The copper country evening news., 1898-06-28
LASSOING A PANTHER
HOW A HUNTING PARTY IN TEXAS
FOUND A QUEER PET.

Ferocious Animal Captured In Cowboy
Fsshion-How q Daring Negro Got One
Of the Cubs--The Mother and Her Chill
dren In Captivity.
Those who conclude that there are
no ferocious or dangerous wild animals
In the mountains Of western Texas
would experience very sudden change
OF sentiment II they should meet q
panther face to face in some lonely can
yon. The magnificent animal now
chained in front Of our wagons is called
by some q Mexican or mountain lion
and by others panther. She is Of
dull yellowish color and will weigh
more than four or five ordinary leop-
ards. She measures just III feet from
the tip Of her nose to the end of her long
tail.
Although she has been in captivity
only few days she is astonishingly doc
lie so long as she can see her two cubs
that are chained under the wagons. The
moment they set up whine she springs
TO her feet, all her hair turns the wrong
way. and while her eyes look like glow
ing Goals of fire she gnashes her sharp
white fangs and tries the strength of
her chain. If it were not strong enough
to hold an OK, should prefer that there
were two or three counties between us
just at that particular moment. The
cubs are already as gentle as lambs and
as playful as kittens, and nothing
| pleases them better than to crawl under
our blankets at night and cuddle up
close to US to escape the chilly northers.
We captured her in the mountains of
| the Deall river in western Texas, and l
f, doubt if more daring feat was ever
accomplished by crowd of hunters.
| Game of all kinds is very abundant in
this region, and the boys had tired OF
shooting deer, antelopes and turkeys
Several big wolves and two or three
panthers had been slaughtered, and it
| was evident from the numerous tracks
, about the water holes that there were
plenty more of them in the mountains.
! One evening the hounds struck hot
| trail and ran big panther into cave
on the side Of a mountain.
That night while discussing the ad-
ventures incident to the days hunt two
daring young men, Petmaker and Black.
declared that they intended to hang a
moose over the mouth of the animals 8
den on the next day and capture her
alive. Both are Texas reared boys and
experienced hunters. The proposition
met with unanimous approval, and all
volunteered to assist in tho desperate
undertaking. The next day as we rode
out Of camp some Of the boys grew
bolder, and two Of them, who were ex-
pert vaqueros declared that they in
tended to rope the beast II they could
get close enough to her. These two
young Petmaker Of Menard county and
George Black Of Austin-rode toward
the den, and the other members OF the
party and negro Jim, who had charge
of the hounds, started to beat up the
valley.
We had gone but short distance be-
fore the dogs struck hot trail and ran
with yelps which indicated that they
were close to the animal.
Petmaker and Black heard them
coming and reined In their ponies Oh
the edge of little opening and unslune
their rawhide ropes from the horns o1
their saddles. The big animal sprane
! out of the brush and stopped within q
feet of Petmaker. The cowboys larla'
flashed through the air and landed righ
around the wild animals neck.
The instant it touched her sh'
Goreamed like terror stricken woman
and, leaping high in the air and gnashint
her teeth, began to decrease the spac'
between her and the daredevil at tn
other end of the rope. Black, who wa
: too far away to cooperate with nj
comrade at first, was now on the field
and with lucky precision he hurled
second moose over the animals head
Both wheeled their ponies, and tn
trained animals made leap in opposit
directions. The ropes were drawn taut
and the big monster was choked to tn
. earth.
While she was rolling on the gras
! and clawing at the moose another exper
with the rope galloped and caught on
of her hind feet They could now easii
' hold her at safe distance from eac
! other, and after much excitement an
. many rather dangerous stratagems the
succeeded in dragging her to goo
camping place not far away. Since
that stage of her captivity we could nc
move her to the wagons, we moved tn
wagons to her, and, putting stor
d chain around her neck, we made he
. fast to tree.
o Some Of the hounds were set bayin
r at the cave, and one Of the boys and th
v negro Jim went over there to call thei
: off. An old dog ran into the den an
r came out yelping with young jagus
: about the size of house cat haDgin
70 his hide. They captured the cub, an
then the negro crawled into the dc
and brought out another-a thing tnt
It would not have done for deed
u Texas. -,
a The cubs soon made friends with
Il and were ready to eat from our hant
/. or crawl upon our knees in few day