The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-11-09
STRANGE ZENAS COWLEY.
WIEN -FOUR TEARS OLD NE DRovE A
FLOCK OF SHEEP 100 MILES
That was 80 Years Ago-Since Then ne
Hns Captured Fierce viia Pnnthcrs
Alive. Laid Low Many Elk, slnin Wolves
s.d Bears by the Hundred, md SIN
Lives, Hale, Hearty, and Happy.


WYOMING. n. Y. Nov. 7."There are a few
men yot living who havc Killed panther in this
State and Pennsylvania. but don't believe
there Is one except myself. who can hoast OF
having caught ono OF those ferco and now
almost forgotten beasts alive. without handi-
camping Nv snngo OF trap crirplng with
gum" said Xonas G. Convey OF this village. Mr..
Cowley ~ in his plst year. and is active In
mind and body as man OF fifty. He canio
into the Gencsce Valley when the most OF 1t
was still a wilderness. and chopped down
forest trees and killed door where some Of the
largest towns OF Wyoming. Livingston. Alle-
ganv. md Cattnraugns counties now stand.
Eighty-siy yenrs ago last spring, when hc was
but 4 years old. no left the village OF stamford.
Dela ware county. whore he was born. driving
. drove Of shcer. his parents being on their
way from TINT place with all their belongings
to Cayuaa village. at tho head OF Cayusa Lake.
120 miles distant. The plucky four-year- old
walked nearly tho whole distance. driving the
sheep. At tho ago OF 49, his father and u
brother having been drowned in Cayuga Lake.
young Cowlsy came on foot to the Gepesee
country. and soon became noted hunter and
Woodsman.
Until 1923 he aided in telling the forests
which covered this part OF tho Goneseo VAL
10y. whore are now tho biggest and most pros
porous towns. tho famous rich areas OF farm
land. and tho great salt wells and mines. 10
took naturally to tho l'fc OF hunter. aud game
was etill ahun liant herea bout in 1928. In TINT
year he went into the almost unbrokcn wilder
moss about the heaiwaters OF the Sinncmahon
ing In Potter and Mexican counties. Pa and fall
ing In love with tho daughter OF o pioneer in
that wild and isolated country. he married hcr
and settled there The famous Cowley Run.
until that time unnamed. received Its nume
from him. he having put up his cabin at the
mouth OF tho stream and taken up large tracts
OF pine forest about II, His original purpose
In going into tho Pennsylvania wilderness was
the capture of n panther alive. which. with the
aid OF . companion. and after the most extra
ordinary adventure with ono Of those fierce
beasts On record. he succeeded in doing. In
the fall OF 1927 he had met u hunter named
Hubbard Starkweathor. and they hunted to-
gsther successfully in the Genesee country.
Starkweatha r had been down In the Pennsyl-
vania Wilderness hunting bears. and his stories
OF bear and panther that abounded there so
interested Cowlsy that he determined on the
trip OF 1923.
Il had never yet sesn a wild panther" says
the mona cuarian hunter. bat mads up my
mind could capture one alivo and that was
my special purpose In going down on the
Snnemahoning that year. Stark weather and
and tbs Sinnemahonins on the day Jack son
was elect cd President in 1923. We were right
IN the great panther country. but although We
hunted faithfully until January we never
came across ono. and packed up to leave tho
woods greatly disappointed. But tho day We
broke camp. and on our WY to Elk Lick. much
to our delight wo struck n big panther's track
IN the snow. The panther was going west Ind
We followed him. The plan had thought out
tor catching panther alivo was to get one UP
= tree. thcn climb the tree with big steel trap.
get within reach Of tho panther. and hold the
trap toward him with tho Jaws set. From
what had learned o; tho nature Of the pam
ther knew that when the trap was thus
stuck under ones nose he would resent the
familiarity by striking tho trap. which would
spring and catch him by tho 10: no struck
with. Then, VIC would hive him ut a disad-
vantage. and could inarage t" bind him so he
would be unable to do US any harm. 1t was
tion on THO par! Of the panther it didn't work.
and came IN with tho panther. curled up un-
der the roots OF n tree. He bounded away
eosseS s tRat s u Ing
to programme. We had left our trap whore
wo started on the trAcl. not, to be buriened by
1t. and intera cd to 20 back and get it should
Having succeeded in t!at' I rI9'nclMded to
enough to tie panther before | went back
through tho deep snow and Jagged the trap
Hp:. ! climbed tho tree and and soon found
would have to BE- Abandoned. toras d1ewnSa s
the panther no kept backing away toward the
small end OF the limb l.e was on. and the trap
couldn't have been showed near enough to him
for him 70 have The chance Of reesentin: it. |
snow from the limbs above him down upon
him. and that he didn't like it a bit. We, could
aa Ssve a but sct m oS ID
the tree first. though and so went down out
ana in e us in t2 bs s
n front Of him rhis Kept lin Backing i s!ii
that It was too small to hold him. and pretty l
soon he came turhline down into the snow;
gone zone '1sS I'll sn si0f s Was ma wt
him, When he fell THO dog pitched into him;
had mo Tow, before could havY swung ont Of
panther turned bnck in an attempt to get his
claws on that Zoe. Of which. fortunately. he
i sIf had al DO az adei by
the quick and wary dog, to kee,. in the rear Of
the ,pantHr 50 agile Was h. WIDER al ts
Of tn. paIrther kept shouting to HUB to hurry
little unensy over that pcrilous tai! hold. told
ther' s back. get n rurchaso with ons end nnier
log. on the side Of which we were struggling.
and boar him down in tho snow hub ran up
with his gun. got the purchase. and bore the
panther down; but the supple nnd powerful
quick and easy that we har1t,y know lie
to finish cutting his erotchci stick, and after
what seemed II mortal ong mo to me-. dods
ing and dancing around in the snow Ms was
at the END OF the rnnthhr!s tai he got i ready
crotch over tho pnnthers meek md tried, to
press him down and hold him in that WAY. but
he couldn't be held that wayany moro than an
eel could. Then the crotch was pressed down
over the middlo Of his loiy Tho panther
lowered his body and twisted around f5. tho
crotch pressed on him. until he layon his back
IN the snow, with, al four Of his great paws
slapping and slashing about like tho arms OF q
windmill, A single stroke, OF any 3ne, Of
COW, I guess hut the panther had made II mis-
take. Thu, crotched stick. dressed heavily Nj,
his wind, and Wa saw that We had him at q
great disadvantage. for he couldn't turn back
on his feet. Hub pressed tho crotch down on
the panther with al his might and 1 handed
him the tail to hold also. 1 ran and got he
strings OIL of our knapsacks. and. lussoins
ono forepaw with one. finally managed to get
both looppd in the string,