The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-05

/ =
i lighters as a long, lank-bodied cat,
minus an eye and with body covered
with the scars of former battles and
| victories. was introduced. No one
seemed to care to risk battle with
| Old Stonewall.' as the cat was called
famlllafly, until a sturdy mountaineer
sung out:
We uns II fight yo urs dog Jack
fer a muel'
The bet was taken instanter and
the lighters were placed in position.
| Inc catamount adopted the usual tao
tics, waiting until the dog got within
easy reach, when he sprang out with
a shlill scream. Old Jack was tao
tician. He didn't stand quiet in his
tracks. but jumped to one side with
| yawning jaws toward the catamount.
Inc wildcat landed within a foot of
the dog, and the next minute there
was rolling, tumbling bunch of fur,
hide and legs and mixed and mingled
| howl and yell as they came together.
Old StoneWall proved too quick for
Jack, it seemed, as he gave the dog
a terrible cash across the throat. MAX
ing the blood fly from the long slasnes.
True to his blood, however, Jack stood
| the pain without a nnurmur as he
snapped viciously at the forepaw Of
the cat. He missed and in a minute
| was lying on his back dying canine
| gladiator. Two more dogs fell victims
| to Old Stonewalls tactics. when an
old Weather-beaten hunter said:
You uns amt got no fightin' dogs.
Lee fight my ole Gen'rul fur boss
an 500
The owner of Stonewall and his
friends quickly accepted the challenge.
! After the wildcat had a breathing
spell of quarter of an hour every
thing was declared ready. The old
hunter. who had gone into the brush,
now approached with the ugiiest,
scrawniest specimen Of dog I ever
saw. / don't believe he belonged to
any special breed known to fanciers,
being to all appearances a monSrel,
with cross of bull, a touch of blood
hound. with dash of the Danish wolf
dog. He was big, however, and strong
ly built with keen rair of eyes and
the finest set of teeth i ever SOW
When the crowd saw the dog they be-
gan to laugh and guy the old fellow.
Wharn the worl' did you un get
tibet thar thing?
" Be he un dog, or be he un' a
cross tween a goat an rabbit
81" Shet up!' said the old fellow, an
come down with you une bets
I'm 10 minutes the owner of the in
descrihahle canine had taken a wager
of some sort from almost every man
present, and then followed the battle.
The dog walked warily toward the
narrow shelf upon which the cata-
mount lay stretched. He kept his feet
ready for spring and when he saw
the wildcat gather he braced himself
and never moved his eyes from tie
cat The cat eprang and would have
landed squarely upon the dog had the
latter stood still, but he was too "un-
ming for that. When the cat left the
shelf the dog jumped toward the wall
and right under the catamount and
before the cat had fairly struck the
ground the dog had caught him by a
hind leg. cutting it terribly with his
sharp teeth. The dog bit quick and
let go as the wildcat whirled to the
right, and before cat could get in its
work the dog snapped him savagely
on the jaw, cutting the cheek to the
bone.
by. this time the catamount was in
a rage over his. hurts and his failure
to rip the old mans dog as he had
done the others; Crouching, he gave
another spring, expecting to catch the
dog about the head and tear out his
eyes. The General seemed to antici-
pate the movement. for when the wild
cat struck the dog wasn't there. Cen
eral had jumped a little to one side,
and just as his enemy struck the
ground he was on top, with his jaws
set firmly across the wildcats neck.
The General was off again before the
catamount could whirl over on his back
and quickly gave the cat another snap
on one of the hind legs. Three times
the wildcat tried the same game, ard
three times he failed getting only Sc
we're and painful wounds in return. 3
by this time the excitement was at
a pitch. The betting, which heretofore
had been strongly in favor of the cat
amount, changed to an even thing.
When the wildcat made his fourth
spring the old man called to his dog:
"'Kill he I'm, Gen'l!'
'"The dog heard his master, respond
ing with wag of his stump of a tail,
never removing his eyes an instant
from the wildcat which had gathered
for the spring. With a scream of rage
the cat came hying through the air,
with his feet and claws slightly spread
and his Jaws dripping with blood and
foam. His aim and inclination Were
all right, but, as before, he failed to
connect.
cit was Stonewalps last jump. for,
almCet before he struck the earth, the
dog was on his back One fierce grasp
savage shake, and the cat was thrown
six feet away with a broken back. The
catam0unt was dead
"Then followed "a pandemonium. Ev-
erybody wanted to buy the dog or get
one of his alleged breed. Half a dozen
at one time asked the old man, who
was stranger, his name.
SOL Kitt'redge.' he replied.
".Great gosh, not ole Sol. I<itreg, the
bar hunter of Big Smoky mountain
Tibet settles it. They uns seq you un's
dogs kin kill . Dainter.'