The Dickinson press., 1889-07-27
THE STORY OF "JIM."
A Coyote, Captured with Difficulty, Was
Spoiled in the Menagcrie.

Spoiled i'll tho Menagcrie.
"What do know about coyotes, young
man'' ho asked throwing himself back in
his chair. by the way, We don't call them
kai-otes; k-a-io-t-e-c-s, kai-o'tces is the way
to pronounce it. And let NC say right here
that I've seen many Il man get into trouble
by doing what you have just done. Out west
we don't like to have our feelings hurt. We're
mighty sensitive about some things, young
man, and coyotes-kai-o-tecs, say, so you
won't make that mistake again--is ono of
them. I've seen the boys shoot for less than
that. Iyou ever so out in Wyoming, don't
You forget that it is kai-otcc kai-o-tecn and
he bit tho end of long cigar and struck Il
match.
well, You ask mo what l know about
them. | once owned q cayote; that is, |
owned Il part interest in him. think that
was tho finest cayote over saw He was
simply tho tnrnationalist all fighter you ever
saw. Fight!-hod fight anything, that crit
ter | once turned HIM loose Oh the cham.
pion bulldog of Evanston, and l wish you
could have seen that dog after tho first
minute. He looked like u rag baby. We
got Jim, that was his name, near liiliard
| don't suppose you ever heard about Hill
lard. It's on the N. T., not far from Evans.
ton; not n big place, you know-water tank,
lume and four charcoal kilns. We were
rounded up there i'll 10 with 10000 sheep,
and that cayote used to como around camp
at night bowling funeral dirges, until we
made up our minds wo wanted him Well,
wo got him, but wo had big Job on our
hands,
-Four of us started out OH horseback with
lariats to lasso him. We chased him for
about fifteen miles, trying for him all the
time, but We couldn't get him. Finally he
got dead beat, and turned Then tho real
circus began. One of tho boys hooked him
the first time, but that crittcr chewed tho
lariat i'll two III three minutes IIo backed
up against a sage brush and snapped and
snarlcd like mad dog. Ilo had wicked
looking set of teeth, and nobody dared to
touch him. Three times VIC hooked him, and
each timo he chcwed the lariat in two. He
was fuller of fight than ever We had only
ono good larat left, and that was Bill Ryder's
Bill allowed that le would fix that cayotc
lio rode Off about 100 feet and got his moose
ready lio was mighty handy with rope,
ana when saw his game | said: Now, Mr.
Cnyotc, you're dono for
"Blll dug his spurs into his bronco and
they came on like IL whirlwind. AS he rushed
past the cayote his lariat SHOT out in Il circle
no bigger than hat. He caught Mr.. Cavoto
square around tho neck and jerEel him
twenty feet. That took tho life out of him,
and he did not try to chew anything again
that day. We got him to camp and chained
him to IL stake. That night he almost chewcd
tho stake through After that we fixed him
with an iron picket. How Jim used to howl
n: lirstl 1T was simply terrible. We broke
INN of that, though, by taking him of out of
sight and leaving him alone ut night. When
we moved camp wo used to chuck Jim into
sack and tic it up around him, Just letting his
head stick out. Then wo'l dump him into
tho provision wagon.
"Wo kept Jim for II year, and ho got SO
attached to us that believe he wouldn't
hnvo run away if VIC had unclaimed him; but
We never gave him the chance The next
summer VIC struck Green river If you've
ever been there you'll remember that right
in front of tho railroad restaurant at tho sta
ton there is large cage. It's full of prairie
dogs, rabbits and other small animals Tho
proprietor of the restaurant wanted Jim for
his ncnhg"ric, and after talking tho thing
over We decided to sell him for $40. So Jim
went into the menagerie. The next morning
wo went down To SEQ him. His new owner
was distracted. All tlut was left Of that
inenageric was Jim. He'd chewed the whole
thing up. The floor of the big cage was COW
cred with fur, bones and skins, while Jim sat
in ono corner, his eyes blooCshot and rest
less and his long, white teeth cleaning white
llo snapped at every ono who came nearll
and looked just as he did tho day lie backed
up against the sage brush.
Tho man gave us another $40 to take him
away, but that night spoiled jim He was
never contcnte,l with bacon after that, and
he got to be Il great nuisance. We unclaimed
him, hoping he would strike out for himself,
but he used to hang around camp, howling
ull night long. We chased him off with
stones, fired our six shooters and did every
thing we could to frightcn him away, but it
was no use. Finally, VIC took pity on him
and let him alone, but he began to droop
Civilized life wns too much for him, and he
died two months after his night in tho
ncnagerie. New York Tribune.