Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-03-20
A "VAHlGINT' AT BAY.
An Ants.D Breakfast Skirmish With
. wild Cat.

We were told the other day, the par
ticulars of ON adventure, tho scene OF
which was laid in our county, and the
time last week, which has the unmistaka.
BILE backwoods flavor; though in telling,
VIC may not be able to impart to it the
electric thrill peculiar to such narratives
by masters of the art:
Mr.. J. W. Sharp, is farmer in Mid
dlefield Township, who lives nearly two
miles west of the East county line. His
son, P. II. Sharp, is a man of { mlly, and
lives on the same road about 80 rods
from his fathers place. Both farms are
on the prairie and neither is nearer to
timber than about three miles. Each has
one or more dogs, and one night about
the middle of last week, it was noticed by
both families before and after they had
retired to rest, that there was something
of more than usual interest engaging the
attention of their canine friends. Loud
and continued barking and scurrying ra-
ces between the houses, gave notice that
the dogs had some wild thing at bay,
which they were bound to make meat of,
or in the alternative suffer the same
Transformation themselves.
Just before daylight the din which had
continued all night eliminated in furi
GUS struggle close to the residence OF the
younger Sharp, who determined to arise
and reconnoiter. Going to the outside
kitchen door, lie found all quiet on that
side Of the house. Closing the door, he
went through the kitchen to the sitting
room leaving the door between the rooms
open. The next step was to open to the
door leading from the sitting room to the
| open air. This done, the fun was before
him but it did not prove funny tor him,
for the moment he opened the door, an
animal the species of which he could
not determine in the faint light, sprang
to the top of his head and, sinking its
vicious claws into his scalp, then jumped
to the floor, and passed into the kitchen
where it hid itself behind some barrels
The family were aroused by this time,
and when lamp was lighted it was dis
covered that Mr. Sharp was bleeding pro.
fusely. so freely in fact that he was COM
pletely blinded, his face and hair being
covered with blood When he had stop
ped this and repaired damages, he called
the fiercest dog of the pack and sent him
into the kitchen to use up the unwelcome
and as yet unknown intruder. But Mr..
| dog had had all the fun he wanted for
one night, and turned tail and "got out
| o. there" lust as soon as the nature of the
case would admit So Mr.. Sharp and a
Young man who boarded with the family,
each arming himself with a pitcbfork,
marched to the attack just as the sun be.
gan to gid the purple bars Of day. On
one side were numbers and arms, on the
other strategy solely. Several vicious jabs
were skilfully cvaded by the brute and
one which took, tore out. Finally the
assailants made front and flank attack,
and succeeded in simultaneously trans
fixing the wild cat,-fofsuchit was-with
the tines of both forks, thus ending his
career. The "varmint" was found to
weigh 20 pounds, and but for his all
night running fight with the dogs, it is
not unlikely that he would have made
the closing struggle in the kitchen in
tersting if not memorable to his assailants.
The mystery is, how wild cat came to
be so far from timber. The dogs next
day showed plenty of wounds and
scratches, and were well 9 Atent to keep
close Ito the kennel Mr.. Sharn 10, on
general principles, an admirer of the en-
crgy which prompts men to surmount
OBSTACLES rather than 60 around them, but
he is not sure that it is 80 commendable