which he had proved victorious. He was
worth sixty dollars.

A Tough Old Bear. 191

CHAPTER XIX.
THE OLD RESIDENTER OF THE BLACK SWAMP — AM-
ATUER sportsmen — THEIR FINE DOGS AND
THEIR CONFIDENCE IN THB SAME — NEW DOGS NO
MATCH FOR OLD BEAR  FAITHFUL PRINCE.
I NOW propose to tell you of the long pursuit,
and final capture of a tough old bear, that had
eluded many a hunter, and roamed in security
through the dense woods of the Maumee Valley,
and the Black Swamp. You will remember that
I have often spoken of him as whipping my dogs,
and frequently killing them.
In the winter of 1858, an old friend came
from Seneca County to hunt with me. Our ef
forts were attended with very good success ; but,
as I have already given you details of several ex
citing hunts, I shall here pass by all minor ex
ploits, and come at once to the chase and capture
of the old residenter.
The place of my residence had become quite
public, for a new country, and my fame as a hunt
er had already extended far and wide. I also
made quite an extensive acquaintance by acting
as guidie to people who came to'^look at, or pur
chase, land. It was in this way that I became
acquainted with Mr, Holts, the man who at this

1 92 The Ohio . Hunter.
time came from Seneca County, and proposed to
become my partner in hunting.
One evening, when we came in from a bear
chase, we found several strangers at my house,
who had come a long distance to take a bear
hunt with me. They were all mounted, and
had several fine-looking dogs with them. I had
serious objections to taking so large a party on a
hunt with me, as it would be likely to occasion
too much random shooting, and endanger the
lives of the dogs, therefore, I told the gentlemen
that they had a sufficient number of dogs, and it
would be better for them to board with me
and hunt by themselves. That arrangement did
not satisfy them, so I bluntly told them that I
was hunting for profit and not for sport, and for
that reason could not share the game with so many.
They then replied that their only object was the
sport, and I could no longer resist their earnest
wishes to join me.
The whole party, with the exception of myself,
were mounted. For reasons of my own, I chose
to go on foot. We started jugt in the gray of the
morning, and had proceeded about half a mile,
when we struck the trail of a bear. Barely no
ticing the course of the trail, I stepped over it as
if it "had been nothing more than the track of a
horse or cow. Some of the party behind me saw
it, and called out, "Here is a bear track!" I
said to them, " We want nothing to do with that

Protracted Chase. 193
bear, I know the old fellow by his track, and if
we follow him we shall pay a dear price for our
sport." Upon hearing this they all insisted that
we must follow the trail. The print of the foot
in the snow was as large as the track of a horse.
I finally concluded that here was as good an op
portunity as any for giving the new hunters their
first lesson, and after instructing them to remain
behind with their horses until they heard my
dogs, I started on the trail.
My favorite dog at this time was named Prince.
His sagacity in a bear fight seemed almost human,
and he was in all other respects, equal to any
dog that I ever owned. In a few moments the
well-known yell of the dogs reached my ears, and
I knew that the game was close at hand. Away
dashed the horsemen over fallen trees and through
the thick brush, while I followed on foot at the
top of my speed. As I heard the sharp yells of
the dogs, I knew that they had come to close
quarters with the enemy. When we reached the
scene of action, there was blood upon the snow,
and the dogs were whining and limping about in
a very dejected manner ; but the bear was gone.
I told my companions the bear was tired and
would soon be brought at bay again. The dogs,
headed by Prince, were soon in full pursuit, and
after running a mile, at a moderate pace, came
again in contact with the bear. This was but a
repetition of the first fight; attended, however,
13

194 . The Ohio Hunter.
with more disastrous consequences. Two of the
dogs lay dead upon the field. The skull of one
had been crushed in, until the eyes protruded
from their sockets.
I should have mentioned that I had no other
arms than my hunting-knife and a large pistol.
The rest of the party were armed with rifles.
When we arrived at the scene of the second fight,
my partner gave me his horse so that I might get
a little rest. I then took the lead of the party,
closely followed by a Mr. Stout, who, at the out
set of the chase, concluded that his rifle would
only be an encumbrance, and had concealed tt in
the brush near the road. We soon heard Prince
barking, and thought that he had treed the bear.
We also supposed that the others heard the dog,
and so hurried to his assistance without waiting
for them to come up.
When we came in sight of the bear. Prince was
keeping up a running fight with him. When he
would attempt to cross a log. Prince would seize
him by the hind leg and pull him off. The bear
in turn would chase Prince, who was obliged to
make some very scientific dodges to evade the fe
rocious beast. These masterly movements of the
dog so retarded the progress of the bear, that
Mr. Stout and I were enabled to keep pretty close
up with him. I kept looking anxiously around
for the rest of the company, for they were all
well armed, and I would not risk a shot with my

A Terrified Monster. 195
pistol unless I could feel certain of hitting the
bear in the head. Not that I apprehended any
danger to myself, from a wounded bear, but I well
knew that, at the crack of the pistol. Prince would
close with the monster, and his life would be the
forfeit of his rashness. Mr. Stout continually
urged me to shoot, but I steadily refused, giving
him the reasons stated above. At the sight of us
the bear seemed very much terrified and made
frantic efforts to free himself from the repeated
attacks of his tormentor.
At this juncture, another dog came to the as
sistance of Prince, but his dog-wisdom was no
match for the craftiness of his cruel antagonist,
who, with one blow of his paw sent him whirling
into the air, and added one more to our list of
dead dogs. Prince paid no heed to the sudden
death of his friend, but continued his admirable
tactics by seizing the bear whenever an opportu
nity was afforded. Finding that there was no
prospect of our friends' coming to our assistance
with their rifles, I told Stout that we would turn
the bear, and start him in the other direction. I
was soon in front of him. He turned as I had
expected, and started in the opposite direction.
Suddenly he came upon two large logs which lay
directly in his path ; and just as he reached the
last and highest log. Prince, who was watching
his chance, made a spring to catch him by the
leg. But the bear had made his arrangements to

196 The Ohio Hunter.
give his opponent a different reception,' and, in
stead of jumping from the log, suddenly wheeled,
and caught poor Prince in his strong arms. Then
commenced a terrible tussle, with the advantage
all on one side. I Could not for a moment resist
the piteous moans for help which the poor dog
made while writhing in the embrace of his deadly
foe. I knew that Prince would risk his life to save
me from a like peril, and I determined that he
should not die without an effort being mado to
save him. Accordingly I rode up until I could
almost touch the bear with my pistol, raised my
self in the stirrups, took deliberate aim at his
head, and pulled the trigger. The pistol missed
fire ! Five times I snapped that pistol, and al
ways with the same miserable result. Stout could
do nothing but encourage me, and watch the wild
spectacle, with the most intense interest. Sud
denly Prince seized the bear by the nose, and with
all his remaining strength succeeded in fastening
his teeth firmly in that sensitive organ. The
bear roared with rage, and, rearing on his hind
legs to shake himself free from that deadly grip,
he beheld me confronting him face to face. Bears
at all times, unless while defending their young,
quail before the eyes of man. It was so with the
old residenter. Upon seeing me, he made a sud
den wheel, and with a desperate effort, shook
himself loose from Prince and started off on a
rapid run. The poor dog was game to the last.

