The Turnbo Manuscripts
by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925
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A SPOTTED WOLF
By S. C. Turnbo
"Referring to freak colored animals of the forest," said Mart Herrean, "reminds me of an unusual colored wolf I saw one day in Ozark County, Mo. one day in 1856 I and my brother Simon Herrean rode to lower Turkey Creek with our dogs and guns to hunt for deer. We taken our provision and camp equipage with us to stay out in the hills two or three days. Early on the following morning soon after eating breakfast we mounted our horses and with rifles and the three dogs we started off from camp on a hunt for deer. We had not proceeded far before we sighted a bunch of wolves devouring the carcass of a dead horse that had died on the range. The wolves were some distance from us and thinking we would enjoy the fun of seeing the wolves run from us we encouraged the dogs and they ran in advance of us to attack the wolves. We followed the dogs on a gallop yelling at the top of our voices. We expected to see the wolves scamper away. They did run, but it was to meet the dogs and the latter wheeled about and run back to us. The dogs did some fast running to avoid the wolves and they were in the act of catching the dogs when they met us. It was all confusion now but we managed to shoot at the pack of wolves from off of our horses. But we suppose our bullets went astray for when the pack run back there was no dead ones left behind. Neither did we see any wounded ones. As the wolves darted up to us we saw a spotted wolf in the bunch and when they retreated we got a better view of it. This wolf was black and white pided all over its entire body. When the wolves had disappeared we dismounted and reloaded our rifles and mounting our horses again we followed the wolves and tried to get a shot at the spotted one, but the pack out raced us and was soon lost from view again and we gave up the chase."
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