Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-12-29
From the st. Joseph, Mo-, Review
A SOCIABLE LEOPARD CAT.
A Thrilling Adventure.

Seeing an item about leopard cats
in the paper / am reminded of a re-
cent little adventure of my own, the
story of which | haven't before told
III print.
1t happened in the Spring. l was
riding with a friend, whom | viii
call p, from Willis on the CIR, al
Northern railroad to Waverly. III
this county. About an hour before
sundown, Just as we had assembled
from little, clear, running branch
TO the top of small hill, my atten'
ton was attracted to the queer action
of my hurSe Ia small, active fellow
in good keeping) who was evidently
worried about something IN the rear.
2. was on the left and his horse a
little behind mine. | looked back
and saw coming into the road from
our left, and back Of us both, an ih-
imaI, the species Of which | did not
al first recognize. /, came on III
line with P.'s horse (which it did net
seem to notice at alp until 1t could
just pass in front of and under the
horses nose, when II fled suddenly
to the right, increased its spec 90 a
trot, the body slightly depressed,
and when within about eight feet,
gathered its limbs together art
made spring lighting on my hor-
se's hook 1t sunk one claw inIo IN
pony's flank, and reached the other
up, attempting thus to chamber up
behind me TO a seat, la plllon. Tins
was all done in much less time than
1t has taken me TO tell it.
| dare to say that no more aston-
ished aud thoroughly frightened
horse ever lived than was my Dai-
ton when that creature tried to make
a ladder of his leg. Such pitching,
such kicking, such running, such
squealing! You may well believe IL
required all my skill and lrorSeman-
ship to keep in the saddle. Moved
by instinct, the horse endeavored
constantly to get into the thick
woods outside of the road. But If
that increased his chances of getting
rid of his enemy, it exposed me To
the danger either of being dashed
against a tree, or of being dragged
off by an overhanging limb. The
attack was made at a point where
the new road in which we were tray
cling, and the old road, which lad |
been abandoned, separated, but AN
nearly parallel for some distance.
The first spring the horse made took
him out of the new into the old |
road, the second across the old road |
and into the edge of the woods. But
by this ti1Ae i had got enough con-
troll of him to bring him back into
the old road and turn his head in the
direction | wanted TO go. All the
time the cat was losing its hold and
catching again. Being wholly un-
arn.ed-not so much as a pocket
knife or even a loaded riding whip,
there was nothing that | could do.
Finally the kicking, pIunging and
struggling of the horse became so
terrific that the cat was dislodgei
and received such a parting kick as
sent it tumbling over and over i'll
the sand
From the moment the animal
sprang upon. the horse | had seen
nothing of it, all my attention being
absorbed in the management OF the
horse and in keeping my seat. But
now I stopped and looked back to
see what pussy was doing. 1t had
just recovered itself and looking
around it espied Dalton and me some,
fifty yards off. To my great aston
ishment it started toward us again.
in long, looping strides, evidently
disposed to try for a second ride on
horseback. put my little horse to
his mettle, and was soon out of dan
ger.
What has become of my friend
P. all this time .? Some people sneer
at special providences. P. is a Grip
pie from birth, and has no use of his
lower limbs at all; his hady-ls large
s1LAet iltS lS2S oHOlG, anu illo
seat on horseback a very insecure
one. l told you at the beginning
that the leopard came into the road
behind P.'s horse, passing along his
entire length, crossed the road right
under his nose and attacked me-
Account for it as you please. l
choose to believe that a gracious
providence protected poor, helpless
man who could not have helped
From first to last the beast
took no notice of him.
The next morning some young
people went into an old plum or
chard not a great distance from the
scene of the adventure They found
there leopard cat dead, but evident
Iy not very long dead. On its side,
over the ribs, the hair was rubbed
off, and the skin greatly discolored.
Son TocintO % Nov 09d