Mure> Killed o.x lull-grown panthers in the same 
neighborhood, making eleven in all.” 
Andrew Jackson Long died at his home, about 
two miles from Du Bois, June 18, 1900. 
Dr. McKnight is also authority for the fol¬ 
lowing official record of the last panthers and 
wolves killed in northwestern Pennsylvania: 
LAST PANTHERS AND WOLVES IN 
NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. 
The last bounty paid for wolves and panthers 
in Elk County as shown by the books and 
vouchers on file in the office of the county com¬ 
missioners, 
Wolves. —J. R. Green, November 8, 1871, one; 
James Bennett, Jr., October 28, 1873, one; A- 
J. Rummer, December 13, 1874, one; J- R- Green, 
October, 1874, one; John Myers, December 14, 
1874, one; George Smith, April 8, 1874, two; 
Charles A. Brown, December 28, 1874, one; O. 
B. Fitch, December, 1877, one; and this was the 
last wolf killed in Elk County. The last wolf 
reported killed in Forest County was by Eman¬ 
uel Dobson, Jenks Township, in 1884. The 
last wolf killed in McKean County was by J. W. 
Starks, June 24, 1868. A wolf was reported 
killed in 1886. The records show that a wolf 
was killed in Potter County in 1890. A wolf 
was reported killed in Tioga County by Levi 
Kissinger in 1883. 
. Panthers .—Alexander Wykoff, February 18, 
1850, one; Thomas Dent, May 20, 1850, one; 
Peter Smith, January 5, 1852, one; E. G. Deer- 
ing, February 18, 1852, one; Peter Smith, March 
7, 1853, six; Nelson Gardner, June 29, 1857, one. 
These were all killed in Elk County. Nelson 
Gardner, who lived above Ridgway, killed the 
last panther in Elk County. 
During the thirties, when Jefferson County 
still embraced what is now Forest and Elk 
Counties, the bounties paid for panther, wolf, 
fox, and wild-cat scalps fell a little short of 
four hundred dollars a year. The last bounties 
paid for panthers and wolves killed in Jefferson 
County was in 1856. The record is as follows: 
March 18, 1856, Jacob Stahlman, one wolf; 
March 24, 1856, Mike Long, five wolves; May 
1 7 , 1856, Andrew Bowers, Gaskill Township, 
one wolf; November 19, 1856, Adam Hetrick, 
one panther, killed on Maxwell Run, in Polk 
Township. George Smith had chased this pan¬ 
ther across the line of Elk into Jefferson County. 
The panther was an old and very large one. 
Fred. Hetrick, a great hunter, lived then at or 
near Greenbriar, and this panther commenced 
to kill and feast on his sheep. The panther 
made the mistake of his life. Fred knew at 
once what was killing his sheep, and organized 
a hunting expedition of himself, his son Adam, 
and four dogs. The dogs soon traced the pan¬ 
ther Fred shot him while on a limb, in the 
neck. The panther then sprang from the tree 
at the dogs, killing one and badly injuring the 
second. He would soon have killed all four, 
but Adam gave him a second shot from the rifle, 
and this shot killed the last panther in Jeffer¬ 
son County. 
It is reported that two panthers were killed 
on the Driftwood in what is now Cameron 
County by Isaac Rammage in 1851. The last 
panther in what is now Forest County was 
killed at Panther Rocks in 1848. A panther was 
killed in McKean County by William Eastman 
and George Smith about 1858 or 1859. The last 
panther killed in Warren County was in Cory- 
FOREST AND STREAM 
don Township, by Sylvester C. Williams, De¬ 
cember 18, 1863, and the last wolf killed i 
Warren County was by James Irwin in Mead 
Township, March 17, 1866. The last panther 
killed in Tioga County was in 1841. 
Nessmuk’s chosen hunting ground covered 
Northwestern Pennsylvania, and from what 
has been published above, it will be inferred 
that he could not have picked out a better loca¬ 
tion from the standpoint of the hunter or 
naturalist. 
The days when game was so plentiful are 
gone. Conservation has succeeded ruthless de¬ 
struction, and that is about the only reason why 
people of to-day have any hunting left at all- 
Perhaps here and there in present wildernesses 
there are men still living who have a record 
of 350 bears and 1500 deer, but they are mighty 
few. The settler had to get rid of the bears 
and panthers to protect his family and live stock, 
and he had to kill deer for the meat and hides. 
