USA > Wisconsin > Sauk County > A standard history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, Volume I > Part 13
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CHUMMY WITH THE DOMESTIC CAT
"The lynx family has been known to associate with the common domestic house cat. In the early settlement of the town of Franklin John Norton, who took up land there and built a log house upon it, owned a house cat which frequently obtained its food from the surrounding wilder- ness. The cat was thoroughly domesticated and spent its time about the
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house when not out in the woods in quest of small birds and young rabbits.
"One year, this cat became the mother of three kittens, all of which were bob tailed and had the color and all the markings of the lynx except the tufted ears. The fond mother was devoted to her litter and the kittens were playful like ordinary domestic kittens. As they grew to maturity, however, they became shy and finally ran off into the woods and did not return.
DEER ITS FAVORITE PREY
"From early settlers we learn that the lynx was formerly quite destructive to fawns and sometimes older deer would be killed by them. Although capable of tracing by the seent, its usual method of capturing its prey is by concealing itself on a limb of a tree, over a runway and pouncing upon the back of the unsuspecting victim as it passes along underneath. Having thoroughly imbedded its strong, sharp claws into the body of a deer, it will bite it in the neck, killing it after the fashion of its feline relative, the cougar.
"In the winter of 1870, William North while hunting deer in the big bluffs south of N. Freedom saw a lynx pounce upon a deer. North wounded a deer early in the morning and was tracking it, keeping a sharp lookout for a finishing shot, when he saw an animal spring from a tree into the brush below. The act was immediately followed by the furious bleating of a deer, which evidently had been attacked. With increased stealth, North slowly followed along the trail until he finally reached an eminence from which he could see his deer lying on the ground with the lynx upon it. He quickly dispatched the lynx with his rifle and coming up to his deer found it still alive but too exhausted to rise. The neck of the deer had been severely lacerated by the teeth of the lynx and the wounds made by its sharp claws showed with what strength it had clung to its prey. North had the lynx pelt tanned, keeping it as a trophy and ever after took delight in relating in detail, the circumstance by which he obtained it.
LAST LYNX IN SAUK COUNTY
"As far as known to the writer, the last Canada lynx killed in Sauk County was shot a few years ago, near Limeridge, by Ben Tyler, who discovered it in a tree, while out in the woods hunting rabbits. It was of medium size and evidently not full grown,
"The lynx, along with the bear, wolf, elk and deer was elosely asso- ciated with the pioneer life of our county and state. To those who hunted it, the lynx afforded lively sport: as a savage prowler and denizen of the wilds, it held high rank and although not dangerous to
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man unless attacked, its weird eries at night contributed to the loneli- ness of the woods and altogether it was a creature of much interest."
THE DEER, RARE, BUT WELCOME VISITOR
Of the larger animals which were indigenous to Sauk County, the bear and the deer, were the most persistent clingers to its soil. The deer have been protected for a number of years and have greatly increased in number. There have been a few complaints as a result of these ani- mals eating the twigs of apple trees in winter and tender garden vege- tables in the summer. On the bluffs they are now so numerous they are seen daily along the highways or in the woods and fields. Occasionally a hunter ventures to kill one at the risk of paying a heavy fine in court and sometimes farmers' dogs chase them to their death, especially when the snow is deep and with a crust. A conservation warden who has spent many days on the south range of the Baraboo Bluffs states he believes there are several hundred deer between Bear Valley and the Caledonia Hills.
BRUIN, THE ROLLICKING FAVORITE
The bear was loth to leave, as, with the coming of settlers, he de- veloped a growing appetite for many of the articles of food which they produced, such as young pigs, honey and sweet cultivated roots. He was easily tamed and, even in his wild state, not ill natured unless hungry or attacked. Of all the large animals Bruin was the favorite, and the stories told about his ridiculous playfulness and solemn wisdom have already made it necessary to issue several books in Sauk County alone. From such a wealth of material, the writer, who has been some- what industrious himself in this line of literary output, selects a few "Baraboo Bear Tales," into which are worked several well known per- sonalities of the county's pioneer period.