New Pack of Dogs. 197
Torn and mangled as he was, he again started in
pursuit of his enemy, ran a few rods, and dropped
powerless. We thought it useless to pursue the animal any
further that night, and after our companions
joined us, started for my house. As we turned
to go, I told my friends that I would never give
over the pursuit of that bear as long as there was
the least possibility of killing him.
We had to travel a distance of five miles to
reach home.
The next morning, after making some addition
to our pack of dogs, we again started on the trail
of the bear. Two of the dogs belonging to the
strangers, had so far escaped without any injuries,
and their owners had no hesitation in pronouncing
them cowards. My brother-in-law, who joined us
that day, had a. large dog that had often accom
panied me in the chase, and was a famous bear
hunter. I was fearful that he too would fall a
victim to the old residenter. We were not long
in reaching the place where the bear had stayed
for the night, and the fierce yells of the dogs soon
gave tokens that the fight had commenced. We
reached the spot only to find the dogs all whipped,
my brother-in-law's dog with his thigh crushed
and broken, and the bear gone. The two dogs
that had been branded by their masters as cow
ards, were both stretched upon the ground, one
in the last agonies of death, and the other so bad-

198 The Ohio Hunteu.
ly disabled as to be of no further service in the
chase. We continued to follow the bear all day. The
dogs would occasionally bring him to bay, but we
did not succeed in gettinga shot ; and when night
came on, found ourselves only three miles from
home. The sportsmen who had joined in the hunt for
the tun of the thing, had promised to stay by un
til th^ bear was killed, but, at the close of the
second day grew weary of the sport, and started
for their homes. Mr. Stout, however, with the
true pluck of a hunter, determined to remain with
us to the end.
On the third day, we chased the bear into
Wood County, and spent the night with an old
friend, who was also a bear hunter. He told us
that he had two fine dogs, and that one of them,
a large hound, was too active and knowing to be
killed by a bear. The next morning the fresh
dogs led in the pursuit. The large hound was
the first to come up with the bear ; but in his
first attempt to seize him by the leg, he received a
blow that left him helpless and bleeding upon the
ground. When night came on, we were again in Henry
County, and only four miles from home.
On the fifth day, one of our party got a shot at
the bear, but without effect. On the sixth day,
we were joined by more men with fresh dogs.

A Critical Moment. 199
We had no trouble in starting the bear. At the
very first yell of the dogs, Mr. Holts put spurs
to his horse, and in company with a doctor who
had joined us that day, dashed forward to take a
part in the desperate encounter. Before this, I
had given Mr. Holts some lessons in bear hunt
ing, and he followed my instructions to the letter.
As they came close to the bear, the excited doc
tor urged Mr. H. to shoot, but my partner steadi
ly held his fire, and turned the bear in the direc
tion of the hunters that were on foot. The dogs
fought very cautiously, and the bear used every
strategem to entice them within reach of his
dreadful paws. Sometimes he would crouch like
a cat watching for mice, and then suddenly pounce
upon some luckless dog, that had ventured too
near. I saw him leap fifteen feet at one bound,
Mr. Holts was still watching for an opportunity
to shoot. At last the critical moment arrived.
As the bear crouched to await the approach of a
dog, Mr. H. hastily dismounted, raised his rifle,
and fired. The ball entered the eye of the bear,
and he became furious with pain. All the dogs
were upon him in an instant. Now commenced a
terrific struggle, and the dogs bled as freely as
the bear. While he still held one of the best
dogs in his mouth, a lucky shot from the doc
tor's pistol broke his jaw. Five or six more balls
planted in his body finished his career. You can
judge something of the size of this bear, when I

200

The Ohio Hunter.

tell you that the space between his ears measured
twelve inches. The spot where he was killed af
ter a chase of six days, was only two miles from
my home.

On the Miuk Track. 201

CHAPTER XX.
MY FRIEND HOLTS AND I GO MINK HUNTING — AC
CIDENTALLY DISCOVER BEAR TRACKS — UNEX
PECTED GOOD FORTUNE — CAPTURE A BEAR WORTH
SIXTY DOLLARS — ANOTHER LUCKY TRIP — SIT
DOWN AND TAKE OUR DINNER WHILE WAITING
FOR THE DOGS TO RETURN FROM A CHASE — THEY
COMB PURSUING A MONSTER TWO-YEAR-OLD
BEAR.
In the last chapter, there was frequent refer
ence made to a man by the name of Holts, ot
Seneca County, who had come into our country
for the purpose of hunting. I will now give you
the details of another expedition in which he was
my -partner. Mr. Holts was a very systematic
man, and hunted by rule, as well as ate, slept,
talked, laughed, etc., according to system.
At this time we were mink hunting. Our com
pany consisted of my two sons, Mr. Holts, myself,
and four dogs. We started early in the morning,
and very soon caught two mink, and then came
upon the tracks of two more leading in opposite
directions. Myself and one son, with two of the
dogs, followed one track, and Mr. Holts, with
my other son pursued the other. While tracking
the mink, I discovered a large tree deeply indent
ed vith the claws of a bear, and upon close ob-

202 The Ohio Hunted.
servation, I discovered they had been made in an
upward direction, and settled upon the conclusion
that the bear was still in the tree. I hallooed to
Mr. Holts, who immediately left the mink track
and came where I was. All inferior game was
immediately lost sight of when such things as bear
were to be considered, Mr. H. and myself were
very much elated at our unexpected good fortune,
and we went to work immediately to cut the tree.
We surrounded the spot where the top would fall,
with our dogs. Just as soon as the tree fell, out
jumped a very large and very cross female bear.
She started for a chase, but the dogs soon brought
her to a halt. We saw that she was more than a
match for the dogs, and fired at her head. But
she, being actively engaged with the dogs in a
fight, our chances for doing her much injury in
that manner were small. She did not in the
least relax her efforts to regain her freedom ; but
the opposing force was a little too strong for her.
Although the dogs kept her at bay, I saw that she
was injuring them seriously.
Mr. H. approached quite near, and continued
pouring the balls into her head. I did not carry
a gun that day, but before the fight was ended,
found myself no less serviceable as axman;
for this important auxiliary was brought into
requisition before the contest was finished. At
last she made a grab at Prince, my favorite dog,
that had suffered so severely in fight with the old

A Brilliant Success, 203
residenter ; but through the assistance of the
other dogs, he at length got free, I then thought
it best to interfere. Prince caught her by the
hind foot, and I planted the blade of the ax deep
ly in her brain. This caused her to yield a pas
sive obedience to our wishes. The dogs were all
hurt some, part of them seriously injured, but
none mortally. The dogs, especially Prince,
were so exultant over their brilliant success, as to
be apparently unconscious of their suffering. We
rejoiced together over our good luck, for the bear
was a very large one, — covered on the ribs with
six inches of solid fat. It yielded us twenty gal
lons of oil, and netted sixty dollars.
At another time my brother-in-law, myself and
oldest son, who was then a man grown, went out
for the purpose of hunting bear. We had four
large dogs and one long-legged fyst. We were
following a bear track, when suddenly our dogs
started after something in a different direction
from the way the bear was going. We saw some
deer in the way, and concluded they were after
them ; accordingly we followed , them for some
distance, when one dog returned, and the other
went on out of our hearing. We sat down on a
log, and took some grub out of our knapsacks, and
ate our dinners, as it was about noon. We still
thought they were after deer, and that Prince had
been led away from the path of duty by his inex
perienced companions, who were in the majority.

