The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-04
BATTLE WITH a WILDCAT.
a Terrible Struggle With the Brute in II
Mining Shaft Il Hundred Feet Deep
(From the Cleveland Plain Dealerl

(ErOm the Cleveland Plaln- Deaier.l
Bob Sands, boss of the Buzzard mine
Mt Oakdale, lies in bed at home suffering
from wounds and bruises received in Il
fight with II wildcat. That he is alive
seems n little short of miraculous, for
during his tussle with the beast both fell
into 100 foot air shaft.
He left home Friday morning to hunt
quail and as he did not return his wife
gave the alarm and searching party
was formed. Crowds Of twenty five each
went in different directions, after agree
ing to meet at the Buzzard airshaft at .
O'Clock. The men had hunted all night,
when Tom Writ said he thought he heard
a noise in the shaft and, going to the
openg, he peered down into the dark
hole. He heard n low moan coming from
the bottom of the shaft, 100 feet below.
The men could not 90 down into the
shaft, rs there was no ladder, so they ran
To the mouth of the mine one mile away.
When the crowd arrived at the mine Tom
Writ and Jack Thomas burst into the
door by means of II log.
Ten men now volunteered to enter the
mine and 90 to the foot of the airshaft.
This was IL very dangerous thing to do,
rs there was not II lamp in the crowd.
The men stumbled along through the
main entry in the darkness and had to
stop several times to fight back huge rats
which live in the mines.
After wading through water up to their
knees they at last came to the foot of the
shaft and found the mine boss lying on
the ground. hundreds of rats that were
! waiting their chance TO devour him ran
away as the rescuing party approached.
The unfortunate man was now lifted from
In LII a. md
which was pulled from Il car.
The party started toward the opening of
the mine, when Jack Thomas stumbled
over an object on the ground Thomas
stopped down and to his surprise found
what he though to be hog, hut after IL
| moments examination the animal was
| found to be II wildcat.
| When the party reached the opening
the mine boss was found to he in II terri
| BILE condition. His face was terribly cut
his clothes nearly torn from his body and
he was very weak from loss of blood
On the way home he told the men of his
awful adventure. He said that he had
| hunted all day without much sicccss ant
| on his way home stopped at the mine t.
| see if everything was all right. He thcl
started over the hill toward the airshaf
and reached III about ! o'clock in tin
! evening.
1t was very dark and he was standin:
close to the mouth of the shaft trying tt
think of some plan to cover up the ho
| and still have it serve its purpose. AL
ut once rustling of the branches over
head aroused him and suddenly hug
animal dropped on his back and began t
tear at his face and body. He erappe,
with the Infatuated beast and IL terribl
battle enSupu
AS the mine boss dropped his gun Il
the first attack the animal had the hes
of the fight, and in short time man an,
beast were on the ground and every min
ute they rolled nearer to the opening
At last both fell over the bank and wer
hurled downward to the bottom of tn
shat. They struck the ground with til
wildcat underneath, which saved til
mans life.
The boss will recover from his terribl
wounds, although the scare will stay wit
him for life.