THE LAST BEAR HUNT IN THE BARABOO HILLS
Tales of bearing hunting in the Baraboo Bluffs cover a span of years from the coming of the first occupants of the region in the late '30s to treeing the last bruin in the early '90s. For fifty years, around the fireside of the section, stores of the chase were recounted with fervor again and again. This diversion had no counterpart in the annals of those early days, but is a distinctive thread running through the first half century of rural life among the hills. Hundreds of the plantigrade creatures were sacrificed on the altar of advancement of the new race and finally the last of the tribe played his part in the adventure which furnishes the data for this bear tale.
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Around the eastern extremity of the Baraboo range of bluffs known as the Caledonia Hills, the Wisconsin River is forced to form a curve of many miles. After returning to its accustomed meridian, it fol- lows a westerly .direction until its confluence with the Mississippi near Prairie du Chien. The vast tract of timber land embracing the north- western portion of the state and lying north and west of the river was not open for settlement until long after the country to the east and south had felt the influences of territorial invasion. Into this inter- Wisconsin and Mississippi River region the explorers and trappers penetrated early in the century and, following them, came the lum- bermen with tooth of steel before which the great forests fell like blades under the swinging scythe. Prior to the coming of the woodsmen the trees stood thick in solid ranks like an interminable phalanx, and after the slaughter an almost impenetrable tangle of undergrowth sprang up. Broken saplings and drying tree-tops, left lying as they fell among the discarded trees, were soon half covered with verdure. Through this partial clearing, hunters in their quest for game frequently journeyed, building campfires that often kindled vast conflagrations. Early settlers were no less thoughtless and, during the autumn season especially, fires raged among the neglected trees, brush, leaves, grass and weeds, creat- ing a veritable inferno. Bear and other game fled before the flames. Nor did the darkened day and blackened night mean only the burning, of the domain of the animals, but the loss of their food supply as well.
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One of these fire-driven unfortunates, after fording the streams and traversing the intervening country, finally reached the Caledonia Hills. It was Thanksgiving Day in the year 1891. The Farnsworth brothers, at their home on the headwaters of Jackson Creek, thought they recog- nized bear tracks near the house. Some years had passed since bear had paid a visit to that locality, but the young men were sure they had not mistaken the evidence of its proximity. As night fell they were off for a bear hunt. On they went, past the Karg home, across River Dale Farm and through the neighboring woods. This way and that, around and around in the darkness, they followed the trail. Tracks in the fallen snow served at times to guide them and at last, after crossing and recross- ing the winding course of the animal, the dogs succeeded in treeing it. From this momentary refuge the bear escaped to another tree and in desperation climbed and pulled himself beyond dog danger. A rain of lead drove him still farther on in a leap and dash for safety. A nearby oak beside the river offered possible shelter and bruin sought protection in its branches. Again a shot sounded through the darkness and the bear fell dead before the excited hunters.
With feet tied, the animal was swung on a pole and carried several miles, its weight of 250 pounds demanding many a rest by the way. Weary, but filled with the excitement of the hunt, the Farnsworth brothers
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reached their home. The bear was more of a curiosity than in an earlier day and as far as known was the last black bear seen in the Baraboo Hills.
WHEN COURT ADJOURNED TO HUNT A BEAR
Bounded by the high, rocky Baraboo bluffs on the north, the undu- lating terminal moraine on the east, the winding Wisconsin on the south and a succession of sandstone hills on the west, Sauk Prairie slopes with gentle incline to the southward. Early explorers found the Sae and Fox Indians dwelling together in this extensive prairie garden, their primitive eornfields scattered in methodless manner along the banks of the river. Traces of their early agricultural attempts, marked by irregu- larly arranged groups of hillocks, are visible to this day in the locality.
This fertile prairie of the Sacs and Foxes was the Mecca of the first homesteaders in the region lying north and west of the Wisconsin River. Here the first plowshares were thrust, their owners being rewarded with erops of prodigal abundanee. Most of the pioneers of the forties and fifties were New Englanders and New Yorkers; later, in the sixties, came a wave of German emigration, and today the prairie is oeeupied, almost without exception, by the farms and firesides of sons and daughters of the Teutons.