204 The Ohio Hunter.
We concluded not to follow them ; for deer seemed
a poor object on which to expend strength, where
bear were to be hunted. So we sat down to
await their return, I concluding in my own mind
to whip Prince for his folly.
Soon we heard the tramping in the distance,
and I told the boys we would head them and catch
the deer. All eyes were strained to their utmost
to watch for deer, -when to our utter astonishment
there appeared before us a huge bear, running at
the top of its speed, pursued, about forty rods in
the rear, by the dogs. While passing us at this
speed I shot him, wounding him seriously in the
fore leg. The dog that was with us halted him,
and the rest soon came to his assistance. Most
of the number were rather green, having never
been in a bear chase before, and we concluded
this was as favorable an opportunity as any for
breaking them in. We did not shoot the bear
again as we might have done, and thus have put
an end to the sport, but set the dogs upon it, and
stood by to watch their tact and energy. We
soon became satisfied that they were not wanting
in either, and we left them to finish the fight
alone. At first we thought him only a yearling,
but subsequent observations proved him to be two
years old.
You remember I spoke in the beginning of the
chapter of a long-legged fyst ; he was in all the
chase, yet came out in the rear at its close ; but

Taken by Strategy. 205
finally he came up to where the dogs had the bear
at bay. As soon as he saw the bear, he approached
from the rear and jumped upon his back. The
bear reached up with the uninjured paw and
grabbed the poor fellow, and threw him quite a
distance ; then the other dogs clinched him, and
a desperate fight ensued, the ground being literal
ly drenched in blood.
But a few feet from the scene of' carnage a
small tree was lodged, the upper part being about
ten feet from the ground. The bear having ef
fected his escape from the dogs, sprang up the
higher part of this tree, quite out of their reach.
They looked at him a. moment revengefully, then
Prince, who was always good in devising expedi
ents in be^r fighting, went to the lower end of
the tree, and walked deliberately up to his antag
onist. We attracted the bear's attention during
the maneuvers, so that he was not aware of
Prince's approach until he grabbed him, and be
ing taken so unexpectedly, he made a very uncer
emonious descent to the ground. I was so pleased
with Prince's strategem, that I thought to save
him future trouble in the matter, and drew my
pistol and shot his foe. Upon examination, we
found the bear to be two years old, and of im
mense size for that age. Our dogs were badly
hurt in the fight, but not mortally wounded.

206 The Ohio Hunter.

CHAPTER XXI.
A VISIT TO THE NORTHERN INDIANS  JOURNEY
THERE — ENGAGE BOARD AT A TAVERN — LAND
LORD ACCOMPANIES US TO THE INDIAN CAMP —
DINNER WITH THB INDIANS — LANDLORD'S DIS
GUST — BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY OF THE SAGINAW
AND SHIAWASEE RIVERS — HEAVY TIMBER — RICH
SOIL — MANNER OF LIVING — ROAST PORCUPINE
AND COON — TRADE WITH THE INDIANS — RETURN
HOME — LAST HUNT IN 1866.
I HAD learned by a traveler that there was a
tribe of Indians in the northern part of Michigan
very fond of trading ; and that they would trade
fine ponies for dogs and guns. So in the fall of
1860, my son and myself collected together quite
a variety of dogs and muskets, and started- for
their rendezvous, distant about two hundred miles ;
part of the distance to be traveled by rail-road,
and part on foot.
When within twenty miles of their camp, we
stopped and engaged board at a tavern, and com
menced hunting coon. We were very successful
in this business for some time ; but at length con
cluded to make our way to the Indian camp^ We
offered the landlord five dollars if he would go
with us. He accepted the bounty and enlisted,
but he soon became tired of the service.

Squaws Cook Our Game. 207
We started in the evening, and hunted all night.
When morning came we were very tired and hun
gry. The landlord proposed to lie down and rest
awhile, which we did, sleeping soundly until noon.
We then got up, and I proposed cooking some
squirrels and pheasants that we had caught ; but
Mr.  insisted that we should go on to the
Indian camp, now but a few miles distant, and get
the squaws to cook them for us. This arrange
ment was agreed to, and we soon found ourselves
within the limits of the Indian village, which con
sisted of a great many little wigwams built of bark,
which were of the rudest construction. We
entered one of these huts which was occupied by
an old squaw, a young woman, and three children.
We asked them to cook our game, to which they
readily consented. We dressed the squirrels, and
the squaws performed a similar ceremony over the
pheasants. They were all put into a kettle to
gether, and we waited with no small anxiety the
progress ot cooking. The squaws sat as still as
we, until the boiling process was concluded, and
then the kettle was set in the middle of a raised
bank, covered with skins which at night furnishe<l
them a lodging place. There was also a little
brown bread, made of meal pounded in a mortar
burnt in a walnut block for that purpose.
Probably you have all heard stories of the dirt
and filth of the Indians. But hearing is nothing
to seeing and eating. The birds were robbed of

208 The Ohio Hunter.
only a small part of their feathers, and the heads,
with the brains and ey.es, were cooked with the
body and feet. But traveling twenty-four hours
without eating, forced upon me the conviction that
it was best to eat what was set before me, asking
no questions for conscience' sake. The table cer
emonies were not very imposing, as there was but
one dish for us all to eat from, but such as they
were my son proposed to be master of. He there
fore made a bold dive to the bottom of the kettle
with thumb and forefinger, and brought up an un-
dissected pheasant, and offered it to our friend,
the landlord. Whether the boiled eyes, protrud
ing from their sockets, frightened him or not, I
cannot tell ; but he declined the favor, and made
a dinner of potatoes and a little salt which we car
ried in our knapsacks.
But being myself more accustomed to rough
fare I took the meat, and made a very profitable
dinner. After the meal was over, and we com
menced bantering for trades, the landlord adroitly
withdrew, promising if the Lord would forgive
this offense, he would never be guilty of a sim
ilar one.
The Indians of Saginaw and Shiawasee rivers
are in possession of the most beautiful country I
ever saw. The land lies rolling, is well watered,
and well timbered. The timber is principally pine,
black and white walnut, sugar maple, beech, birch,
elm, and poplar. The soil for about two feet is a

New Mode of Cooking. 209
reddish brown, and very fertile. The only objec
tion that can be urged to the country is the cli
mate, it being rather cold for comfort. This sec
tion is at present scarcely penetrated by the white
settler, in the extreme northern portions, but I
have no doubt that before many years it will be
cultivated and rendered one of the most beautiful
countries of the North.
I now went further back into the woods for the
purpose of hunting, and came upon another In
dian camp, where they were anxious to trade me
a pony for a dog. I told them I wanted the dogs
to hunt with that afternoon, but would come back
the next morning. I hunted all night, and went
early the next morning to their camp. Unfortu
nately I was a little too early for them. They
soon began to " dig out," however, and such a va
riety of human beings I never saw crawl out of
one nest before. It was more like the lodging
place of some four-footed beasts than anything
God designed to walk uprightly.
I went away for "a morning hunt, promising to
return and take dinner with them. When we
came back, there was dangling by a string before
the fire, a large porcupine with the quills singed
off, and two coons suspended in the same manner.
The porcupine was evidently stuffed with some-;
thing, and I was anxious to learn all that was
new in the theory of dressing game, accordingly
I watched proceedings. 14

