West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1892-02-25
T1EziKo A WILDCAT.
4 Inn Who iius Lost IN Looks. hut Gained
In Wisdom.

I'm Wisdom.
JOHN Dcriny, young Ohio farmer,
who recently came TO TcxaS and sct-.
tied In Angelina county, was n pretty
good Niinrod before he came, but ne
Knows moro about hunting wildcats
Than he did, says n Lufllin CTex.) cor
respondent Of tho ST. Louis Globe Dom
ccrat. One day he aud one of his
ncighbors, Ancon Brown, were at work
on p fence at Che back Of his fields
when they heard the doT3 running
something in the bottom not far away,
and IL was MOTTO ng before tho excited
bay of the hounds arrnot.nccd chat they
had thcit game "trced." With tho
spirit Of born hunters both men
dropped their work and went over
10 sec what II was. They found
the hounds lcaping and barking
a-ound a small sweetgum about twenty
feet high, and crouchcd among tho
branches near the top was n large wild
cat, looking about us vicious as n Wild
ct can. Neither of them had n guu,
ED IL YVES long distance TO the house.
I>-owH proposed to go for gun, but
Dering objected.
III tell you what we'll do" lie said
''t'll tic my knife TO pole and climb
the tree and punch him out and let the
dogs catch him"
In vain Brown warned and protested.
Dering laughed at him for being afraid
ofn poor little wildcat that he could
manage with one hand;" so the pro-
grnmme was carried olt--that is par-
tally. The knife, good, long-blatlcd
one, was tied firmly to n pole about five
feet long, and Dcring slipped off his
shoes and started up the tree, telling
Brown TO stand from under, rs tho
wildcat might fall on YOU" As he
climbed he noticed that the cat was
watching his motions with great dis
51vor and was snerling and showing its
teeth rs he came nearer. lie was not
AFRAID, however. He climbed still
}'yher, and bringing his pole into posi-
ton gave the animal q stab that
brought the blood. It also brought
something else that was not on the
Irograrnrnc. The cat was expected TO
juTno or fall from the tree and DO in
Ftantly torn in pieces by the dogs. In
stead it came down the tree like fash,
using Dcring as kind of ladder TO
come down on and scratching him in n
huadred places ut once; and when. It
was about four feet below him it
stopped and looked up, as though It
were inqniring if he wanted anything
moro.
Now he was in n fixl Up tree, with
q wildcat, and n very bad tempered
ono, too, between him and the ground.
Brown shouted ct him TO keep still, but
The baying Of the dogs and the growl-
Ing of the cat drowned the sound of his
voice. Dering turned his pole, bring
ing the knife downward, and made
another frantic effort TO dislodqe the
vicious animal. Again the result was
not according to the programme. The
cat ran swiftly up tho tree, running
over Dcring again and sinking its terri
BILE claws wherever it touched. In an
instant 1t was back in it's old place at
the top of the tree.
Dcring had had enough. lie threw
his pole OF Mt one side ond started
eartlwnrd with all possible haste, but
the cat, thinking he was about to at
tack it again. possibly, sprang at him
and landed square on his shoulders.
The effect was immediate. Dering lost
bis hold, and they went crashing down
through the branches together, and
were Immediately turned into wild
chaos of eat and dogs and man rolling
and tumbling over the ground in the
most indescribable confusion. Brown
bad the pole and knife, and was run
hing around the scene Of combat trying
70 kill or disable the cat, but could do
nothing without hurting Dering. FL
pally Browns Juno. very valuable
dog, finished the fight end killed tho
eat, but not until it had killed Hector.
JunoS mate, and severely wounded
two others. IA for Dering, he crawled
cut Of the melee with suit of clothes
In ribbons. and bleeding from head TO
foot, but none Of his wounds wero very
serious. He says, himself, that lie ant
a. pretty as he was before, but he is "a
long sight smarter"