To this picturesque and productive prairie eame, in the year 1840, the romantie eharaeter.known as Count Agoston Haraszthy. A native of Hungary, the count arrived in the new world full of enthusiasm for adventure, sport, commercial enterprise or whatever the unknown land might offer. Tales abound of the distinguished appearance of this indi- vidual of noble lineage, of the courtliness of his manners, of his prowess as a hunter and particularly of the fruitless efforts which he made to establish a city on the shores of the Wiseonsin.
With his kinsman, Charles Halasz, the count platted a portion of Sauk Prairie, giving to the site the name of Haraszthy. Here he located with his family, hunted bear, deer and other game on the neighboring hills and speculated upon the city which was to spring into existence. The straggling community grew slowly, however, never attaining to the dignity of a county seat, which was located later one mile distant at the Village of Prairie du Sac. It was here in a rude, weather-boarded frame building, designated as the courthouse, that Judge Irwin of the terri- torial eircuit held the first county court on the prairie. At one of the early sessions in the new bailiwick, proceedings were droning along with more than their usual monotony when court was unceremoniously in- terrupted by an individual shouting excitedly in a voiee that filled the court-room: "Bear in the village! Bear in the village!" In the twinkling of an eye every man was on his feet. Like an alarm of fire the report was spread that a bear had been observed near the prairie's populous eenter. A suspension of proceedings was unnecessary. No
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business of the community was of sufficient importance to demand atten- tion under such circumstances. Judge, jury, prisoner and lawyers joined the excited exodus of spectators that poured from the court-room. As they rushed down the street in an excited foray, their numbers increased. The village blacksmith met them at the corner, his leather apron flapping in the breeze. The country doctor, returning from a distant call, dropped his saddle-bags without regard for pills or physic and joined the pro- cession. The dominie burst out of the parsonage door as the crowd passed and excitedly pointed in the direction of bruin's appearance. Not a weapon was to be seen. Nobody had taken time to think of any- thing but the bear. The count happened to drop into Prairie du Sae at the moment the company was leaving the courthouse, and snatching a giant cheese knife from the village grocer waved it aloft as he fell in with the posse. As they hastened toward the outskirts of the village, doors flew open in house and shanty and busy housewives waved their hands at the excited crowd hastening by.
Judge Irwin shouted to Mrs. Crossman as they passed the Crossman cottage :
"Hold the dinner; we will have some bear meat."
In this case, sure enough, the bear was easily located and captured and the neighborhood enjoyed a feast of its favorite delicacy.
ABE WOOD AND THE BEAR
To have seen Abe Wood placidly bartering with the Indians or deftly propelling his craft down the swiftly flowing Wisconsin, one never would have thought him a terror of territorial times. But the appellation was entirely fitting. A terror he was, with a character as rude and as varied as the roughly rising talused hills and deep rock-lined ravines of the region of his adoption.
Men sometimes seem to reflect in a remarkable degree the attributes of their surroundings. This was strangely true of Wood. Tall of stature and powerful of limb, the brawny backwoodsman was known the country round for feats of strength no less than for his wild outbursts of temper which intermittently shocked the community. While they endured, his tantrums struck fear to the timid members of the little colony in the Baraboo hills, incidentally serving as topics of conversation long after- ward.
The quartzite bluffs were no whit more invincible than the will of this doughty pathfinder after his decision was made. Adventure or undertaking, nothing daunted him, and a project begun was invariably followed to completion. Along with his mighty will-power and dictatorial disposition, Abe possessed an open-hearted generosity and a certain rude sense of justice-qualities that stood him in good stead while bartering with the Indians.