210 The Ohio Hunter.
When roasted sufficiently, the old squaw took
it down and commenced dissecting it. When
opened, out rolled the feet of both coons, none of
them having been dressed at all ! The heads of
the coons were not skinned below the eyes. They
said this was the way to preserve the sweetness
of the meat, and the feet, they affirmed, were the
best part of the coon, and in distributing the del
icate meat, the old squaw was very careful to see
that each had a portion of the feet.
I traded a dog for a pony, made several other
small trades with the Indians, and returned home.
One peculiarity of the Indians worth mention
ing is, they will never trust to a white man's cal
culation. If you trade a hundred dollars' worth
with them, they will insist upon trafficking and
paying for each article separately. For instance,
they sell you a hundred hides at nine pence each,
they will only give you one at a time, and you
must count out the money for that, then they will
lay down another, and that must be paid for in
the same manner ; and so on until the whole are
sold. In making an extensive trade with them,
it sometimes requires several days to complete
the bargain.
I will now give you a sketch of a little hunt
which I took with my boys during the last winter,
and which will close this series of hunting sketch
es. There had been for some time a very terrific
and mournful noise heard in the woods, wliich had

Chase a Strange Animal. 211
sorely frightened many, and timid women and
children had been driven thereby from the woods,
and could not be persuaded to enter them again.
I had not heard the sound myself, but from the
description given, was not puzzled to decide from
what source it came. I soon found from whence it
proceeded, and started one day with my dog in
pursuit of whatever might be the cause of it. I
had only one dog, and that a hound and a very
valuable one. We soon found the track of the
animal, and chased it until it came out of the
woods into a large clearing, where there was a
thick undergrowth, which made very hard grounds
for hunting. He ran bravely for awhile, but at
last became tired of running, and stopped and
squared himself for fight with the dog. They
fought desperately for some time, but the dog was
obliged to call for help. I hastened as rapidly as
possible to his relief, having been left some way
in the distance, during the chase. As I expected,
when I came to the dog, I found him covered
with blood, but could no where see anything of
his enemy. I looked about under the bushes and
behind the logs for some time to no purpose, when
seeing the dogs cast an angry look into a tall
bush over my head, I looked up there and saw the
infuriated animal looking the vengeance he could
not speak and dared not act. I leveled my re
volver at him and brought him to the ground, but
only wounded him ; again the dog attacked him,

212 The Ohio Hunter.
and again became the bleeding victim of his
butcherly claws. I took my ax and knocked him
on the head, and relieved my dog of further suf
fering. It was a huge catamount, measuring five
feet and a half in length.

CHAPTER XXII.
ADVICE TO YOUNG HUNTERS — MODE OF ATTACKING
THE DEER — THE HUNTING SEASON — A LOVE OF
ADVENTURE — HUNTING AS A PASTIME — A CAU
TION. Perhaps after all the experience I have had
in the wild woods and with the beasts that inhabit
them, I can give some amateur sportsman a lit
tle information in regard to hunting, they do not
already understand. If but a single one is bene
fited by my experience and the few suggestions I
shall give, my object will have been attained.
There are a few suggestions in regard to deer
which may sometimes be made quite available.
The time to commence deer hunting is not until
after the leaves begin to fall. The deer is
then what hunters call the short blue. I go into
the woods at this time and commence hunting
very slowly, with a deer just as he looks in the

Suggestions to Hunters. 213
forest, fully pictured in my imagination, and when
I see one, I stop instantly and never try to creep
any closer, but shoot just where I am, for ten
chances to one if you attempt to get nearer, you
will soon find yourself further away. If I saw
one walking along, then I would walk when it
walked, and stop when it stopped, and keep fol
lowing it in this manner until close enough to
shoot. But if I saw it give the least sign that it
either saw, or heard, or smelled me, then I would
shoot, hit or miss, for then the chances are not
likely to become more favorable, soon. When a
deer just hears you he will run apiece and then
stop and listen, very frequently he will stop within
shooting distance. Sometimes they will run en
tirely out of sight, then they will stop and snort
like a horse. Then I mimic them, standing per
fectly still, and they will come to me, thinking
they have heard a deer. In hunting, I always
hold myself in readiness to shoot at a moment's
warning. When there are several together and I shoot
one, the rest will all run, then I station myself
within shooting distance of the place where the
other fell, and watch. After awhile the others
will return to see what has become of the missing
deer. Then I shoot again, and often kill quite a
number in this manner from a single stand-point.
Another way of finding them, is to go where
they have run -ways, where they cross ridges, or

214 The Ohio Hunter.
streams, or roads, and sit down and wait for them.
Often more can be killed in a day in this way
without traveling a single mile, than by traversing
the woods constantly all day in search of them.
The deer is a very timid animal, and very quick
to hear the slightest sound, and will detect your
footsteps in the brush much quicker than you can
theirs, and after they see or hear you once, the
chances for catching them are small.
In the winter, when the snow is on the ground,
I sometimes take a horse and attach a small bell
to his neck, and start into the woods. When I
find deer, I immediately leave the track and go
off to one side, keeping the horse between myself
and the deer until I come in sight of them. Then
I stop behind the horse and shoot. I never ride
when following a deer.
The deer have places in the woods where they
go to lick, which hunters call deer-licks. There
we go and make a scaffold up in the trees about
fourteen or fifteen feet from the ground. Here
we secrete ourselves until the deer come to drink,
when we shoot them. It most frequently happens
that they will come in the night, then we have can
dles that we fasten on the front of our hats, so that
the light will fall on the sites of our guns, and
then we can shoot as well as by daylight.
These few suggestions in regard to deer, may
be of use to some of my young friends if followed
out, and although I want to see you successful

A Word of Caution. 215
when you do hunt, yet I cannot advise any of
you to follow hunting as a business, or depend
upon it as a means of maintenance. I know
that the love of adventure is innate among men,
and there probably is no other sport in the world
so fascinating, and at the same time so healthful
and innocent, as hunting, and if indulged in merely
as a sport, where too much precious time is not squan
dered, it is an amusement commendable; but as a
business, it is assuredly rather trifling. As a
general thing the laboring man grows rich, while
the hunter almost invariably remains poor ; be
sides denying to his children the advantages of
education, and failing to bring them up familiar
with those regular habits of industry so essential
to future usefulness and prosperity. The writer
of this hasty sketch, has in some respects, been
more fortunate than most hunters. Perhaps
the reason is, most men who once acquire a pas
sion for hunting will never follow anything else ;
but are like the Irishman who if he liked the bus
iness of making sugar, was going to follow it all
the year. Well, now, hunting is like sugar mak
ing, only good in certain seasons, and the man
who would make money by it, must pursue his
business diligently during the proper season, and
then have something definite and profitable to fill
up the rest of the year.
I usually commenced my hunting in November
and continued it until March ; and from March

