The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-11
KENTUCKY'S E CAT.
FIGHTS TWICE T WEIGHT IN DOC
WITHOUT TURNING Il HAIR.
II IL sim In the RinE After vanquishinE Half
the Doss In Powell County-it r. Owned By
. Syndicate. ana II ROuEht In style. with
the Sheriff as Master or Ceremonies-

III u = BNNu N y UANuH ~ = NhhNuMaAhAb 1A@-
the DoGs In Powell County-it Il Owned ~
. syndicate. and IL HouEht In style. with
tho Sheriff as Master OF Ceremonies
STANTON, KY. April s.-Al eastern Ken
lucky has been excited for the last four weeks
over q series OF wildcat fights in this town.
About n year ago wildcat fighting was inaugu-
rated at Bowen. a station on the Lexington and
Eastern road ten miles north of here. A wildcat
had been caught there and had whipped a number
of dogs, when Sam McGraw, n half-witted fellow,
offered to fight tho cat without gloves. At the
last moment the owners OF tho cat refused to
allow McGraw to fight tho animal for fear the
cat might kill or badly injure him and they
would DO prosecuted. Several OF the young mon
OF Stanton took q deep interest in these cat
fights, and whom they heard about a month ago
that John Logan had caught a wildcat on Bald
Knob Mountain, Just back of Stanton. Robert
Blackburn, Albert Welsh, Sheriff Of Powell
county; G. VI. Derrickson, his deputy; Thomas
Boone, and O. c.. Law combined to buy the
brute. Sheriff Welsh and Bob Blackburn climbed
the mountain and negotiated tho purchase Of
the cat for %. They brought him hero the day
Mckinley was inaugurated and put him In a
cage of two.inch oak Stats.
The first fight took place on Saturday, March
9. Tho cage is within a stones throw OF the
new Powell county Court House, and about
thirty persons assembled to sec the fight. Logan
Falkner began the fighting by putting his half
shepherd dog into tho cage. The cat snarled at
him a few times and jumped on the dogs head.
cutting the scalp in n dozen places with his
sharp claws. The dog ran toward the door and
yelled Justify. He refused to attack the cat and
he was let out. Charley Petit, who saw how
easily Falkner's dog was whipped, declared that
his big hound. which has an enviable reputation
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Welsh. who was master OF ceremonies. told him
TO bring on his coon dog. When placed in tho
cage, the hound attacked the eat, but the cat
gathered himself for a powerful spring and
landed on the hounds head with all four feet.
His powerful claws made ribbons OF tho dogs
scalp, and. Felping in agony, the hound gave up
tho fight and rushed toward the door.
The syndicate lot the cat rest on Sunday. hnt
on Monday 8. u. Hardwick insisted that his
large hound could whip any cat that wore hair.
frightened that he began to whine and beg pite-
The next day II. Benningfeld's bench-legeed
flee, a dog with. n very long body and very. short
legs; was pittcd Hesins: the cat Flo wa: f,ill Of
backed in it's corner, and when the dog stepped
hack 1t jumned on his head. nearly cutting out
the cage. The cat seemed to realize thattherc was
no more fight IN the dog, and walked up beside
The flee and looked st him in q Gi'ying manner;
nut into the cage. He refused TO fight. and Bob
Blackburn pushed him toward the cat with n
and scratched his face badly. The dog grabbed
the cat around the neck and threw him TO the
floor, but the cat scratched him SO severely with
door. and It was evident that he was whipped.
The sixth fight occurred on the 18th. when T..
against the cat. Although he. was anxious 10
fight, when put Into the cage there was only one
d0p's haai knpcEinU him dOJyO and tearing hia
face so badly that the dog tucked in his tail. ran
to the door OF the cage. and. after tho door. was
Stevens was so disappointed that he sent for
bis eighty.pound h3nnd. which has 2 great repu-
t tbsi2 hound ns I m r%%h S q rnshi at then the cn pft 'T The t ast c wss
taken unawarcs. but defended himself by strik.
ing The dor on the nose with his right paw. The
was on fre: with the blood pouring from his
nose. It looked as II the fight was oyer: but the
The cat anticipated him this time. jumped on
the dogs hack and rode him around the ring,
carving his back into shoestrinss with his claws.
gave up the fght and was lot out. Like his pred
ran home. not needing the cali Of bis master.
The next fight occurred on the 18th. when p.
Creed's large hound. another coon dog, was put
no match for the cat and refused to fight. John
Hetton said he would bet his shepherd, would
on the ground. As soon as the dog was put in
the cage he put his paws over his eyes and be-
f"ep aST'i H. ta ree@ ao Rs sdn w lRfo his 4 'p pa%s, s Snd
tinued to howl. The cat growled fsrociously.
but as the dog showed so much cowardIce no
Asdid the other whipped dogs, this one made a
direct line for home, two miles away, and when
his legs and knocked him down.
Up to this time the owners Of the cat had
eass aS gB f &c Gsirsg the tFS cost t of ts sps sat sns th es
cage, but "a the crowds were 60 large and the
collections SO small, they. determined to advcr.
that Charley Rice's mongrei bulldog. Which had
made a record OF four coc2ns in one night after
swimming Red River with one OF the coons. and
would fight the syndicate cat on Saturday.
March ID; a large crowd gathered 70 see the
by more than one hundred persons. There wasa
great deal Of betting on the event, the odds
Each OF the dogs weighed about eighty pounds,
pounds it looked to an outsider as Il the cats
dog, which he calls Morgan. was lot into the
cage first. The cat was cycling him closely. and
he sprang on his head. landing with all four feet,
knocking the dog down and cutting his head and
fsce badly; Morgan rushed e st him again and
cage after he had cut the dogs face into a jelly.
The blood nearly blinded Morgan. but he made
The cat jumped down on his back and. after cut
ting the dog severely. Jumped back 10 the top OF
me cage. by inns time Morgan was beginning 10
tire, but he kept barking at the cat and rushing
at him at every opportunity. For fifteen min.
SO weak from the loss OF blood that his owner
decided to give up the fight and he was taken
out. His beautiful white coat was covered with
blood and for several days II was thought that
he would lose one eye. The cat WAS also badly
winded and seemed so tired that its owners de-
cided It would be unfair to tho bettors 10 allow
CIonley's big dog TO attack the cat after Ricc's
dog had worried him down. Then the specta-
tors set up u howl, saying they had not received
their moneys worth, and as three or four tough
who had drunk freely Of moonshine
whiskoy threatened to do some shooting the
returned the gate receipts and de-
clared all bets off.
On the 10Th John Maxwell OF Clay City came
with his largo English mastlff which no was
to pit against the cat, but just as the
nastiff 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
comes from West Virginia:
"Thurmond, w. Va. fayct co. 1897. chas. rico
dear sir have learned from tho post that your
dog got knoced out BY the cat II there is any one
here TO Back the cat will Bring a dog sOoIo as
she weancs her PUPPIES and l will Back her for
they want the Bitch is white Weys so Id and
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