Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-12-28
A CORNER ON CATAMOUNTs.
Encounter of West Virginia Preacher
with a Family of Wildcats.


Rev. Shamrock Henderson, a Campbellite
preacher of Mcdowell county, who has
Travelled these mountains for almost half
century, says Cole Greek (W. Va.) letter to
The Pittsburg Post, and who has in times
past had adventures and escapes enough to
satisfy any reasonable mortal, was crossing
Cole creek in it's widest part, close up to
Micajah mountain when he saw two cata-
mount kittens playfully tumbling on the
creek bank.
The reverend gentleman concluded to cap
ture the pretty, bobtailed, innocent looking
punches of fluff and fur alive, and to take
them home as curiosities. He dismounted,
and stepping lightly as possible gave chase.
One of the little fellows slipped into hollow
log, while the other made break for the
woods. The one which struck for the woods
was easily overtaken and captured, after
having pretty severely scratched the hands
of the reverend BIOLOGIST. The one in the log
stuck like leech to its Sides and it was not
until after an hour or more of hard work the
preacher succeeded in pulling him out with
forked stick, when he, too, was carried back
to the horse and consigned to one side of the
saddle bags whose contents consisted of
hymn books and Bibles.
Mr.. Henderson, finding that time had
flown on swift wings while he had been
after his kittens, started his horse for the
house of the nearest neighbor, a distance of
six miles or more. Before he had ridden
half the distance the sun had disappeared be-
hind the mountain. The reverend gentle
man was riding slowly along through the
deepening gloom of the forest in thought
full, half sleeping mood when a shri1 screech
behind him and up the mountain side re-
minded him that it was growing dark and
there was rapidly approaching prospect of
a fight, if not pair of them, with the
parents of the kidnapped contents of the sad
die bags
DR.. Henderson can make long prayer,
and is not averse to a good square fight when
he cannot get out of it, He realized that
this was one of the occasions when prayer
had to take a back seat and muscle and grit
must hustle for the supremacy. Dismount-
ing, he secured heavy hickory club before
the cats arrived, but not moment too soon.
Both the old cats appeared at the same time
in the road ahead of the preacher. They had
undoubtedly scented the kittens and made di-
rectly for their captor. One of the cata-
MOUNTS an unusually large and ferocious
male, made a spring for the dominie's throat,
f DuU 1GCG1FGu d WudCh Will UliC ulCkOTy
which laid him on his back. Before Hender-
son could recover his guard the female
caught him by the shoulder as it leaped and
raked him, tearing a section of his coat and
about six inches of his skin and flesh into
ribbons
Fortunately the cat missed her calculation,
as the preacher swung about with the weight
of his blow on her partner, or it would have
gone worse with him. AS it was, the wound
was terribly painful and made the dominic
come as near saying unorthodox things as
he ever did in his life. By this time the male
had got on his feet again, and both cats pre-
pared to spring at once. Henderson, seeing
that the affair was getting serious, backed
up against a tree and awaited their on
slaught He didn't have to wait long, as
the male. snarling with rage, made leap at
his throat, while the female crept to one side
as If to flank him. This fact saved the
preacher, as it gave him time to receive the
biggest one, which he skillfully did by jump
ing to the right and striking it as it struck
the tree where he had just stood. The blow
knocked it senseless. The female made fly
ing leap, but another quick movement al
lowed her to strike the base Of the tree where
the preacher had stood. He gave it one hard
blow on the side, but slipped and fell, when
the cat buried her teeth and claws in his leg.
1t was now rolling, tumbling fight for
very brief period, but the dominie's good
luck did not desert him, as he was fortunate
enough to hit the animal on the back, break
ing it's spine. As soon as he could free him
self from her embrace he ran to the male,
which was just getting on its feet, and hit it
two or three terrible blows which killed it.
Both cats were now dead, but the preacher
was so badly torn and exhausted that he had
great difficulty in getting to his horse. When
he remounted he rode as rapidly as he could
to the nearest house, where he remained al
most fortnight before he was able to go
about again.