Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-09-08
THE MOUNTAIN LION.
The Terror of the Ranchcrs o.
Southern California.

Southern California.
''Of all the sly cats that can be found,
the mountain lion beats them all" said
an old hunter in the San Bernardino
country. ''Some months ago." he con-
tinued. 81 went into the hog business
on small scale, bought two dozen
shoats, and for week L lost a shoat
every night and could not for the life
of me find out who was the thief. For
the first three nights after missed one
L hung around the pen until nearly
morning, but it seemed as if the mo-
ment l stepped out one of the shoats
stepped of, so l got friend to watch
with me, and we fixed up a big dry
goods box and got into 1t, and we sat
there alongside Of the pen. 1 reckon
we kept awake until four O'Clock, when
we fell asleep. was awakened by
hearing shoat sQuealiBg, and out l
rushed and my friend after me: but the
shoat was gone, and just as we were
about starting for the house l happened
to cast my eye toward a big log that
ran into the hog pen, and there were
two OF the greenest eyes you ever saw.
didn't wait to find out what it was,
but let fly with my rifle, and the next
second out came the biggest mountain
| lion ever saw. l wasn't ten feet from
him, and as he went l took him over
| the head with the butt of the gun and
my friend, carried away with excite
ment, was finishing him with his knife.
He was six feet long, the biggest one L
have ever seen here. And how do you
suppose he worked it? You'd never
guess You see, there was an old hol-
low log that l had fixed up as a drain,
but had used it for some time back to
run water into the pen, and through this
that cat would creep until he got we'll
In, and then he would reach out claw
and grab the shoat, as they slept around
the entrance, and it would be dragged
into the log. and, of course, nothing
would be seen. 1t was cute piece OF
business.
1.-The mountain lions are not as COM
mon as they were once, but you can
lind them around If you are inclined to
hunt. I'll never forget the first one l
ever saw. had been in the mountains
prospecting-you know every body
prospects here-and about o'clock in
the afternoon it began to snow, and l
was certainly ten miles from home and
had to make it, so | began the down
trail. 1t got dark about 9, SO that
had to almost feel my way, and the
snow was flying thick and fast and
nearly six inches deep. reckon l had
gone along about two miles when l
thought L heard low, soft step behind
me. | pulled up and listened, and the
noise stopped so quick that 1 thought
It was an echo, and started on again;
bu: the moment | moved l heard the
soft step coming on, and as l hauled up
a second time | heard twig break, and
then was sure that | was being fol-
lowed. A friend of mine was dogged
in that way once by Mexican and
shot at, and it occurred to me that per-
haps some one was after me, thinking
had something valuable about me. Al
first | didn't know what to do, as when
| stopped the thing behind me did the
same. l must confess it made NE
nervous. You know if you can see
thing it's all rIght-you know what tc
do; but when something is following
YOU in the dark it's a different thing
So waited moment and then rar
ahead for hundred yards as fast rs
could go and made a rush for
tree and stood behind it. 1t was
good scheme, as l completely fooled my
follower, and in Il second or so l saw a
long, black figure. like man crawling
along on hands and knees, going 81
carefully l could hardly hear 1t from
where | stood. L had my rifle ready
and Just as it got opposite me L hred
The animal leaped ten feet, L should
say. into the air, and fell back with
snarl-a dead mountain lion l DOM
know whether 1t would have touched
me or not, but il looked very
suspicious. l didn't take any chances
"I never saw or heard Of one tack
ling a man, but 1 can tell you wha
they will dc: They will whip grizzly
bear every time, and the grizzly is kins
on this coast. l had 1t straight from al
old partner OF mine in the mining busi
ness. He was over in the Rockies, an'
well up one time, and on this particula
occasion, on all elk hunt. They hat
.. been after the game half a day, whel
all at once they heard a fearful roar IL
. the brush, and rushing in they looked
through and saw q big grizzly and
mountain lion having regular rough
and-tumble of it. they were iumpin:
J about so and rolling over and over s.
.. fast that they could not tell who wa
getting the best of it for some time, ant
they didn't want TO shoot for fear o
spolling what they called the fun; s.
! thew stood by and watched the fight
The grizzly was evidently trying u
,, squeeze the lion, which was SO slende
that it wlggled and squlrmed out OF tn
way. but all the time scratching an
tearing Just as you see cat when sn
i is fighting. With such tactics as TIL
. il didn't take long to finish the busl
ness: the hair was flying from IN
grizzly. and both animals were covere'
, with blood and screaming and roarin
so that YOU could have heard them
/, mile or more. All at once the bea
made break and tried to run, but u
e was that weak he fell over, and as tn
two brutes lay on their sides the ma
shot them both. Yes, the bear wa
done for, The hide was completel
torn in pieces and good for nothing.
> believe the mountain lion would hav
got away all right; the only thing tn
matter with it was some OF It's rip
were broken and it was well torn vi
$ You see the great hold Of grizzly IS !
knock an animal over with its claws 9
paw, and throw its arms about a ma ma,
y, and squeeze; but mountain lion W.
o tear and scratch so quick that theI