Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-03-20
RACE FOR LIFE
Between u Mountain Lion and a Herds.
man on His Wedding Day.

. A weeping bride disappointed wed.
ding party and mangcl bridegroom
were the result of a recent encounter
with puma that Juan Ferrcsco, a herds.
man In the mountains IN the eastern part
OF the county, had while crossing the
valley of the Ocate creek. a small trib.
ntary Of the Rio Grande, on his way to
his wedding, says Los Luccres, n.
NJ, letter.
Forresco set ont one afternoon from
the ranch where he Is employed. thinking
TO reach the house of his brides father.
where a dance was TO follow the wed
ding, He was to lead the bride from
her fathers home to the church where
the ceremony was to be- performed. aud
allowed himself ample time to get there.
Owing TO the immense drifts of snow
left in the roadways of that part Juan
lost his bearings once or twice. and had
to return to find them. so he found that
time WAS passing 50 quickly ms scarcely
TO afford him sufficient to get to his dcs-
tinaton by dark, and thinking to cut OFF
some Of the distance he climbed over an
outlying spur of the mountains and made
directly for the valley. In doing this he
says be etrucl; the scent OF Il large puma,
which was lyiAg near.
Then began race between the noun
tain lion and the herdsman. II is char
MtANflAIlt OF llltNt uUlNlAlN 10 lnkt III
omen and direct attack on their prey, but
To follow It like sleuth and then sud-
denly to spring upon It when least ex.
pectcd. Juan; who had been raised In
the mountains, understood these maneu.
vers, and kept as much as possible In the
omen. whore he could make u fair fight
of 1t should the creature attack him.
He was unarmed except for II belt
knife or poinarl, which the Mexican is
nnw.- ,,riV.nnt and NJ kuavy TrfnffV tynil
what would be the outcome Of n struggle
with the puma, 81 he walked rapidly on
without pausing 10 look behind. hoping
to reach the nearest herlsman's cabin
before the lion made up bis mind to at.
tack him.
But narrow gorge lay directly In his
nath. and this being choked up with snow
Juan turned to scramble IN huge
howlder that lay 10 his path. As he did
81 the lion gave a shrill scream and dung
herself upou him The unfortunate herds
man fen backwards with the puma cling
ing 10 him, and striking his head against
q stone cut his scalp aud was rendered
unconscious
In the meantime the bride was won
aering where her lover could be, the
| guests were assembling, and many in
| quirirs aud conjectures were being cal
| oulated as to why the happy man did not
/ appear. One Of the guests, arriving late,
| told OF n pnmn's cry he had heard In the
mountains as he hurried, and which had
caused him to quicken his steps and hear
ing this the bride declared that she knew
Juan had met the lion, and had perhaps
been killed by IL.
Her father, who had been l0ud in de-
nunciation OF the recreant lnver, accepted
this explanation. and the party ST on 10
look for the hcrdsman. Aftor a time
there were discovered in the snow bloody
mnrks and traces Of some heavy object
having been dragged through the gorge
and following these M, the pf.rty soor
came upon the pumn standing over tn,
hady Of Juan. One of the men fired al
the animal. which had clearly cShaustcs
b. itself in dragging 50 great o weight. and
which now. wounded by the shot, at
temptcl 70 run away.
A second s,hot struck her Ia the hcat
and Killed her. The hcripman was fouu,
10 te mwh injured from the claws Of IL,
animal aud the cut on his head sent hin
20 bed for week or two. The pun;
had carried him several hundred feet an,
was ia all probability bound for its den
The relt WAS sold for sum thar vii
materially aid the young couple in get
ting up a home for themselves.
a-s----1-'as~=-ss--Ha-