The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-08
ROCKY FOUNTAIN LIONS.
Visit TO al KANS > s. HALL, TIE
FAMOUS SAN JUAN KILLSR.

tending the Trips-Us ng the Lasso.
from Colorado to the Boston Globe.
J,bn R. Hall, Familiarity known on the
t-or-ier as 'Arkansaw. lassoed a mountain
lion a few weeks ago, assisted by noted
,,,,r+sr called TEX" Hall resides in Ridg-
,rsv. Ouray county, which includes some of
the rugged and lofty peaks of the San Juan
re7j1n of Colorado.
The mountain lion, although sly and cow
,rdIv. is a most dangerous and ferocious
animal when at bay. But, notwithstanding
I me danger, Hall is fond of hunting the
mons on the mountain trails, and has killed
many Of them. In front of his home in
Bjdgway he has two Gagged lions, a porcu-
nine and two badgers
Having learned of Halls wonderful feat
o; lassoing this lion, l made visit to his
4 home last week to learn the details He
and I were standing in front Of the iron
bars, at which the angry lion had made a
savage lunge. His paws clinched the iron
rods A Kissing, cat-like sound came
through the open jaws, followed by an an
gry growl. Being unable to get out of the
cage the lion dashed his long tail and
crouched again for another spring at the
bars.
Back, there into you denr' commanded
Arkansas Hall. the lion hunter and tanner.
Whereupon "Ridgeway," for that is the
lions name, slowly retreated to the rear of
the cage and crouched down in the hay.
Some one has been teasing the lion," ex-
/ planned Arkansas, ''for he seems quite angry
! this morning" In an adjoining cage was
Eliza" lioness that had been lassoed by
the Hotchkiss boys, who are also
FAMOUS LION AND BEAR HUNTERS
in the San Juan. Eliza was a little more
docile than Rldgeway, and made no hostile
4 demonstration.
John R. Hall, alias Arkansas, the noted
sportsman, was born in Madison county.
kentucky, and, in the pioneer days of
Colorado, was engaged in the traffic of buff
falo hides. In those days, when talking
70 hunter from Arkansas, Hall mentioned
the names of several persons along the
White river in that state that his friend
knew, and his comrades, thinking that Hall
came from Arkansas, gave him the sobri-
Quet by which ne is still known; and many
i who call him Arkansas" do not know his
8 right name. He would rather talk about
d his rife and dogs than himself.
My rifie2 Why, that is single-shot
Il Winchester, with telescope by William Nal
& comb of Syracuse, n. Y, and is the best
4 that is made. NY eyes are not quite SO
good now, for am 62 years of age, but
with this rifle can kill deer quarter of
mile away. only use the telescope when
the range is over 100 yards. l don't want
4 10 have a magazine explosion when after
game, and hence / prefer the single-shot
rife. | always carry extra cartridges in
my and, aud can reload quick enough for
second shot at deer, or even a mountain
lion or bear, when in close quarters
Arkansas is fond Of his dogs and old rife,
and not until he had described them, did he
tell me the story of how he captured Ridge
way, the lion. 1t would be of little use for
writer to talk with western sportsman,
If be could not sympathize with him in his
affection for the rife and hunting dogs, for
they really are the tools of the chase.
Arkansas and Texas together with four
of their favorite dogs, were on
A MOUNTAIN LION HUNT.
They soon came on the tracks of lion,
and put their dogs on the trail The lion
was freed in few minutes. The yelping of
one of the dogs brought the hunters to the
spot, and, on disCov ering what fine lion it
was, Arkansas resolved to take it alive. sit
Is dangerous to attempt to capture the
mountain lion when he is fresh in the chase,
and hence we scared him out of the tree to
round him. Every time lion makes big
leap it knocks some of the wind out of him.
The dogs ran him up another tree about
half mile distant, from which we made
him jump, thereby getting more wind out of
him, and as we neared the third tree into
which the dogs had run the lion we heard
terrible barking. "Savs to Tex added
Arkansas, "'ether the lion has got the dogs,
or the dogs the hon. for there was some
lively barking and angry growing, and the
underbrush was cracking as though there
was hard fight going on. 1t was most
likely that the lion had the best of the
fight, for after Tex and 1 had hurried to
the spot the lion was up the tree and the
four dogs were barking at him. Notwith-
ha hatN ha nd
lion, he still seemed to be IN pretty good
condition for fight, and we thought it
best to wind him some more by running
him to another tree, which the dogs &C
oompIished, about half mile distant
This was the fourth tree in about two
miles, and the lion having but little wind
left in him, Tex and prepared to capture
him.
THE lion was up the tree about twenty
five feet" continued the hunter, and by
giving the lasso quick swing / landed the
loop over the lions head, and gave it hard
pull around the neck. Then the circus be-
gan. Then lion, feeling the coil tighten
t around the neck, gave fearful leap into
the air. Well, / hardly know how far it
Jumped or how often. With powerful blows
from its paws the lion would knock the
dogs heels over head. All this time | was
pulling at the rope, which, with the worry
caused by the dogs,
GOT ALL THE WIND OUT OF THE LION.
Tex, then, watching for good opportunity,
gave an underhand throw with lasso,
catching the lion by hind leg. Then, with
one lasso over the herd and another on a
htnd leg, We we're perfectly safe, for by
pulling both ways the lion could reach
neither one Of US. We put the lion in a
agon, hauled him to town, and there he is
now in the cage"
Arkansas explained that it is easy to train
a dog to follow the trail of lion and tree
IL, Well-trained dog will not tackle a
non or bear, but run it into a tree and
then, by barking, announce the locality.
leach the dog that the trail, no matter
now perplexing it may be, leads somewhere,
s ana 1t must be followed until the game is
c; B. Briggs of Ouray, COL, is from Fox
croft, few miles above Bangor, Ne. He
came west twenty-three years ago, and is
expert IN the use of the rifle, and has killed
mons and bears. In talk had with Briggs
IA referring to the game, he said: THE
non Is cat-like in all its habits. A mare
WIN 10 i is sought out in the herd by the
aoh IN preference to other prey. Leaping
upon horse and burying its claws in the
HahKs, the lion will tear open the horse
even while the latter is running at full
speed and attempting to throw off its tor
mentor. 1t is very strong and active.