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In general appearance Wood was rough and untamed, yet his blue eyes looked out from their heavy brows with a kind of waggish good- humor during his intervals of mental placidity. His head, unusually large, was covered with a thatch of light reddish hair. This usually was topped by a small, dark-colored hat that long since had lost semblance to its original self and, transformed by years of service, looked more than anything else like a miniature haystack with an easing rim. A coat, when he wore one, usually presented ventilating apertures at the elbows and a pitiful scantiness as to sleeve and frock. In early days it was a common custom for the women to patch the pantaloons of the men when worn through at the knees. Later, when the repaired portion became threadbare, instead of easting the garment aside, the legs were amputated above the patch, reversed and sewed in place again, the mended portion falling back of the knee. This stroke of economy gave the wearer of the remodeled pantaloons a decidedly comical appearance. When Wood strode forth in a pair of turned trousers it was hazardous to say at first glance whether he was coming or going. These same trousers were held in place by two strips of hickory shirting containing a buttonhole at either end, the whole contrivance antedating modern suspenders. With the lower extremity of his trousers thrust into the tops of heavy boots, the soles thickly peppered with round-headed nails for economy and wear, Abe Wood traveled the country over. Returning from the village tavern at night, the big boots with their armored soles made such a thumping, thumping, thumping on the rough pine boards that many a wakeful ehild or housewife drew the bed covering closely overhead and whispered as he elattered by :
"There goes Abe Wood."
By birth Wood was a Kentuekian, but early in life wandered toward the great Northwest, following elose in the wake of Black Hawk's war- cloud. Like thousands of other daring spirits, he found the country of the subdued Indians a land of promise, the wildness and mystery of which answered to his own inborn thirst for adventure. He first located at the portage of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers, a favorite dwelling- place of the Indians of the Northwest. Here he kept a grog-shop, but sudden dissolution overtook the business when, in a quarrel with his red patrons, he was unfortunate enough to kill a Pawnee. Perhaps to avoid the consequences and to prove his protested friendship for the aborigines, he soon afterwards espoused a squaw. For several years he dwelt with the woman and her half-grown daughter some thirty miles from the portage and near the site of the present capital of Wisconsin. Later, after the birth of his daughter, by whom he set great store, the family drifted northward over the Baraboo bluffs to the rapids of the Baraboo. Here they tarried, and Wood erected a primitive sawmill around which a village soon sprang up. As the first settler of the com- munity, Wood was a figure of more or less consequence. He also sought
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to be the champion in all contests of strength in the neighborhood, and in the quarrels and fights of the settlement he always was an active participant.
His bodily strength and aggressive disposition frequently placed him in the position of dictator. When, as sometimes happened, he was ap- pointed umpire in disputes, he invariably took matters seriously and in announcing his decision would push back his haystack hat, look the assemblage over and deliver his dictum in a tone that admitted of no appeal.
Always on hand at the political and social gatherings of the little eircle of dwellers in the jerry-built houses along the river, rare was the occasion when Abe failed to find fault with the brand of amusement offered by anyone except himself.
It was at an independence day pienic that Wood's rage at an imagined slight smouldered and smoked until it burst into flames. The settlers with their wives and children were about to seat themselves under the spreading trees to partake of a feast when it was discovered that places had not been provided for Wood and his family. Whether the omission was by accident or design was never explained, but after some discussion the matter was adjusted and Wood and his Indian wife were apparently satisfied. But the fancied slight still annoyed Wood.
The blame he placed upon the master of ceremonies, W. H. Canfield, a young surveyor who had been instrumental in arranging the celebra- tion. Meeting the young man in the village store a few days later, Wood opened fire upon him by discussing the affair in a loud voice, directing malicious shafts at him over the heads of others. A tumbler or two of grog added heat to the backwoodsman's anger, and as the excitement increased the discreet surveyor decided quietly to withdraw. This action brought Wood to his feet. Violently swinging his brawny arms, he shouted maledictions upon the picnic committee, and with a snort of rage plunged through the door after the departing man. As the surveyor neared the friendly shelter of the double log cabin of Mrs. Eben Peck, which stood a short distance from the store, Wood's voice rang out after him, his heavy boots pounding along with a vengeance. No time was there for deliberation. With a dash the young man dodged behind the cabin and disappeared. Wood, thinking the object of his wrath had taken refuge within, rushed into the large covered opening between the two portions of the cabin, thundered into the rooms on one side, then across the open way into those of the other. No surveyor was in sight. The dining-table stood in the open passage, with the crockery and rem- nants of food upon it, just as it had been left at the close of the noonday meal. Near-by was the housewife quietly attending to her work. Beside himself with rage at being outwitted, Wood gave one glance at the table, then leaping upon the unoffending piece of furniture he kicked the cups and plates right and left to destruction. The horrified woman stood Vol. 1-8
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helpless. Back and forth the mad man stamped until naught but ruin remained. Then, without a word, he disappeared in high dudgeon.