216 The Ohio Hunter.
until November I labored assiduouslyj either in
clearing up my farm or raising the various pro
ducts of the soil. In this way I have supported
a large family and accumulated a little besides.
I have never been in the habit of hiring anything
done that I could reasonably do myself. Stormy
days and long evenings, I have done my family
shoemaking, and my own blacksmithing. I still
hunt enough to supply my family most of the
time with meat that I regard more wholesome
than pork, and keep a fishing seine wherewith
we are usually supplied with abundance of fresh
fish. I am, from experience and observation,
much opposed to the use of pork as food, though
I have never yet entirely banished it from my
table ; but am persuaded that it is not suitable
food for man. My oldest son is rather in advance
of me on these questions of reform. He will not
allow it to be used in his family at all, and uses
no stronger drink upon his table than cold water.
As regards meat, I think there is no meat bet
ter, and at the same time equally healthful and
free from all injurious effects, than venison. And
I think it worth every man's time, that has a
family, to kill a few deer every winter for meat,
as wild turkeys and many kinds of wild meat
are more wholesome than tame.
In connection with what I have already said in
regard to hunting as a source of profit, I will only
add that every trade or kind of business is good

EI.VER'S SOURCE.

The Maumee Valley. 217
in its proper place. But for the hunter, the
farmer in the new country would never raise his
crops ; and but for the farmer, the hunter and
mechanic would famish for bread. They mutually
benefit each other. But to the ambitious young
man who is anxious to husband his time, so as to
make ; it of most account in laying up a store of
riches, honest, persevering industry is much more
likely to secure for you such an end, than any
other means you can ever adopt.

CHAPTER XXIII.
sketch of the maumee valley — A contrast —
THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF INDUSTRIAL ENTER
PRISE IN THE STATE  DESCRIPTION OF NAPOLE-
QN, HENRY COUNTY, OHIO  A BLIGHT.
As we near the close of this imperfect sketch,
let us contrast the dense forest and dismal swamps
which I have so often referred to in the early
part of this work, with the beautiful landscapes
and fertile fields of the Maumee valley at the
present day. For beauty, fertility, and pic-
turesqe scenery, it cannot be surpassed in the
West. The Maumee River, rising in north-western
Indiana, at the junction of the Joseph and
St. Marys, pursues its graceful, winding course

218 The Ohio Hunter.
across north-western Ohio, watering a tract of
country unsurpassed in any clime, for beauty,
fertility, and natural advantages, and connecting
the two important commercial points, Fort Wayne
and Toledo. Following along close to the bank
of the river, and winding itself into most of its
rugged recesses and deep-cut bends, is an im
mense channel cut for the purpose of navigation.
This has been built since my acquaintance with
the country, and has been a source of vast wealth
and internal importance for more than a quarter
of a century. It abounds with innumerable boats
and vessels of different descriptions, mostly as yet
towed by line. But quite a number have recent
ly been introduced that are propelled by steam.
It is not now, as it was a few years ago, used for
the transportation of travelers, for in this respect
it has been superseded by the erection of railways.
Pursuing as nearly as practicable a parallel course
with the canal and river, is the Toledo and Wa
bash rail-road, stretching across a section of
country nearly a thousand miles in extent, and
connecting the head waters of Lake Erie with the
far-ofi Mississippi ; uniting the great metropolis
of north-western Ohio with south-western Illinois,
at the town of Quincy, and connecting with other
roads leading into every section of the United
States. I have watched the rise and progress of
innumerable enterprises along the circuitous route
of the canal and river, and the growth of many

Growth of Napoleon. 219
pleasant villages and towns, until the village and
town were lost in corporations and city ordinan
ces, and would it had fell to an abler pen than
mine to chronicle their excellences. As it is, I
will only speak of the one with which I am at
present, and have been for several years, most in
timately connected :
Napoleon is the county seat of Henry County,
and situated mostly upon the left bank of the
canal, upon an elevated portion of table-land over
looking a beautiful and well-culti-^'ated section of
country, and surrounded by the choicest and most
remunerating farming lands. I knew it when but
little more than a convenient duck-yard, and it iis
now the most thrifty and enterprising city on the
Maumee. Its rapid growth is no doubt attributa
ble in a great measure to the healthy condition of
the two great thoroughfares — the rail-road and
the canal ; but this alone cannot solve the prob
lem, else all other towns along this important
route would have attained an equal growth and
importance — whereas there is not from Fort
Wayne and Toledo, and indeed in all of north-west
ern Ohio, a town that dare compete with it in
rapid growth, improvements, and commercial im
portance ; and these superior attainments can be
attributed to nothing else than the superior qual
ity of the land, unless it be the unfailing energy
and enterprise of the people.
From the foot of Perry Street, the river is

220 The Ohio Hunter.
spanned by a massive bridge of superior archi
tectural construction. This was built in 1860,
and stood unmoved before the heavy winds, im
mense floods and masses of ice, until the spring
of 1866, when the unusual weight of ice coming
in avalanches from the rapids above, dislocated
one of the piers, doing serious injury to the en
tire structure. But through the vigilance of
County Commissioners, and the superior archi
tectural skill of Mr. Ulch, the work of destruction
was arrested in time to save the entire bridge.
Across the canal are three convenient bridges,
the last one having been built at the dictation and
expense of our enterprising citizen, Mr. Voeke.
On the left bank of the river are two steam grist
mills of huge dimensions, one woolen factory
that would be an ornament to any city, a large
sash and blind factory, three saw-mills, and a
planing establishment. The mechanical arts are
carried to a high state of perfection, and the city
is rapidly improving in architectural beauty.
There is also a flourishing Union School with
convenient school buildings.
Nearly every religious denomination has its
representation here ; but the most flourishing are
the Episcopal, Methodist and Presbyterians, among
the protestant, and the most numerous and
wealthy are the Roman Catholics. There are
two good churches, one owned by the Methodists,
the other by the Episcopalians. There is to be a

Magnificent Edifices. 221
new church edifice erected the coming summer,
by the Presbyterians, and a few miles from the
city another is in process of erection by the Dis
ciples, who are both numerous and flourishing,
a church having been organized but a few years
ago by our enterprising and Christian citizen,
Mr. Lemert, at first small and feeble, but
now numbering over three hundred members.
The Catholics also purpose building a magnificent
Cathedral the coming summer. The last year our
ambitious and enterprising citizen, Mr. J. A.
Stout erected a most magnificent private edifice.
Another of our enterprising citizens, Mr. Wm-
Sheffield, lately returned from California, has
recently opened a bank in our city. The pro
fessions in all their departments, medical, legal and
clerical, are admirably filled. The fine arts have
a fair representation for a country place. There
are two papers subservient to the interests of the
two parties — both ably edited, and in style and
matter, can compete with the ablest in our state.
We, in common sympathy with our sister towns,
have to lament that we are cursed with the abid
ing presence of the demon intemperance. A
large number of liquor stores and doggeries still
rear their deformed heads in our midst, and pour
forth their envenomed draughts to curse the earth.
When shall these hell pits be forever closed,
these death fountains stanched ? For this end let
my daily prayers ascend ; to accomplish this work,

222 The Ohio Hunter.
my latest breath be given. When this great evil
shall be effectually overthrown, then and not
till then shall I expect to see the millenial morn
triumphantly ushered in.

