Omaha daily bee., 1895-09-28
a pIsArrrolKrrp pANrnrn.
How an Oregon baby was saved from
n Terrible Death.

n Terrible Death.
There is a curious trait not generally mem
toned by zoologistsl bit universally attrib-
uted by all backwoNlsmen and old hunters
to the American panther and other members
Of the felidae family. 1t is that these animals
cover with forest leayes or otherwise con-
ceal their prey and then wait for some other
opportunity for final attack and capture. 1t
is a device only Of the female, resorted to
while she is rearing her young. This at
tribute would seem to be well placed accord
ing to the following true story, sent from
Portland, Ore, to the Globe-Democrat
Joel Kramer settled with his family in a
log cabin on Black river, in southern Wash
ington, about a year ago. One afternoon re-
Gently he went out to camp to split cedar
shakes for the roof Of a new barn. With
him went his 6-year-old boy, Bobby, and Lion,
a little black-and-tan dog. While Kramer
worked in the little clearing Bobby and Lion
disappeared in the surrounding thicket. To
ward evening Lion came running into camp,
uttering sharp, nervous barks OF alarm. The
experienced woodsman at once concluded that
something unusual had happened to his little
boy.
GO, Lion, quick! Show me where Bobby
ISL exclaimed Kramer.
of darted the dog, followed by the now
fully aroused father. Man and dog made
their way through the brush for fully a
quarter of a mile. when they came to the
base Of a large cedar. under which there
was a strange-looking mound Of dry leaves
freshly scooped together. Lion dashed to
the spot and began a vigorous scratching,
jumping from side to side and u~ttering
nervous whines. 1t was but the work of a
moment for Kramer to brush way the leaves,
disclosing his little boy sound asleep. To him
the case was. as clear as daylight. A she
cougar had found the boy asleep, covered him
with leaves, and soon would return with her
) - If-A ,...II. nAA- - ,,nln
by the creatures paws in scraping together
the leaves showed that the cougar was a
monster.
When Bobby was fully awake he con-
irmed his fathers conjecture by saying that
be and the dog lay down together and he
went to sleep.
Rightly concluding that Mrs. Cougar and
her children would not return to the ban
quet until near nightfall, Kramer determined
that he would change the menu. So he re-
arranged the mound of leaves over a little
heap of rotten wood, to make it look exactly
as he had found it, and returned to the cabin
with Bobby and Lien.
He and Dave Peterson, his hired man, set
off at once with a Winchester and shotgun.
Arriving at the decoy mound, which had not
been disturbed, the men took up their posi-
ton in the lower branches of a young cedar
Of dense foliage. They were about twenty
feet to the ground. and about fifteen yards
in a straight line from the mound.
Hardly were they settled in their seats
when the cracking of dry twlgs and the
rustling of leaves announced the approach
Of the wary animals. Next was heard the
talking Of the dam to her young ones, q
kind of vocalization exactly like the talk
ing" of a cat to her kittens. Kramer caught
the first glimpse Of the monster, and with
out the movement of a muscle, save the
glance Of his eyes, pointed her out to Dave,
She was accompanied by four three-quarter
grown kittens.
AS the mother steafthily crept along, lash
ing her sides with her great tail, the young
ones were gamboling in the widest abandon,
clawing and rolling over one another in
regular kitten fashion. Having approached
to within eight or ten yards of the leafy
mound. the beast emitted a peculiar note of
warning, which was instantly observed by
the young ones, for they ceased their play,
dropped their erect tails and nervously hud-
died behind the dam.
The scene now began to grow strangely
fascinating. With deep drawn breath and
hearts pounding with painful loudness, the
men waited the critical moment. The huge
creature. with her great, staring eyes riv-
eted upon the leafy mound, dropped upon
her belly, and crawled rather than walked.
When within fifteen feet of the goal she
paused for the awful spring. The horrible
settling of her hind feet. to get a firm rest
upon the ground, braced her for the effort.
Gracefully rising high in air, as If shot from
a tightly drawn bowstring, she lighted upon
her supposed prey, with an appalling cry be-
twixt a scream and a roar that made the
woods resound long and loud. For a mo-
ment the beast was hidden by flying leaves,
sticks and dust. When once convinced that
she had been cheated, she stood for a mo-
ment motionless, her body tense with anger.
That moment was her last.
Crack! Crack!' went the two guns, al
most simultaneously Again the cougar
vaulted into the air, but this time only to
fall dead beneath the tree that sheltered
her slayers. A ball from the Winchester had
crashed through the brain of the beast, while
Dave had riddled its head and neck with
buckshot. 1t was only pastime to kill the
kittens, who were too much frightened to
escape. The old one weighed $50 pounds
and measured nine feet from the muzzle to
the end of the tail. In the household of the
Kramers there was joy that night.