Many versions of Wood's escapades traveled up and down the valley in those days. There was the story of his attempt to confiscate a keg of beer from the Webster cabin. Had not Mistress Webster arrived at the moment she did, the precious fluid undoubtedly would have been lost. Courageous lady that she was, she grasped the intruder by the back of the shirt and, hanging on stoutly, demanded that he relinquish the beer. This was far from Wood's intention, but as the lady's grip was firm he was only able to pull her along, bawling out the while at the top of his voice :
"Keep fast hold, madam, and I will take you straight to h-1."
The tale of "The Baraboo Rushers" was one often repeated. Wood and three companions, styling themselves the Baraboo rushers, took passage on a river steamboat from St. Louis. On the way, one of the boatmen was seized with cholera, then raging in the country. The knowl- edge that the fearful malady was aboard caused consternation, and after some discussion it was decided to put the sick man ashore. But how? Not a member of the crew would venture near the victim, so dreaded was the disease. At this juncture Abe, the fearless, came forward.
"Give us a blanket," he shouted; "the Baraboo rushers will take him ashore. We're not afraid of man or devil, much less a gripe in the stomach."
The blanket was furnished and at the next landing the four men carried the suffering fellow to the tavern.
"We want a bed for a sick man," Wood bawled out as they hove near.
"Beds all full," came the answer.
In a rage Wood retorted:
"Show me one; I'll empty it."
But the landlord was not anxious to accommodate them. As they discussed the matter, the captain of the boat, fearing the men had exposed themselves to infection, took advantage of the opportunity to push out from the landing without sounding the bell. In a moment the rushers realized their predicament and, dropping their blanket with its suffering burden on the tavern floor, they plunged into the river after the depart- ing boat. They were good swimmers and speedily overtook the craft. As Wood landed on deck he poured forth a volley of curses upon the head of the wily captain. Tiring of the abuse, thie officer threatened to put him ashore. This was a signal for the rushers. Flourishing their tomahawks, knives and pistols, with which, after the fashion of back- woodsmen, they were armed, the four men sprang forward ready for battle. The daring of the men with the suddenness of the attack so surprised the captain that he immediately surrendered. With a flourish of his tomahawk, Abe assumed control of the steamboat, crying :
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"We'll teach you the Baraboo rushers are not to be trifled with. This boat never lands again until we order it and never starts until we get ready. If this doesn't suit we'll run her straight to h-1."
According to the annals, the rushers remained in control of the craft until it neared St. Louis.
Some years after locating on the Baraboo river, Wood's Winnebago wife decided to forsake the turbulent frontiersman and seek a refuge on an Indian reservation. Margaret, Wood's only child, remained with her father in the settlement, lodging here and there among the village families. At the time of her mother's departure, the girl was scarcely half grown, and by reason of her helplessness became more or less of a charge upon the housewives of the neighborhood. Wood was exceed- ingly fond of the child and, far from relinquishing his claim upon her, kept a sharp lookout that she be accorded equal social privileges with the other young folks of the settlement. Any fancied slight or appear- ance of discrimination aroused him to uncontrollable anger. To avoid unpleasantness, Margaret usually was treated with special consideration.
Wood spent his days at this time roaming the forests, rafting and fishing upon the river and trading with the Indians. The long guiding oar and the snubbing line were his playthings, and with kindred rafts- men many a journey was made to southern ports along the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers. The point of departure for these rafting trips usually was just below the dalles of the Wisconsin. Above were lodged great fleets of lumber and logs from the timber regions of the north, which were floated down the river in giant rafts. These cumbersome craft, unable to pass through the dalles, were here separated into "eribs," five or six of which bound together constituted a "rapids piece." With one of these reconstructed rafts an experienced pilot, with some degree of safety, could run the perilous dalles. Once through, several of these small "Wisconse rafts" were joined together and, guided by several raftsmen, proceeded slowly southward.
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