Such occasion or necessity is now passed. The 
modern idea is to save—not to destroy. That is 
the campaign in which Forest and Stream, sup¬ 
ported by its army of readers, is now engaged. 
OPEN SEASON FOR UPLAND GAME IS 
SUSPENDED. 
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 
A PROCLAMATION 
For the purpose of protecting property and 
conserving the forest and timber lands of the 
Commonwealth, the legislature of 1909 by the 
provisions of Chapter 422 of that year placed 
upon the governor in the following words the 
responsibility/' of suspending the open season 
upon the game in and near forest lands, when 
in his opinion public exigency requires- 
Section 1. Whenever, during an open season 
for the hunting of any kind of game in this 
state, it shall appear to the governor that by 
reason of extreme drought the use of firearms 
in the forest is liable to cause forest fires, he 
may, by proclamation, suspend the open season 
and make it a close season for the shooting of 
birds and wild animals of every kind for such 
time as he may designate, and may prohibit the 
discharge of firearms in or near forest land 
during the said time. 
Section 2. During the time designated as 
above by the governor, all provisions of law 
relating to the close season shall be in force, 
and whoever violates any such provisions shall 
be subject to the penalties prescribed therefor. 
In view of the extreme drought now existing, 
and the fact that forest fires reported at the 
forest fire lookout stations suddenly increased 
at least 500 per cent, on Oct. 12, the first day 
off the open season on upland game, in spite of 
the extraordinary precautions taken by the gov¬ 
ernor and by the executives of the Forestry and 
of the Fish and Game Departments, it must be 
obvious to every public-spirited citizen that the 
damage arising from even the small percentage 
of fires started by hunters may be very con¬ 
siderable, not alone in direct and actual monetary 
loss, but indirectly, in the far-reaching and disas¬ 
trous results, through the destruction of useful 
birds, and by deterrent effect upon labor and 
capital which is now being put into the develop¬ 
ment of forest, woodland and orchard properties 
by individuals and by the state. 
I therefore consider that the public may be 
best served by suspending the present open sea¬ 
531 
son on upland game, until a general and drench¬ 
ing rain has quenched the present numerous 
fires and made conditions again favorable within 
the Commonwealth. 
At the suggestion and with the advice of the 
State Forester and of the Fish and Game Com¬ 
missioners, I hereby proclaim, as provided in 
Chapter 422, Acts of 1909, that the open season 
for upland game is suspended in this Common¬ 
wealth until further notice. 
Given at the Executive Chamber, in Boston, 
this thirteenth day of October, in the year of 
Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and four¬ 
teen and of the independence of the United States 
of America the one hundred and thirty-ninth. 
By His Excellency the Governor, 
DAVID I. WALSH. 
SINGLE-HEADED GAME COMMISSION. 
A joint committee representing the Association 
for the Protection of the Adirondacks, the Camp 
Fire Club of America, New York Board of 
Trade and Transportation, New York State Fish, 
Game and Forest League, Yale College of For¬ 
estry, New York State College of Forestry, 
North Woods Clubs, Lake George Association, 
Empire State Forest Products Association, and 
Oswego Rod and Gun Club. 
the New York State Forestry Association, has 
adopted a resolution favoring the creation in 
New York of a department of forests, separate 
from the administration of waters, fish and 
game, under a single commissioner, who is to 
be appointed by the governor for a term of 
not less than ten years from a number of per¬ 
sons recommended by the State Board of Re¬ 
gents. 
This suggests that some thought might be 
given to the desirability of similar action by 
the sportsmen of the state with regard to game. 
Those who have been on the firing line state 
that matters pertaining to game only are some¬ 
times seriously impeded because of the present 
inter-relation of things at Albany. This is said 
to apply particularly to legislative matters, bills 
of benefit to sportsmen sometimes having to bear 
the incubus of the allied departments which are 
joined under the control of the present three¬ 
headed commission. 
Throughout the national forests the rangers 
are posting the roads with permanent guide signs 
which tell distances and directions, especially 
at forks and cross-roads. The signs are usually 
put up in the winter when other work tends to 
be light. On some forests the rangers go on 
snowshoes, dragging loaded sleds and nail the 
signboards to the roadside trees. 
