The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-19
ATTACKED BY A CAT.
Charles Seaport's Horrible Experience
With a Feline
From the 81. Louis Post-Dispatch.

From the 81. Louis Post dispatch.
Charles Seaport of Mississippi and Park
avenues is deprived Of the use of his hands
and is suffering great pain from a vicious
attack with tooth and nail of huge black
cat. the fangs of the beast penetrated his
right hand through and through between the
thumD and index finger, and the left hand
Is badly scratched, and the index fiuger was
torn TO the very bone. The cat was anchored
80 strongly to the right hand Of Mr.. Seaport
that the teeth of the animal had to DO loos-
ened with powerful screw-driver.
The occurrence, which was as startling
as one of Poe's weird tales of the fateful
black cat, happened Monday afternoon at 8
o'clock in a room in the rear of Mr.. Sea-
ports store. Mr.. Seaport has just opened
notion store at the southeast corner of
Mississippi and Park avenues.
The store adjoins the dancing academy Of
Prof. F. H. Woods. There is a lofty garrett
above the dancing school, which opens into
one OF the rear rooms of Mr.. Seaport's
apartments. The garrett is dark and leads
into the deserted stables of the PEOPLES
Railway Company. Mr.. Seaport had
noticed that a great black cat was
IN the habit of jumping down from
the garrett into his rooms. He was busy
laying carpet Monday afternoon in the
room which is beneath the opening from the
garrett. The cat leaped down and ran
through passageway into the next room.
Mr.. Seaport followed and made a peck at
the beast. The cat then ran through third
room and entered the store. Mrs. Seaport
was chatting with lady and she became
frightened at the appearance Of the beast.
The animal was black-jet black-and of
unusual size. The limbs we're great and
strong, the eyes were of that peculiar glare
which lends 30 much to the terror of black
cat. The first impulse of the ladies was to
scream. and they uttered a joint note of fear
that for moment scared the cat and caused
him to turn about and run back
whence be came. Mr.. Seaport had in the
meantime followed after it and stood at the
Furthermore door Of the room next the store.
The cat was running directly toward him
and he stood in the way TO reach the beast
with his feet when it came to the door
where be was. The cat did not swerve; it
did not turn; it showed no fear of him. It
stopped moment, crouched at the distance
OF tea feet from Mr.. Seaport and sprang
upon him. The savage beast lit plump upon
his breast and strove with its claws to climb
up to Mr.. Seaport's face and eyes.
The unfortunate man saw at once that he
must act quickly to save his eyes and his
throat, and he grasped the beast by the
neck: He tried with all his might to bear
the brute to the ground The cat writhed
from his clutch. 1t turned and sunk its
teeth in the right hand of Mr. Seaport.
The long pointed fanks caught Mr. Seaport
in the fleshy part of the hand, between the
index finger and the thumb, and locked
together. With the left hand Mr.. Seaport
tried to protect himself. The cat tore his
wrist savagelY with its fangs. One claw
tore the flesh from the first Joint
of the index finger off the left
hand and lifted the flesh and marrow
from the bone along the finger to the
second joint. Mr.. Seaport had fallen on
his knees to the floor. The beast was fast
ened TO his hand for fully five minutes,
when Mrs. Seaport entered. At the first
sound of the conflict she ran out on the
street and called fer help. A cabman and
some Of the trackmen on the Peoples rail-
way responded. Mrs Seaport ran to her
husbands aid, and, standing behind the cat,
succeeded in unloosening his claws from her
husbands left hand and holding them fast
lest they might return. She then told her hus-
band to shake the cat from his right hand.
He answered, Il cannot-pry open the cats
mouth" For the first time the on
lockers realized the true nature of the cats
grip and the cabman seized long screw
driver and forced the bar between the teeth
of The cat. The fangs loossned and Mrs.
Seaport leaped away. "Kill the brute"
said trackman, and he made for the cat
with the long bar with which he cleans the
slot. The bar was too weak and the cabman
took up heavy hammer aud slowly, de-
liberately rained blows upon the head of
the cat. The savage beast lay with blood
shot eyes and savage look. 1t squirmed be-
meath the blows, but at length stretched out
its limbs and was, TO all appearance, dead.
Mr.. Seaport ran to a rear room to battle bis
head in alcohol. He returned and saw the
cat striving to raise itself from the floor.
In a moment more it might have ambled
from the room. Mr.. Seaport called the
cabman and the head OF the cat was soon
beaten into pulp.
DR.. Saunders was summoned and dressed
the wounds of the injured man. The blood
flowed copiously, and the cruel red scratches
panied dresdfully. The abrasure on the
Joint of the index finger of the left hand is
the most excruciating wound. The flesh
was actually scraped from the bone. The
hole in the right hand is plugged with
wad Of cotton. Mr.. Seaport is able to walk
about the store, but he has no use Of his
hands.
The cat must have been a tramp, grown
wild III the vacant loft and dismantled sta
bles For two years the dancing hall and
store were unoccupied, and the Peoples
railroad has not used its stables since cable
traction was adopted. The peighborhood
was a fitting haunt for so savage an animal