The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1889-11-08
CATS GONE WILD.
The Thrilling Experience of a Commercial
Man in the Woods OF New Jersey,

The Thrilling Experience of Commercial
Man in the Woods OF New Jersey.
Owen Clark, a commercial drummer
of Newark N. j., went into the dense
woods about half mile from the Pas
sale river, opposite Belleville, one
Sunday afternoon to look for mush-
rooms. He was stopping under
large tree to pluck little button"
when he was dashed to the ground by
the violent shock of something that
alighted on the back of his neck and
clung there. In his bewilderment Mr..
Clark at first supposed the tree had
fallen on him, but as the object that
was holding him down Missed and
spat furiously, his next impression
was that whole colony of snakes had
attacked him simultaneously. His
third guess was correct. AS his assail-
ant clawed and bit him ferociously he
came to the conclusion that he had
been attacked by a cat. Mr.. Clark is
a powerful man, but his strength was
taxed to its sfull extent in his effort to
struggle to his feet and throw off his
aggressor. He was badly lacerated
about the head and face, and some
seconds passed before he was able to
see what it was that had hurt him.
Then he perceived, standing threaten
ingly before him, few yards away,
an enormous cat, with glaring eyes
and distended tail. 1t was fully as
large as a wildcat, and it had all the
appearance of forest born animal,
with the exception of the fur, which
bore the tiger like stripes common on
the domestic tabby. 1t had sprung
from the tree, and as Mr.. Clark
glanced at the branches he was much
disturbed to see three other CATS each
as large and fierce looking as the one
that had attacked him, crouching
there, watching the one sided combat
and evidently quite prepared to take
an active part in it if the fortune of
war should seem to be going against
their companion.
Mr. Clark felt that he was over
matched, and he began to retreat eau
tiously, leaving his hat behind him,
and walking backward with his face
toward the enemy. AL the cats kept
up a savage splitting at him, but they
did not pursue him, and he reached
the outskirt of the wood without fur
ther injury. There he met party of
young men who were hunting squir-,
rels He showed them his cuts, which
were quite severe, and, procuring
stout sticks, they all went into the
wood to look for the cats They found
Mr.. Clark's hat, but the animals had
disappeared.
These creatures are we'll known to
persons who frequent the woods that
they have made their home They
are the progeny of an immense female
cat that some two years ago ran away
from the house of a colored family
living near Avondale. Some boys
chased her, and she swan across the
Passaic river, and escaped into the
brush on the other side. 1t is said that
she had some wildcat blood in her
veins, and she certainly brought up
her family wholly untrammelled by
the restraints of civilization. They
are veritable wild cats, and more than
once unarmed persons have been
severely mauled by them. Boys and
girls do not care to go nutting where
the cats have been seen. They have
been fired at several time, but they
seem to bear the proverbial multi
plicity of lives of their tribe, for they
still decimate the birds and rabbits in
mild weather, and raid the surround
ing poultry yards during the winter.
New York Tribune.