The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-08-05
BEASTS IN TIE PRIZE RING

(, Off at one side were un7ee s..1all CAGES.
in which three tremendous catamounts,
| nearly as big as panthers, either recsined
| or paced back and forth, snarling and
| splitting. Tied to stakes driven In Tie
ground were fifteen twenty ferocious
dogs which stood and growled and
strained at their chains trying to break
| loose. st.'
! Half an hour after our arrival PoIing's
! big cat was tied to the stake with light,
but strong steel chain about twelve feet
long, one end of which was fastened to a
collar about the catamount's neck. AS
soon as the chain was fastened the cage
door was opened and out sprang the cata-
mount. He was an old warrior with an
experience of "a dozen battles in which he
\ had come off victorious AS soon as he
! cat was relea sed he sprang upon the shelf
which stretched gacrss the high wall and,
laid down, awaiting the approach OF, an
enemy. 5Eyi.zt' sos .L@# &..Ss|
r "A minute later a long, lank, red-head-
ed mountaineer led up an immense bull
/ log, bruised and covered with scars. The
I log was headed for the catamount and
told to 'gor for he un.' With lips drawn
back, showing bright rows Of long, keen
teeth, the bulldog warily approached his
enemy. Not a sound escaped his lips.
but his yellow eyes contested in ferocity
with the bigger and yellOwer OrbS of the
catamount. BY the time the dog got
within six feet of the WALL against which
the cat was stretched on the shelf, I
could see the latter crouch as II for a
spring. With a scream he sprang out
and lit squarely on the back of the dog.
quick as he had been, the cat only gave
one rip with his fore paws before the
bulldog Whirled over and partly around
and seized his enemy by the side. For a
few seconds the fighting was terrific. The
fur few and blood ran from q dozen
wounds, but the battle was 50 fierce that
it was impossible to keep pace with it,
and for that period the odds were in
favor Of nobody knect which
"'Brindle has got she run,' sung out
an admirer of the dog. g,
=" The cats a-tearin' of he UNI! ex-
claimed hacker Of the cat.
| Then the. betting began Between the
screams and spittings of the catamount
and the low growls of the dog the crowd
| started its money and possessions.
"A minute later the. catamount got loose
from the dog and was again safe on the
shelf. The bulldog was a sight. Long
rips from the sharp claws of the cat ha0
made great bloody gaps on his shoulders
and sides and one ear was torn from his
mead, but the cat hadn't escaped un-
! scathed. "A great piece of furry hide six
inches long and two or three inches wide
| hung with bloody side out like a red flag
on the: shelf, while one of the hind legs
of the cat hung limp and broken oyer the
LEDGE: $780,
-" ''You'uns' tomcat's ~ dun for,y, Polin,'
said a big brawny mountaineer. -, ....
" Bet. you un my dog seezum gin You
uns, big fox houn' she ticks he TN ~
|. :: Take that, bet was the reply.
Meanwhile the cat waited, until the
dog approached within four five feet
| or the wall, when she again crouched and
made spring. Unluckily for the cat,
| the broken leg; threw her calculations out
OF gear, for instead of landing, as she
/ f1,o. n
istrpeksa title to one side, and before She
could gather again the dog, as quick as
lightning, had her by the throat. "A few
ripping slashes with her fore feet, and
her sound hind leg and she lay lifeless at:
the feet of the dog, which still chung,
bulldog-nke, to her throat. 1t was the
bulldogs fight, but for all future pur--
poses he would prove useless whole
A good deal of dog was left, It's true,
| but 1t was laid off in sections.
This ended the first fight. In the next
a tremendous catamount killed three dogs.
and was replaced in the pen to recuper-
''Then came the fighter of all fighters,
long, lank catamount, with one eye short
and frescoed with scars from long series
of battles which he had always won.
Everybody seemed backward about tack
ling ole Stonewall,' as the cat was
called, until at last sturdy nountaineer.
said: I'll fight my dog Jerry gin the cat
for mule The offer was taken, and
the animals placed in position The cat.
adopted the same tactics as the first one,
and when the dog got within range, with,
a. schrill scream she sprang out. Old
Jerry was a tactician, and didn't stand
still, but sprang to one side, with yawn-
ing jaws in the direction of his enemy.
The cat landed within a foot Of the dog,
and the next second they were rolling
over and over. a bunch of fur, hide and
legs, mingled with bowls and yells.
Jerry was: not quick enough, for the cat
gave him. a terrible cash in the neck,
making the blood fly. Jerry, true TO hiss
| per, and caught with a vicious snap at
the cats forepaw.f He missed, and in a.
minute was lying on his back, disembow-
| eled. - t@t .-~ -
1.-TWO more dogs fell victims to ;.o,e-
stonewalrs' tactics, when an old
weather-beaten fellow said: You uns
! hewitt eny fightin' dogs. Les fight my
! old Killum fer a boss an twenty dollars"
"The owner Of ole stonewalr and his,
friends quickly took the stranger up:
then. after ole Stonewalp had got a.
breathing spell Of about a quarter of an
hour and everything was declared ready,
| the strange mountaineer, who had gone
into the woods, approached with the ug-
Hest. scrawnfest specimen of dog I ever
saw. He seemed to belong to no specfal
breed under the sun, being to ali ap-
pearances q, mongrel with a cross Of bun.
| Scotch mastin and bloodhound. He was,
large, however, and strongly built, with
q pair OF keen eyes and the finest set Of
teeth ever saw. When the crowd saw
the dog they began to make sport Of him,
but the stranger took it coolly, and ac-
cepted seyery.b bet offered as fast as they
came up.
After these preliminaries the animals
We're put in position, and they started of
as usual, the cat making its leap when
the dog came up This time, however. the
cat failed to connect. missing the dog n
FOOT, a. that animal, with a wide step
got out Of line. The cat had barely
touched sground before the dog gave "a
spring and snap, and away went big
piece OF hide from the cats shoulder.
Then the cat sprang back to the shelf
The next spring the cat seemed to drop
squarely on the dogs back, but it didn't.
I In TACT, the dog wasn't there when the
/ cat struck, but before 1t could gather >l1e
caught the catamount by the back Of the
neck, and with a whir1 rent It over on IT'S
back. Then, with q snap at one hind leg.
he Jumped out Of reach BY this time the
excitement ran high. The betting, here
tofore greatly in favor Of the cat. now
changed to odds on the dog The fourth
round. which was to prove the last, came.
Just as the cat crouched for It's spring
the stranger called to the dog, Git him.
| Ktllum! The dog heard, but only re-
sponded with brief wag Of his stump OF
1 g tail. He never moved his eyes from the.
cat With a scream Of rage the ca. came
Living through the air, with feet and
claws slightly spread, and with jaws
i dripping with blood and foam. It's aim
and inclination were good, but, as before.
i It missed. It was the catamount's last
spring. for almost before it struck the
ground the dog was on its back One
fierce behind flad oh