CHAPTER XXIV- '
MISFORTUNE ATTENDS US — BURNING OF HOUSE
AND ALL OUR EFFECTS — WE ARE LEFT SHELTER
LESS IN MID-WINTER — ^ALMOST DISHEARTENED —
KINDNESS OF FRIENDS — A TRIBUTE OF THANKS.
In the year 1861, I was living in Monroe
Township, Henry County, Ohio, and was promis
ing to myself once more a few years of comfort ;
having again entered a new tract of land, and
brought it into a condition to support my family,
when my prospects were again suddenly blighted.
This time it was not the prop that sustained my
house that was taken, but my house itself. True
this affiiction is not to be compared to one I have
narrated on a previous occasion ; but it did lead
me at that time to murmur at what seemed
to me the injustice of God. It seemed that when
ever I promised to myself peace and comfort, and
better days, then the upbraidings of providence
would fall upon me most heavily.
I was at that time the owner of a quarter sec-

Loss BY Fire. 223
tion of land, with a very nice two story hewed-log
house with framed kitchen, and all liberally sup
plied with whatever is useful in domestic life.
My family numbered thirteen, and the need of
house room, warm beds and clothing, was not
small. It was mid-winter, and not one of a half-
dozen beds was left unappropriated. Morpheus
held the entire house-hold securely in his embrace.
The first sound slumbers of the night were un
broken. We had all eaten a plentiful supper,
and laid down to quiet, peaceful rest, having
warmed ourselves by the fire that had for many
years been such a true and faithful servant. Lit
tle dreamed we that it was about to usurp such
uncontrollable power over us. But when we
awoke, it encompassed us in one sheet of flame.
At such a time, thinking and acting are simulta
neous. I was the first one to awake, and it re
quired less time to examine e-very bed and arouse
the sleeping ones, than it takes me to write it.
Entering the chamber, which was by this time a
sea of flame and smoke, I found three of my sons
still fast asleep. Many of the family were slight
ly injured by the flames, and one fatally. When
our personal safety was secured, our next recol
lection was that we were almost garmentless, ev
ery article of clothing, except such as we wore
from our beds, having perished in the flames.
Bat kind neighbors and friends very soon at
tended to our wants in this respect, and we were

224 The Ohio Hunter.
before morning all supplied with temporary homes.
To such of my readers as have never experi
enced a similar misfortune, it will be impossible
for me to paint the emotions of that hour. Few
of us know how strongly we are attached to earth,
until some ruthless hand removes our possessions.
To see the labors of a lifetime consumed in one
hour, your children's bread, food for the devour
ing element — the relics of by-gone years, and the
treasures of a household, all lie in mouldering
ruins beneath your feet; if there remains one
root of bitterness in the heart, it will at such a
time spring up and bring forth evil fruit.
I was for a time- so thoroughly disheartened,
that I knew not where to commence. My grain
for the coming year, and meat that was to sustain
my family, some money, and many things valua
ble, part for their intrinsic worth, and part for
tbe associations connected with them — all formed
one common ruin. A letter was sent to, my breth
ren at Gilboa, and in less than a week, a mam-
mouth sleigh with provisions and clothing of ev
ery description was sent for our relief. This re
vived my courage and I went to work ; and four
weeks from the night our house burned, we lodged
in a new one of very comfortable dimensions.
The exposures of that eventful night cost my'
wife a year of ill health, and the life. of one of my
children. But we are very thankful that noth
ing more valuable than earthly goods were yielded

Wants Supplied. 225
to the devouring flames, and should this ever meet
the eye of any of my friends from Gilboa, or oth
ers who so generously contributed to our relief in
that time of extreme necessity, they will please
accept our most earnest thanks for the invaluable
services rendered to our temporal wants, and ever
believe that this act of Christian charity forms a
bright link in the chain of recollections, around
which the memory will ever linger.

CHAPTER XXV.

AN EVIL HABIT — HOW I OVERCAME IT— THE USB
OP TOBACCO A SIN AGAINST NATURE — ITS EFFECTS
PHYSIOLOGICALLY CONSIDERED.
For more than thirty-five years I was the slave
to that pernicious, sinful, degrading habit — chew
ing tobacco. — When a lad, but fifteen years of
age, I adopted this practice. I probably should
not have become a man so soon by several years,
had I not profited so wisely by the example of my
seniors. But my impulses of gratitude are not
overwhelming for the lesson they have taught.
Nay, pity the aged sire, who, with all the experi
ence and wisdom of years, can unite the stupidity
of the barbarian with the sagacity of age, in giv
ing character and dignity to such a vice. To~ my
Christian readers let me say, I doubt very much
15

226 The Ohio Hunter.
your ever entering Heaven with the stain of to
bacco upon your garments. I do not believe any
one will dispute that it is a sinful practice, and
although we sin daily, and God doth, and will,
forgive the thoughtless, impulsive transgressions
of our daily life, I do not believe he ever will for
give the deliberate, persistent sin of a lifetime,
unless repented of and abandoned.
Just as soon could I unite myself with a Chris
tian church that tolerated the use of ardent spir
its as a beverage, as with one that looks compla
cently on the great sin of indulging the appetite
in the use of tobacco. I look upon these indul
gences as one and the same thing. It is the fos
tering of an appetite never planted by our Creator
in our natural being ; but only acquired by con
stant practice. At first, there is not an element
of our physical organization that does not rebel
against it. Who has forgotten the deathlike pallor
and cold clammy sweats that accompanied the
first cigar ? And who has failed to discover the
gradual transformation our systems have under
gone during the few brief years we have indulged
in the evil practice. How gradually and surely
has the bloom of youth faded into the sallow,
sickly complexion of tobacco,' until the -victim is
metamorphosed into a being of which the princi
pal element is tobacco itself. In a religious point
of view, I have said I believed it the same in sub
stance, as intoxication of an-y other character

Sin of Tobacco-Using. 227
Each is the indulgence of an appetite at once ru
inous and sinful. True its effects are not so
immediate and violent ; yet they have a slow and
steady tendency downward, and whatever de
grades the man, is Antichristian ; for the tenden
cies of Christianity are elevating, refining, and
ennobling. There are two views to be taken of all human
transactions, one the motive that prompts the act,
the other the effect which such an action will pro
duce. In regard to the latter of these views, we
freely admit that the immediate effects of alcoholic
liquors are more destructive to human life and
happiness, than the use of tobacco. But judging
from the other view, we believe that each are
alike sinful ; and we do believe that this is the
light in which God will judge all our hearts.
" Man looketh on the outward appearance, but
the Lord looketh on the heart." Where is the
distinction in regard to the motive that prompts
to either ; each are but the indulgence of an un
natural, morbid, sinful appetite ; and in the sight
of the great God who discerneth the secret
thoughts and intents of the heart, I have not a
doubt that each %ill be regarded equally sinful
and reprehensible. I am happy to be united in
church relation with a people who renounce this
sin. A people who do not believe a person can
be a Christian until the whole being, morally,
eocially, and physically, has been consecrated to.

