The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-03-28
DONKEY VERSUS WOLF,
A Fight That Was Lively and Bitter as 70
Was Amusing.

A combat of most amusing as we'll
as unusual character occurred near Paso
del Norte short while ago The par
Elephants in this combat were burro,
or little Mexican iackass, and a wolf of
the large species, known as lobos. The
principal means of transportation in this
section is supplied by the diminutive
and patient burros, all travelling of short
distances being accomplished on them,
while they are almost the only beast OF
draught employed. Of an evening a
whole army of them may be seen on
the outskirts of the city, each accom-
panied by Mexican boy, and loaded
with huge pile of mesquite wood big
ger than himself, fastened to his bank
and TANKS with cords. They can never,
by any persuasion, be coaXed or driven
out of a slow meditative walk, but that
they are capable of resentment, and
even fight on occasions, need not be
doubted after the gallant victory
achieved by one of them over an ami
NAL as savage and courageous as the
lobos. This wolf, which is as large as a
mastiff, resembles the hyena more closely
than an Y of his kind in America, having a
back arched like that animal, and often
approximating it in color, though some
times found nearly black. The burro
had broken out of his stable during the
night. wandering several miles out into
the country, and his owner going to seek
him was an eye witness to his fight with
the wolf
This man, who is an unusually intelli-
gent Mexican. states that the donkey
was quietly grazing in little grassy
dell lying between two walls of jutting
rock, when the wolf came trOtting along
with his head close to the ground, as if
attempting TO recover the trail of some
thing, which is characteristic of the
lobos. He did not perceive the donkey
till he was nearly on him, and it was not
till then that the latter, raising his
head, saw the wolf. but the moment
their eyes fell on each other hostilities
began. The wolf, with his jaws snap
ping and growing ferociously, made at
the donkey, which, wheeling sharply
around, let fly at his enemy with
both heels, sending him tumbling
over and over. The performance
was repeated again and again,
until the wolf began to realize that
things were not going just his way. The
last kick from the burro's heels had sent
him with sickening crash against the
hard rock that walled in the dell, and
actually stunned him for a moment, so
on rising he seemed to deem a change Of
tactics advisable. Running up to the
donkey he waited until those terrible
heels were in the air. when jumping
around with remarkable agility he
evaded the kick and made for his
enemys throat, but he found the
dOnkey's other end also armed for BATTLE
and before he could lay hold of any part
of that lively animals anatomy the
burro had caught him back Of the neck
between his powerful teeth and cracked
the bone. Though the wolf was, of
course. killed instantly, the pluclxy little
jackass refused to relinquish it's hold,
and occupied itself for some minutes
with beating It's vanquiShed foes body
up and down on the ground. When
satisfied at last that it was dead it flung
the lobos' carcass to one side, quietly
resuming its grazing till the owner
came and drove it honest. Louis
GlObe-DemOcrat.