The morning news., 1897-04-18

corner, and when the dog stepped back IL
jumped on his head. nearly cutting out his
eyes, The dog yelped, and tried to get out
of the cage. The cat seemed to realize
that there was no more fight in the dog,
and walked up beside the fee and looked
at him in a plying manner. The next
day cur beloning to H. Scholl was put
into the cage. He refused to fight, and
Bob Blackburn pushed him toward the
cat with pole. The cat made rush for
the dogs head and scratched his face
badly. The dog grabbed the cat round
the neck and threw him to the floor, but
the cat scratched him so severely with
his hind feet that he yelped and ran to-
ward the door, and it was evident that he
was whipped.
The sixth fight occurred on the 18th.
when L. Stevens fifty-pound shepherd
dog was matched against the cat. AL
though he was anxious to fight, when put
into the cage, there was only one round
to the encounter. The cat sprang on the
dogs head knocking him down and tear
ing his face so badly that the dog tucked
in his tail, ran to the door of the cage,
and, after the door was opened, ran home
as fast as he could go. Stevens was so
disappointed that he sent for his eighty
pound hound, which has a great reputa-
tion as a coon-killer. When put into the
cage the hound made a rush at the cat
The cat was taken unawares, but defend
ed himself by striking the dog on the nose
with his right paw The dog retreated.
shaking his head as if his nose was on
fire. With the blood pouring from his
nose, it looked as if the fight was over;
but the dog was game, and he attacked
the cat again. The cat anticipated him
this time, jumped on the dogs back and
rode him around the ring, carving his
back into shoestrings with his claws
The hound tried to reach him with his
hn a1f Ill. H.
dog finally gave up the fight and was let
out. Like his predecessor, he tucked his
tail between his legs and ran home, not
needing the call of his master.
The next fight occurred on the 18th, when
G. b. Creed's large hound, another coon
dog, was put in the cage. He seemed to
realize that he was no match for the cat
and refused to fight. John Hatton said
he would bet his shepherd would fight the
cat, and it was not long before he was on
the ground. AS soon as the dog was put
In the cage he put his paws over his eyes
and began bowling. Then he ran into a
corner, and, keeping his face covered with
his paws, continued to howl The cat
groWIed ferociously, but as the dog show
ed so much cowardice he did not attack
him, and Hatton took him out. AS did the
other whipped dogs, this one made a di-
rect line for home, two miles aWay and
when George Combs tried to stop him he
ran between his legs and knocked him
down.
Up to this time the owners of the cat
had taken up collections from the specta-
tors at each fight to defray the cost of
the cat and the cage, but as the crowds
were so large and the collections so small.
they determined to advertise a big fight.
Accordingly it was given out that Charley
Rice's mongrel bulldog, which had made
record of four coons in one night after
SWIMMING RI rrffh -
coons, and his half-brother belonging to
Tom Sonley, would fight the syndicate cat
on Saturday, March 13. A large crowd
gathered to see the sport, and the ad-
mission fee was cheerfully paid by more
than 100 persons. There was a great deal
of betting on the event, the odds being
from two to three to one on the cat. Each
of the dogs weighed about eighty pounds,
and as the cat weighs only twenty seven
pounds 1t looked to an outsider as if the
cats hackers were giving false odds
Charley Rice's dog, which he calls Nor
gan, was let into the cage first The cat
was eyeing him closely, and when the dog
was within four feet of his corner he
sprang on his head, landing with all four
feet knocking the dog down and cutting
his head and face badly. Morgan rushed
at him again and the cat repeated the
dose climbing on top of the cage after
he had cut the dogs face into a jelly
The blood nearly blinded Morgan, but he
made jump for the cat as he was hang
ing to the cage. The cat jumped down on
his back and, after cutting the dog Sc
verely, jumped back to the top of the cage.
BY this time Morgan was beginning to
tire, but he kept barking at the cat and
rushing at him at every opportunity. For
fifteen minutes the battle was kept up
but Morgan became so weak from the loss
of blood that his owner decided to give up
the fight and he was taken out. His beau
tiful white coat was covered with blood
and for several days it was thought he
would lose one eye. The cat was also bad
ly winded, and seemed so tired that its
owners decided it would be unfair to the
bettors to allow Conley's big dog to at
tack the cat after Rice's dog had worried
him down. Then the spectators set up a
howl, saying they had not received their
moneys worth, and three or four tough
customers, who had drunk freely of moon
shine whisky threatened to do some
shooting the syndicate returned the gate
receipts and declared all bets off.
On the 10Th John Maxwell of Clay City
came up with his large English mastiff,
which he was anxious to pit against the
cat, but just as the mastiff entered the
cage the cat took a fit and there was no
fight. Since then the cat has been ailing
and the owners have not allowed him to
fight, although a number of men have
offered to match their dogs against the
cat. The following challenge comes from
West Virginia.
'Thurmond, w. Va, fayet co. 1897 chas.
rice dear sir have learned from the post
that your dog got knocked out BY the cat
If ther is any one there to Back the cat
will Bring a dog soone as she weanes her
PUPPIES and / will Back her for all they
want the Bitch is white Weys so lb and
can Whip a den of Wild cats and if they
dout this answer my letter and let me
Know my Post office is clore mont, fayet
co w. Va. hoping to here from you
"R. B. Myers"
Two men are also anxious to fight the
cat Bill Greed, an old union soldier, says
he will curry the cat, bring him out alive,
or kick him to death for s.. Creed is a
well-known fighter. During the war, when
he was home on furlough, a mob of con-
federate sympathizers went to his house
to lynch him. He opened fire with his
musSet and killed Sam Adams; the others
ran. Since the war his fighting has been Y