228 The Ohio Hunter.
the work. Regarding it physiologically, it has
been clearly demonstrated that tobacco has a most
injurious effect upon the brain, the stomach, and
in short, the entire system. A single drop of the
oil of tobacco will instantaneously destroy the life
of a cat, and there is not a beast on the face of
the earth that will partake of it as food.
In the use of tobacco for thirty-five years, you
may reasonably judge that my system had become
pretty thoroughly metamorphosed, and the break
ing of such a powerful habit was noteffected without
a struggle. In my own strength alone I never
could have effected such a reformation ; but when
I came to regard it as a sin, and a part of the
sacrifice that I must make if I would be a Chris
tian, one of the ways in which the lusts of the
flesh were to be overcome, I went to a Throne of
grace, and sought in prayer, strength tO overcome
this besetment. I found that the same grace that ¦
had enabled me to triumph over other sins, was
sufficient for this ; and I now not only feel no
inclination to indulge the habit, but a positive
aversion to ever touching, tasting, or smelling the
filthy weed. It is as actually offensive to me now
as though I had never loved it in my life.
I am now an old man, and the father of eighteen
children, but not one of them uses the obnoxious
weed. Have raised five sons to manhood, and
you will pardon me for feeling a father's pride, in
Buying that they are decided temperance men

A Temperate Family.

229

both in eating and drinking — that they have no
such habits as card- play ing, &c., which are so
common at the present day. Two of this number
have sacrificed their lives upon their country's
altar. The others still live to serve their country
in a no less important manner ; and though they
may never be distinguished for any prouder con
quest, my prayer is that they may be ever known
as men who have achieved, and can maintain a
perfect triumph over that most dangerous foe to
human kind — the appetite.

230 The Ohio Hunter.

CHAPTER XXVI.
embrace the doctrine of spiritualism — find
myself to be a medium — possessed of the
spirit OF SAMSON — POWERFUL MANIFESTATIONS
— BECOME A WRITING MEDIUM — BECOME DIS
GUSTED WITH THE SPIRITS.
In the year 1855 I became acquainted with the
doctrine and practices of Spiritualism ; and from
my inability to comprehend the mysterious mani
festations, was led to believe it the wonderful power
of God. I soon found myself to be one of the
most powerful mediums in our country, and prac
ticed the art both publicly and privately for
about three years. During this time I attended
church with the Disciples, and had frequent con
troversies with different ministers, on the subject
of Spiritualism. They often advised me to for
sake the practice, telling me they believed it to
be the works of darkness. But they did not effect
ually point me to the Scriptures, and therefore I
was willing to believe.
I was brought into the faith and practice of
Spiritualism just as people usually are into any
evil habit — by degrees. I commenced first with
the rappings and, tippings, and from this to the
writing. And although I did not believe vt-ry
firmly at first, I at length became confirmed in

A Writing-Medium. 231
the faith that it was of God ; — for they gave good
advice, and surely no good ever came of evil. 1
did not remember then that wolves sometimes ap
pear in sheep's clothing. My first lesson in
Spiritualism was in sitting around a table sur
rounded by several friends, who were operating
with the spirits. Upon being asked who of the
company were mediums, the spirit answered by
raps, that I was one. I accordingly took the po
sition of master of ceremonies for the evening ;
and many wonderful manifestations of power were
shown before its close.
Some days after this, I was practicing in a
room alone. I asked the spirit if it would send
me the spirit of my wife. It answered in the af
firmative, and I was soon made aware of the pres
ence of a new spirit. — I was at this time known
as a writing medium. — She wrote her full name
with distinctness. I asked her where she was,
and will now give you the various answers to my
questions in precisely the same language she gave
them to me. She said she was in a place of de
posit awaiting the resurrection. I then asked
her if she could explain to me the means by which
spirits could communicate with the living. She
replied she could. I told her to proceed. The
pen started and wrote as follows :
" In the beginning God made the heaven and
the earth, and made man out of the dust of the
earth, and breathed the breath of life into him.

232 The Ohio Hunter.
And when he breathed the breath of life into him,
he breathed also a portion of electricity into him,
and when man died, he returned to the earth
from whence he was taken, and the electricity re
turned to the air from whence it came ; and liv
ing souls breathing that electricity that flowed
from the dead, brought the living in connection
with the dead."
I now thought I was in possession of all the
knowledge that I wanted, I could now unravel to
the world the great mystery that had confounded
the most learned. I need no longer walk in dark
ness, for I had found the key of knowledge. But
Ihadnot yet fully learned to measure everything by
the law and the testimony. But with much self-
assurance I commenced showing to the world the
wonderful works that I could do.
At one time I went in company with a brother
to a place somewhat distant, to purchase cattle.
Some time was spent in making the bargain, and
we were invited to dinner. The gentleman with
whom we were dealing was an extensive farmer,
and a number of workmen were present af the
dinner-table. At that time. Spiritualism was the
chief subject of conversation, and seldom two
strangers met for an hour without referring to
this important topic. It was introduced on this
occasion, and my brother at length told them that
I was a medium ; but our honorable host very de
cidedly expressed his want of faith in the matter ;

Table-Tipping. 233
said he did not believe in the manifestations, to
say nothing of the truth of the matter, that he
did not believe that such things were ever done as
people said were. And if the people who said
these things were so, really believed what they
were saying, it was only some optical illusion, or
magician's artifice, that had deceived them.
Ho\yever when we had finished our meal and
tipped back our chairs, he addressed himselt to
me and said, "Now if you can perform these
great wonders whereof you speak, I want that you
should call the spirits, and tip over this table, and
break these dishes all to smash, and then perhaps
I may believe." I told him I did not wish to do
so rash an act as that, but thought I could satisfy
him by gentler means. No, he said, nothing but
the most powerful evidences could convince him,
and when the dishes were broken he was able to
buy more. I told him that after partaking of his
hospitality I could not, nor would not do so rude
a thing as to destroy his dishes ; but to convince
him that I could, I would give them a terrible
shaking. So I rolled up my sleeves that they
might watch carefully all the movements of the
muscles, and satisfy themselves there was no se
cret agency employed in the matter. I then
carefully laid my hands upon the table and in
voked the spirit. It came. I asked it if it could
raise the table for me. It replied it could not. I
asked it why. It answered it was not strong

234 The Ohio Hunter.
enough. I inquired if it could send me the spirit
of Samson. It said it would. I could always tell
when Samson had come, by the powerful sensa
tion experienced in my arms. I ordered it to
raise the table, which it did immediately, about
four inches, bringing it down with a terrible
crash, causing a great overturn among the dishes.
The women all turned pale and shrieked with
fright, and even the strong-minded man said. It
is enough. At another time, when writing a letter to a
friend, the spirits would every few lines write
something not connected with the subject. I
found after considerable experience, there was no
dependence to be placed in anything it said, for
it would as frequently tell that which was perfect
ly false, as it would tell the truth. I became dis
gusted with the business and determined to dis
cover what it was that had wielded so powerful
an influence over me. I went to the Bible for
testimony. I found there that " the living know
that they must die, but the dead know not any
thing." Also, "His breath goeth forth, he re-
turneth to his earth, in that very day his thoughts:
perish." Besides much other testimony, clearly
proving to me that I had not been holding ai^y
intercourse with the departed saints, but with
devils. When once satisfied that it was the spirit
of Antichrist which goes forth into the world, I
determined never more to meddle with it. I

o

Christian Experience. 235
could give a great deal more testimony against
this false doctrine, and reasons why I forsook it,
but lest you charge me with sectarian prejudices,
I will forbear further comment.

