Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-11-13
CATS GONE WILD.
The Thrilling Experience Of n Commercial
Man in the Woods Of New Jersey.

mAh W the hbpus ot New Jersey.
Owen Clark, commercial drummer
of Newark n. j., went into the dense
woods about half a mile from the Pas.
sale river, opposite Belleville, one
Sunday afternoon 10 look for mush-
rooms, He was stopping under a
large tree to pluck a little button"
when he was dashed TO the ground by
the violent shock of something that
alighted on the back Of his neck and
chung there. In his bewilderment Mr..
Clark at first supposed the tree had
fallen on him, but as the object that
was holding him down Kissed and
spat furiously, his next impression
was that a whole colony of snakes had
attacked him simultaneously. His
third guess was correct. AS his aSsail
ant clawed aud BIZ him ferociously he
came 10 the conclusion that he had
been attacked by a cat. Mr.. CLARK is
a powerful man. but his strength was
taxed 10 It's full extent in his effort 10
struggle 10 has feet aud throw Or his
aggrcssor lie WAS badly laccrated
about the head and face, and some
seconds passed before be was able to
see what il was that had hurt him.
Then he perceived, standing threaten.
ingly before him, a few yards away,
an enormous eat, with glaring eyes
and diSteudcd tail. Ii was fully as
large as a wildcat, and il had all the
appearance of 4 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 10 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
a active part in il if the fortune of
var 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. All the cats kept
upa savage Sitting al him, but they
did not pursue him, and he reached
the outskirt o. the wood without fur.
Their injury. There he met a party of
young men 'yho were hunting SOUR.
rels. Hesh5wed them his cuts, which
Were quite severe, and, procuring
stdht stick they all went into the
wood 10 lolk for the cats. They found
Mr., Clark hat. but the animals had
disappear 4.
These creatures are well known 10
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, aud escaped INTO the
brush on the other side. II is said that
she had some wildcat blood in her
veins, and she certainly brought up
her family wholly untrammellcd by
the restraints of civilization. They
are veritable wild cats, and more than
once uuarmed persons have been
severely mauled by them. Boys aud
girls do not care 10 60 nutting where
the cats have been seen. They have
been irE at several time, but they
seem to bear the proverbial multi
plicity Of lives of their tribe, for they
still dGcimate the birds and rabbits in
mild weather and raid the surround
ing poultry yards during the winter.
view York Tribune.