Wichita eagle., 1889-09-05
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Daily eagle
CAPTURING WILDCATS.
II TOOK TIME AND PATIENCE, BUT
HE HAD PLENTY OF BOTH.

II TOOK TIME AND PATIENCE, BUT
HE HAD PLENTY OF BOTH.
Amasa Macomber Wanted to See What
Wildcats Kittens Looked Like-He Set
a Trap and Caught the Mother, and the
Boy Discovered the Young Ones.
Amasa Macomber got glimpse of a big
she wildcat in the woods on the south side of
Shiny mountain, in Spring Brook township.
He saw she was going to give birth to kittens
before Yong, and be resolved to locate her hid
ing place and find her litter Of young ones if
it were possible. Macomber is an old Spring
Brook woodsman, but he had never seen a
wildcat under the size Of half grown one,
and he desired to find out how wildcats
kittens looked when they were real small. \
few days after that Maccmber went to the
dark ravine again, secreted himself in a
clump Of bushes near little stream, kept
perfectly still and watched for the wildcat to
make her appearance
PATIENCE ON A LOG.
Macomber is an inveterate smoker, but he
put out his pipe before he got to the woods,
and for four long hours he sat there watch
ing for the wildcat to show herself, not dar-
ing TO light up for fear of attracting the ami
mails attention.
When he had about made up his mind to
fill his pipe and start for home be had the
good luck to get sight of the object Of his
search. She was creeping stealthily from the
hillside toward the rivulet, only few yards
from where Alacomber was concealed, and
her movements showed that she was bent on
catching something. Within few feet OF
Che brook the wildcat stopped, and for five or
Six minutes she sat perfectly still. Then she
made a spring, and when she turned Macom-
Der saw that she had a mole and several
spears Of dry grass in her mouth. As she
cautered up the hillside with her prey Ma
comber took note of the direction she went,
and he also noticed that she hadn't had her
kittens yet
A week afterward Macomber watched for
again in the same spot He sat in the clump
of bushes for three or four hours without get
ting sight of her, but on the following day he
saw her mousing near the brook. She caught
something and bounded away with it, and
Macomber saw that she went in the same
direction. By that time the wildcat had a
nest of kittens somewhere in the woods, and
Macomber began to lay hisplans to find out
how those kittens looked. He might have
killed their mother when he saw her housing
there, but he said he didn't want TO do it, be-
cause her little ones would starve to death in
case he couldn't find the nest after he had
killed the old wildcat.
So Macomber said he concluded to try to
catch her in box trap. 1t wouldn't hurt
her any to be caught in that way, and if he
caught her be could hunt around in the woods
for her nest without fearing to be tackled by
her. If he found her kittens he was going to
take them home with him and her, too; but
if he didn't succeed in hunting up her nest,
be was going 20 let the old cat loose, and be
prepared to slay her if she pitched on him.
THE BOY WAS A MASCOT"
On the following day Macomber and his
eldest son, Archer, took box trap into the
woods, baited it with piece of chicken and a
house mouse, and set it near the spot where
the wildcat had caught the mole. Both of
them went to the ravine the next morning to
lool, at the trap. Before they had got in
sight Of it they heard a wildcat yOwlng and
screaming further UP the ravine and they
hurried on, feeling satisfied that the mother
wildcat had stumbled into the trap during
the night Macomber said he was a little
taken back and II bit provoked when he
looked through the iron rods on top Of the
trap, for, instead of finding the she cat inside,
a big buck wildcat had his back bumped up
against the rods, and was snarling and spit
ting and scratching to get out Macomber
said he knocked the malo wildcat in the head,
hauled him ont, and reset the trap with the
same bait, as the buck wildcat had not dis
turbed it.
Each morning Macomber and his son went
up to the rayine, but they didn't find the trap
sprung until the fourth day 1t then had
screaming she wildcat in it, and Macomber
and Archer let her scream and began to
search for her nest. They looked into every
hollow log around there, as well as into every
coy spot that was shielded from the weather,
and slowly worked their way up the hillside
toward the spot where Macomber had seen
the wildcat disappear i'll the bushes with the
mole. For two hours the father and son
searched, the trapped wildcat keeping up
constant yelling all the time Then they sat
down on a fallen tree to rest, and Macomber
was telling his son that he guessed they would
have to give UP, when the sharp ears of the
boy heard faint noise near the roots of the
tree.
Archer went TO passing around without
saving anything to his father about what he
had heard, and underneath the butt Of the
log no soon uncovered four baby wildcats,
two of which he held up for his father to
look at. Their eyes were just open, and Ma
comber said the hungry little things mewed
n good deal like domestic kittens when the
boy handled them. They We're spotted gray
and white, with nearly white bellies. Archer
took the four wild kittens away in his hat.
and when they reached the trap the fierce old
mother wildcat tried her best to break out
and made terrible fuss when she heard her
little ones NEW. Then they poked the kittens
into the trap, and the old cat quoted down.
She got them into a corner with as much
care as n tame cat. Maconlber said, and then
curled up and tried to hide them.
They lugged the trap home from the center
of a pole, and Macomber made strong cage
for his savage captives Pa Cor
New York Sun.
In the Mountains.
Newcomer-What is the highest point
reached heref
Old Sojourner-OE, don't bother about
that Just now. I'ou wi.l find it cpt soon
enough when you scr your blL--3oStoa
BadEet.