Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1844-05-30
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From the n. Y Spust ofMe Times.
WILD.CATS IN MISSISSIPPI
JACKSON, ApriI 6. 1914.

JACKSON, April u, 1914.
Dear sir,-As our country around
here is stocked with larger game than
you find in the vicinity of the Queen
City OF the East, YOUR readers might be
interested with the anecdotes of our hun
ting in this region. In dong this may
sometimes be tiresome; if so, burn the
scrawl, and say nothing about it.
The pelihatche swamp, some twenty
miles from this city. has. until the last
year Or two, been the resort OF hunters
from all the towns in its vicinity, for
bear, panthhers, wildcats, deer, and
turkles. About two years since, an old
friend of mine "a rough swearing Old
codger, with real hickory lace-yisi-
ted the swamp in search of game. lie
had taken his station behind log, living
at full length, with his head to the log.
and his gun lay partly over it, to be in
readiness Tor doing execution. thi"k
| see old Daniel. now, with his persim
mon face earnest with hope and expecta-
tion applying the wing bone of turkey
TO his mouth, initiating the call of the
bird, and at times bobbing up his head
10 see the effect of his deception. In the
meanwhile wild cat, proving about in
search of repast off the same delicate
game, was attracted by the call, which
seemed to proceed from turkey astray
from the flock. He commenced steal.
thy approach 10 the place from whence
The call issued, and seeing dark object
moving and rising ever anon behind a
log, the cat would crouch as the object
rose, and renew its approach as it sunk
down; and so on, until he had obtained
position Immediately behind the log
which concealed F.. who raising his
head to look, was clapped on each side
of his face by the CAT, with teeth show
ing beautifully within all inch of his
peaked nose! The look the Two gave
each other was anything but affectonate.
The horror and dsmay of Uncle Daniel
may be ina sined, and some idea may be
formed by you of his appearance of coun-
renance, by taking good look at the en-.
craving representing Terror and Horror,
in 'Lavater on physiognomy.' The cat
was as much alarmed aud surprised as
Uncle Daniel, and had he waited, would
have relaxed his hold and fed; but he
sprung with such force as to Jerk the
cat several feet from the the ground
and tear its claws loose, leaving furrow
for every one of them the whole length
of his face-and thus they parted, two
uncongenial spirits, Uncle Daniel, with.
out bat or gun, making such head way in
one direction that it would have puzzled
Boston in his great brush with Mariner,
10 have held his own; while the cat boil
ted in the opposite course, leaping near
ly over the tops of the high canes which
grow along the creek.
This was the last turkey-hunt my old
old friend d. f. ever took in that swamp
and he often swore to me that he would
rather be butted to death by his own
goats (of which he had numbers.) than
call turkies in a lonesome swamp. -
This has occasioned me many of my
heartiest laughs, and could you have
heard my old friend tell il, and not bro
ken the laces of your vest, you are not
the man picture you in my magma
ton. Yours, very respectfully, 2.