The morning call., 1891-07-20
KILLED A JAGUAR.
4 Brave Little Woman Stays a
Savage Brute to Save a Child.
The Extraordinary Feat Accomplished With a
Hoe-Her Noble Deed Richly
Rewarded.

Great excitement prevailed in the CON-
munity few days ago when it was reported
that the 3-year-old child of SanOr Antonio
Lopez, wealthy ranchman of the vicinity,
had been carried off by an enormous wild
animal, supposed to be jaguar, but doubts
were entertained of the truth of the story
till Lopez sent word to his personal friends
here to aid him in recovering. If possible,
the child, when a posse of thirty or forty
Immediately started out to scour the coun-
Try. 1t seems that the lost little one had
been taken to walk by Its older brother and
sisters, a boy of IS and girls of and 10, and
the party.had ventured into dense thicket
lying just outside of their fathers ranch.
Little Juan was left sitting by himself
while the others scattered about look
ing for berries, ETC., when his sudden
scream brought them running, only in time
to see the beast, which the children could not
identify, catch him in his jaws by his gar
ments and rush into the depths of the
thIcket. The boy pursued, but only sue
ceeded in frightening the animal into run.
while the little girls ran shrieking TO the
house TO summon help. Meeting couple
of the herders they explained what had hap
pened, when the men set out on run for
the spot. They only succeeded, however, in
overtaking the boy Juan, who had lost track
OF the running animal, and could only ndi-
Cdlc MOUNTAINS III a ScHSldi way dS lilc
course 1t had taken. The men hurried on,
but owing to the dryness OF the earth they
unable to discover any trace OF the laguar
except for single shred of garment worn
by the little boy.
In the meantime Jesus Lopez had been
notified Of the occurrence, and the posse of
nimrods had set out for the mountains pro-
vided with boodhounds, which soon dis
covered the animals trail. Following these
the party reached a small farm planted ON
l .N.a.
woman who was leading the lost child.
| She explained that she had killed the jaguar,
reScuing the child, and was taking it back
in search of its parents. The GOODNESS of
| the woman and the extraordinary feat caused
! the party 10 doubt the statement, when she
offered to show them the carcass of the ami
| NAL and the weapon with which she had
| dispatched it, and following her 10
| the wretehed shanty which was her home
| they found the dead jagnar, and beside it
| the bloody hoe which had been this humble
| heroine's only weapon. She gave the story
| briefly, and stated that she had been the
| only person a. home, and was engaged in
| working her garden spot when she heard
| the frightened crying of Child In clump
| OF bushes close at hand Running to the
| spot, she saw the iaguar. which seemed ex-
| hausted, lying painting close to the child,
| which IL had dropped, but was watching as
cat might mouse. At the sight of her
| the animal sprang up, snarling, and made
/ udNh az bhO iIltlt OHf, do IL w
seize it once more, but before it
could lay hold of the child the woman.
! placing herself between them. struck
at the jaguar with a hoe. which she had
| never thought to drop. She missed the
| creature that now turned on her and sDrang
upon her with cry of rage. She fell with
| the Jaguar, but managed to roll to one side
( and get upon her feet before the animal re-
covered itself for another spring. 1t again
| rushed at her open-monthed, when she
I OF nit Ia fka h1a i've ha
back and bringing the blood. The animal
| rolled over on the ground in agony, Vainly
essaying to reach The wound, while the
| woman, snatching the child, ran in the di-
Trecuona of the cabin, but finding
herself pursued by the jaguar, which
! on discovering their flight came spring
| ing after them with loud cries,
she cronched behind mass Of cactus plants.
| hoping their thOrny front would prove a
barricade for them. The animal, however,
seemed literally crazed by the wound, ami
| gathered itself for one tremendous leap. and
| cleared the cactus. Striking on its head, it
| appeared TO be dazed for moment when
| the woman, taking advantage OF its dizzy
! condition, brought her weapon down upon
| It's skull with such force as 10 crack il. 1t
| died instantly, and, picking up the child she
! returned TO the shanty, where she fed the
little fellow, and arranging her dress, which
| had nearly been torn from her body when the
| jaguar 81 rang upon her. had Just started for
the valley when she met the hunters. The
| woman, whose name is Anita Delgado, is a
| poor, ignorant creature. and scarcely seems
to realize the nobility of her deed, but to
have acted solely upon the instinct of Il
mother TO guard child. She is of slight
| frame, and only about feet in height, but
very strong from the life she leads. A
| purse of nearly $1,000 has been made up for
her, Lopez contributing $500. The child
! was uninjured save for innumeraDle bruises
received from the rocks etc, over which it
| was dragged, the jaguarS teeth only having
| been fixed in its loose garments. Old hunt
eTs say that the jhguar was the largest ever
| seen in these parts. II measured nearly 6
feet in length without the tail, and was a
| young female.-Sonora (Mexico) correspond
| ence of the Globe Democrat.