Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1886-03-20
A CATAMOUNT'S PAW.
In Ouickness the Next Thing o
Lightning.

\ HOnesdale, Pa, correspondent writes:
If there is anything quicker than lightning
it's the spat of a catamOunt," said Morris
Treadwell. OF Damascus township. we'll
known wildcat hunter and trapper, rs he
placed the carcaSseS OF two enormous cata-
mounts on the floor of Squire Eldred'S Office
i'll this village, whittier he had brought them
10 claim the bounty of SO apiece on them.
one of them was nearly five feet in length,
and the other four feet, and either of them
couL, have carried of a sheep with ease.
That was Just what they and two others had
been doing for some time, and only three or
four miles from the town at that, up along
Penwarden's brook.
That big fellow there" said Morris, IL
discovered made his home in a cave up near
John Refier's place, and the other day when
he was out foraging slipped steel trap
into the cave. timed the spring of one OF
my traps the other day, and found that it
took just the one-ninth part of a second for
its Jaws 10 come together after the pan was
touched. You can imagine that anything
that sets that trap off has got to be tolera-
bly, lively if it gets out before the jaw
fastens on il. Well, l set trap which was
almost as sudden as that, in the cstamOunt's
cave, and the next day went and crswle,l
into the hole to see if had him. l did, but
seeing that he was only held by the tips of
the toes on one fore foot, l made up my
mind it wouldn't be very safe investment
for me to gather him in. Now, the cata-
mount had stepped on the pan OF that trap
without knowing it was there, but had been
so quick that he drew his foot nearly out be-
fore the Jaws closed.
That's about the suddenest thing ever
saw, I said to myself, but found out few
minutes later that il was only a snaiPS
work to what the cat could do. | went and
got my tenth part-Of-a-second trap, took 1t
over TO the cave, set it, and pushed 1t in un-
til il reached the catamOunt, knowing that
he would give il dip. and expecting, of
course, TO have him foul at the first clip.
When the lightning trap came within reach
of him. spat' went his free fore paw. II
struck the pan fair and square. 'Bi1gv
went the trap, but the Jaws closed on moth
| ing. When | saw such greased-lightning
work as that, and pulled the trap out, |
must say that was staggered. could
| hardly believe my eyes.
But there wasn't any doubt about the
matter. and l set my set trap again, and
showed it in for the catamount to practice
on some :more. he spatted the
pan again, and the trap closed on wind Just
as it had before Time after time l tried tO
get that cats paw in the trap, but the cat
was too quick. At last, on the eighth at
| tempt-th5 catamOunt having very likely
i got tired by that time-the Jaws came to-
| gether and caught the leg. Such yells
| don't believe any mortal ever before heard
| They made me turn cold. pulled the cat.
| amount out by the chain on the last trap.
and, handicapped as he was by both traps,
| had to fight him over more than quarter
/ Of an acre before | could get death-blOv
| on him. The catamOunt ought 10 yield no
/ less than eight bOuntles, for he was equal to
| any eight catamOunts that ever yelled.
The small cat there captured In dead
fall trap, and il sent all his nine lives out at
| once. / expect to have the other two that
are left up around Penwarden's in few
days, and then there are half dozen up
around Kimble's that I'll take the contract
to clean out"