Singing Away the Wolves, 1810
The story is undated, but must have taken place about 1810 or thereabouts. Westerville was nothing but a collection of log huts, surrounded by deep, dark, old growth forest. In that forest was wildlife such as we shall never see again: bears, wildcats, wolves, and other top predators. Teeming with life, the very earliest settlers were just beginning to make a few inroads. Otherwise, it was a sylvan paradise.
One of the earliest settlers was Hines Mitchum. The Mitchum family settled in Genoa Township in Delaware County. Hines Mitchum was a religious man, and attended the offerings of visiting preachers and religious assemblies whenever he could, walking long distances to attend. Coupled with his fervor was his “excellent singing voice, and his presence was often sought, and always appreciated” at revivals and prayer meetings.
On one such occasion, Mitchum was invited to a Methodist meeting at Westerville, and despite the distance, he happily agreed to be present. As yet, there were no roads through Genoa Township, not even trails. But Mitchum trusted his knowledge of the terrain, and set out through the deep woods toward Westerville. He took no special notice of the arcing sun, but before he reached the settlement, he began to hear the howls of gray wolves. Dusk had arrived, and the wolf howls were coming from every direction. Now in a panic, Mitchum made tracks for the nearest climbable tree, with a wolf pack at his heels.
“Mitchum appreciated the fact that he was in a rather uncomfortable position,” which was an understatement, to be sure. He would be safe, as long as he remained in the tree, but the pack of hungry wolves prevented any escape. Then inspiration struck, and he began to sing. His rich voice startled the wolves, who stopped their howling. Encouraged, Mitchumn kept singing, and the pack slowly “sneaked off.’ Not recorded is whether he kept singing to keep the wolves from returning. “Whether they left in disgust, or felt the overpowering influence of his voice” is also unknown.
Mitchum arrived in Westerville just as the meeting was ending. He told his story, saying he had been at a “praise meeting,” and that the wolves' voices were “naturally strong, but needed cultivation,’ another understatement.
No longer do wolves howl in the woods around Westerville, But if you are lucky, and attentive, you might see (or hear) their cousins. Coyotes still appear in Westerville once in a while; their barking disturbs neighborhood dogs. I have only seen one coyote in Westerville, but if you hear a loud yap-fest in the hours after sunset, there’s a good chance the sound was made, or started by coyotes. If they bother you, try singing.
[This story is retold in William Henry Perrin, History of Delaware County and Ohio. Containing a brief history of the state of Ohio (Chicago, 1880), pp. 607-08.
