From The History of Western Maryland HOLMES WILEY Holmes Wiley, who died recently, aged seventy-seven years, was the last of the three hunters of the olden times in Garrett.  First, Christian Garlitz, father of B. T. Garlitz, of Cumberland, died many years ago, whom Meshach Browning, the Nimrod of the forest, and historian of his own achievements, followed some twenty years since, and recently the junior of the trio expired. Wiley was a remarkable man in many respects; of a commanding presence, with a powerful constitution, capable in his better days of enduring almost any hardship, endowed with excelllent judgment and strong common sense, and a memory that scarcely ever failed him.  He was a farmer by vocation, but the rifle and the hunt were his enjoyments throughout his long life.  None but himself could enumerate his many achievements in the the mountains of what is now Garrett County.  One of his exciting adventures he narrated somewhat as follows: While out hunting on a winter day he came upon the track of a powerful wolf.  He pursued the animal to it's den in a cavern in Negro Mouintain.  He at once saw that it was beyond his reach unless he could follow the beast to its lair.  The entrance to the cave was only large enough to allow a man to approach in a crawling  attitude.  In this manner he felt his way in utter darkness for a long distance, with the reliable rifle at his side, until the glare of the eyes of the enraged animal disclosed its position.  A crack from the gun, and in a moment the fierce growl ceased.  The old huntsman was too well skilled in forest life to rush upon his game at once, but when he approached it was found to be dead.  The leaden missive had struck a vital point, and to his surprise and satisfaction be found six live whelps with the dead mother, all of which were brought forth and scalped, for which trophies he secured one hundred and thirty dollars, under the law as it then stood in regard to the destruction of these animals.  Wiley often said this was a pretty good return for an ounce of lead, half as much powder, and a little trembling in the boots.  But he observed that there was a little more grumbling that fiscal year than usual among the tax-payers.  He said this was his last encounter with the wolf tribe, as soon after, the Baltimore and Ohio railroad Company extended its road through the bounds of the county, and drove them off entirely.  Wiley was somewhat primitive in his habits, but a kind-hearted and generous man.  He raised a large family of children, but none of his sons inherited his fondness for the "woods". His second wife was the noted Nancy Hufford, who was tried and acquitted in 1856 [actually 1851] of the charge of poisoning Mrs. Engle. Holmes Wiley's father was Thomas Wiley, a native of England, one of the first settlers of Garrett County.  He died about 1850.  He took great pleasure in being able to vote without having been naturalized (though born in the old country), from the fact of his being older than the constitution of 1789.  Joseph T. Wiley, the youngest son of Thomas, and a brother of Holmes Wiley, the hunter, fell dead Nov. 10, 1881, of heart disease, on the streets of Grantsville, in his sixty-second year.  He was the last living child of Thomas, the pioneer.   BACK TO FAMILIES