The morning call., 1891-07-05
MET Ills DEATH
IN A LIONS DEN.
A Young New Yorker DGF0urGd by the
Savage Beasts.
His would-Be Rescuers Engage in q Terrible
Battle With the Beasts and Find His
Mangled Body-A True Story.

Captain Josselyn. a ranchman living in
the edge of Val Verde County, Tex, has
just returned from an inspecting tour over
his various outlying ranches, and tells, as
follows, the story of one Of his experiences
to writer in the st. Louis Globe-Democrat:
Not more than month ago l hired good
looking young fellow-a New Yorker. be-
lleve-wh0 was out of money and in distress,
and put him on my little ranch in Crockett
County. l became attached to the boy; he
was good one, 1 am sure, only down on
his luck. l left him there, getting along
very well, and saw nothing more of him.
Last week / went down to the ranch to see
how everything was. and the first thing 1
heard was that Donnelly, the new man.
had disappeared.
" He had gone out three days before, the
men said, to look up pony that had
strayed, and nothing had been seen or
heard OF him since. l was sure something
terrible had happened to him, and / de-
termlned TO find out what it was if it took
all the rest OF the year. l called one of the
men, Mike OLeary, and we took guns and
plenty of ammunition, besides hunting
knives, and set out on our search. We
tramped about through the mountains all
that first day without finding the slightest
trace of him. On the morning of the
second day we took new direction, and
hilci dNHlIc Mlhe gave Il SUOuJ Oh uellgnI at
hndlng small, Jagged piece of clothing
hanging to thorn bush beside a narrow
trail. IL was like the flannel shirt that
Donnelly had on the morning he went
away. Then Mike and l parted company,
Mike taking the lower road around the foot
of the mountains, while followed the trail
over the mountain itself l had not walked
half an hour before all trace of the trail
had disappeared. In searching for it got
hopelessly lost, and couldn't even get my
no rTn fro thac hoo -, 4,
turned around and was coming up in the
west. l tramped around over that noun
tain Tor don't know how many hours. AT
last L came TO the edge of a cliff ten or
fifteen feet high, the wall of which sloped
back out of sight.
Il seized some vines to swing myself
down, and they pulled ont by the roots and
l fell. The worst of it was that instead of
merely falling to the ledge below, | struck
ii and rolled down slant aud fell again
into the very center OF the earth it seemed
10 me-. You understand that a cave was
back under that slauting wall, and | had
rolled into it. When l fell my gun flew
from my hand, and there was no telling
where 1t was. L was bruised all over. but |
managed TO scramble to my feet. Every
thing was dark around me, but the opening
through which | had come threw some light
upon The roof. and showed that the cave ran
back under the IN ountain so far that it was
swallowed up in shadow.
AS for getting out, | might as easily
have tried to climb out of we'll There
was the sheer, rocky wall towering above
me, with not the slightest chance at hand or
foot hold. Yes, | admit that | didn't feel
very pleasant. While L was trying to think
what it would be best to do | was startled
by growl, and looking around saw pair
OF large eyes shining out of the darkness
toward the other end of the cave. | could
not see the creatures form, but knew one
thlng-l had fallen into the den of some
Wild animal, and probably a savage one.
ana there | was with no weapon but a
hunting-knife. Now. anybody that wants
to may night savage animals with a knife.
but that isn't in my line. a mau has to uet
into mighty close quarters with an enemy
to use knife, and TO tell the truth | didn't
want to get very close 10 the owner of that
growl
II commenced siding slowly around the
cave, keeping close to the wall and holding
my knife ready IN case of emergencies. TIE
fiery eyes turned with me, and had not
moved many PAGES before to my horror
second pair of fiery eyes appeared beside the
first, and another growl broke upon the stil.
ness. After that | gave myself up for lost
AS | went siding along the wall the ami.
mails suddenly changed their position, so
that their eyes were no longer visible If
anything could have made my position more
unpleasant, that was what it did. Every
moment l expected them to spring upon
me. l had gone about half around the cave,
L should thlnk-at least l was nearly op-
posite the opening through which / had
fallen-when | found narrow cleft in the
rocky wall, and plunged into it with the
energy of despair. 1t was not more than
three feet wide, 1t might lead me into un-
known depths to perish mserably but It
couldn't be worse than this den. Instantly
a loud, ominous growl arose behind me, and
/ knew that was being pursued.
81 stumbled along RS hastily as | could
always with that deepening growl following
me, and directly came upon sharp turn to
the right. To my amaZement a CLEAN of
light appeared away ahead Of me- Mvl
How did run! don't think better time
ever was made than made the rest of the
way out of that cave. A glance over nv
shoulder as | went helped me along amnZ
ingly. My pursuers were two enormous
Mexican lions. There were two or three
abrupt turns before reached the outer air,
l was just about to plunge into the warm
sunshine when the foremost lion hurled
itself against me. | was thrown headIong.
but the lion rolled twenty feet down the
slope, so violent had been its spring. And
right here occurred one Of the most won
derful things that [ ever knew | had
fallen right across my gum and as | threw
out my hand IL touched the barrel
Il was on my feet la an instant, ready
for whatever might come. The second lion
was crouching for his leap when | tonk
him between the eyes, and with scream Of
pain he rolled down the hill. The other
beast came springlng up the slope more fu-
rlous than ever, and so rapid were her mo-
tons that barely had time to shoot before
she was upon me. She almost knocked me
down again as she fell, and my Clothing
was covered with her blood. Mike came
running at the sound of the shots, and we
made torches and went into the cave Not
three tret from tine opening / had found,
and which led me to the light, was another
cleft in the rock, which ran by tortuous
ways some thirty or forty feet and then
closed AT the farther end of this we founp
the remains of poor Donnelly. BY such n
mere chance he had lost the way to life, and
the savage beasts had followed him into
that gloomy crevice, from which there was
40 escape, and had there torn him to
pieces"