CHAPTER XXVII.
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE  UNITE WITH THE CAMP-
BELLITES — MEET WITH OPPOSITION — PEACE RE
STORED.
In presenting the world with my autobiography,
I cannot overleap so important a point as my own
personal experience in the Christian religion. It
is no part of my design or desire, that this work
should savor in the least of sectarianism ; nor
would I offend against the most liberal or most
bigoted of my readers, by presenting them with
views peculiarly my own, on a subject of such
general interest, that every one of understanding
is supposed to be fully established in his own
mind as regards his duty, faith, or practice. But
in giving in brief a few reasons for the hope that
I have, and the faith I endeavor to practice, I
shall trust to the liberality of the intelligent reader
to forbear all such unjust charges.
As I told you in an early part of this history,
my father died when I was very young, and my
mother, of the Methodist persuasion herself, al-

236 The Ohio Hunter.
lowed her children to grow up without being very
thoroughly indoctrinated in any of the principles
of Christianity. As I have shown, I was a wild
boy, and from the inconsistencies of most of the
theories in which I was early instructed, I became,
when , quite young, a follower of Pyrrho in his
doctrine " that universal doubt is the only true
wisdom." Whenever anything new was presented
to my mind, instead of believing, as many do, in
all new doctrines, I always doubted the real truth
of everything pertaining to the doctrines of Chris
tianity, until I became a full-grown man, and was
then lulled into carnal security by the precarious
faith of Universalism. I did not come into this
belief by hearing it preached often, or talked
much, but as I have said before, I was a natural
skeptic. I did not believe anything, and did not
want to believe anything, and was determined that
I never would be deluded into what I then verily be
lieved gross superstition. When I looked upon
the Catholic counting his beads, or saying mass,
and then upon the Protestant in the act of devo
tion, they each appeared to me like the practical
workings of superstition and ignorance, and the
one bore as distinct marks of intelligence as the
other, only the former faith was more grand and
imposing in its ceremonies than the latter ; and
had I been, by the natural heart, led to accept of
either plan of salvation, it would most certainly
have been the first.

Grieves the Spirit. 237
But our heavenly Father in sending forth his
Spirit, that is to go into all the world, and try
every man's faith, proving of what sort it is, did
not pass me by. I could not misunderstand the
voice, " Behold I stand at the door and knock, if
any man hear my vaice and open unto me, I will
come in to him, and sup with him and he with
me." But I said to the Spirit, "Go thy way."
Still I could not free myself from the conviction
that I ought to be a Christian, — and the forebod
ings of a terrible retribution to come — until I
pacified my troubled conscience with the doctrine
that " God delighted not in the, death of any, but
would that all men should be saved," and con
strued it into meaning that all men would be
saved, and I believe that the Holy Spirit did
take me at my word, and left me entirely for a
season. I felt no longer troubled on account of
sin, but relying firmly on my newly-found doc
trine, pursued for some time, without remorse, the
various sinful pleasures which the unregenerate
heart will ever seek after. I was a little ambi
tious of being thought intelligent, and a man of
understanding, and accordingly on many occa
sions endeavored to prove my knowledge by de
fending the faith I had so recently embraced.
Whether or not I showed a great deal of intelli
gence in these controversies, I will leave thosep
who heard them to judge ; but I am now satisfied
that they were without understanding.

238 The Ohio Hunter.
In the year 1841, I became ai!quainted with a
j'oung Disciple minister. I was perfectly satisfied
of the superiority of my views over his, and very
confidently challenged him to debate. I soon
found that I was very much like a man who has
continued to sleep until long after the sun has
gilded the heavens — and then because he is un
willing to open his eyes, declares it is still dark.
My mind was still shrouded in darkness, because
I had never come to the true light that I might
see. I needed but that some one should open my
eyes, to convince me that the light of truth wos
now shining in noon-da.y splendor. When he
arranged before me in due order the various plain
and simple truths of the Scriptures, which I had
never read for myself, and showed me their per
fect concord one with the other, I felt that " I no
longer saw through a glass darkly," but learned
that the path was so plain, " that the wayfaring
man though a fool need not err therein." I w.is
perfectly satisfied now of the truths of the gosptl,
and that my duty was to repent and be baptized
for the remission of sins. But there was strongly
rooted in my heart the prejudice I had ever felt
toward such a humiliating course. I regarded
the Christian man as weak-minded .and effeminate,
yielding to fears he had not the courage to over
come, and weaknesses he had not the strength to
rise above ; and while in my heart I pitied such a
man, I as really despised him. And now should

Trial of Faith. 2.S9
I, who had boasted of my ability to sustain mysulf
above all such weaknesses, make an example of
myself? expose myself to the derision of a scornful
world by tamely yielding to this hallucination ?
No ; I would overcome. I would once more cast
off the unwelcome yoke.
For awhile this resolution was kept. But I
could find no peace to my troubled conscience,
only in obedience. When I became fully per
suaded to walk in the path of duty, and made my
intentions known to my family, I found there
were still stronger hindrances in the way than
any I had had to overcome. Should I unite my
self with the then unpopular and despised sect
called Campbellites, it would occasion domestic
dissensions — such as no man with a family that he
loves ever desires to meet. My wife had been
raised a Lutheran and was fully persuaded in her
own mind that that was the only true and right
way. And any course different from that was not
to be thought of, much less indulged in. But the
more I investigated and reflected, the more my
duty became apparent, and I resolved to obey the
dictates of reason and revelation, and leave the
event with Him for whom alone I had ventured all
My wife now felt that true Christian rules and
usages had been outraged ; that I had not re
garded her preferences and interests in the mat
ter, and there evidently was a great gulf fonned
between us, which no amount of reasoning or for-

240 The Ohio Hunter.
bearance on my part could ever bridge. We were
daily growing further and further apart, until
there appeared the almost certain prospect of an
entire separation. Because on one subject there
was difference of opinion, it seemed there could
be no sympathy on any. But when this state of
feeling had about reached its height, the Holy
Spirit found access to her heart ; and by its en
lightening and sanctifying power, we were en
abled to see the great error in which we had been
involved, and by its saving influence we were soon
brought into one fold. After this there was no
more war of household, no more unhappy differ
ences of opinion, we walked together in the unity
of the spirit and bonds of peace. I lived in the
full fellowship of this doctrine, until the year
1858, when I heard the proclamation of the third
angel's message, I did not renounce my former
faith, but only added to faith knowledge, and
have since been endeavoring to walk in obedience
to the commandments of God and the faith of
Jesus Christ.

7958

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