Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-11
COYOTE IN A DARK ROOM.
A Strange Visitor That Came in the
Night.


From the Denver Times.
Is 1t possible that there is. after all,
groundwork of truth under the old Indian
belief that when a victor eats the heart
of fallen foe he inherits the desirable
qualities of that foe? A case came to the
attention Of the police surgeon this morn
ing which reminds one very forcibly Of that
legend.
NJ. j. Mcmahon. a ranchman living near
River Bend on the Union Pacific road.
eighty-three miles east Of Denver. came
into town this morning for surgical treat
ment. and the story he tells is weird and
startling in the extreme. Mr.. Mcmahon is
not much interested in the psychic phe-
nomena involved. nor is that to be expect
ed when he apprehends that he is in danger
of hydrophobia. The prevention of that
dread malady and not the solution OF the
problem of transmigration or kindred queS-
tons is what brings him to Denver
Mr.. Mcmahon is a widower, and lives
with two of his hired hands at his ranch.
Yesterday morning he was awakened about
3 O'Clock by heavy blow against the win
dow near his bed. He lay still and listened.
and presently he again heard a sound as
of body being hurled against the window.
Three times this was repeated. and at the
fourth blow the window gave way with a
loud sound of Splinterlng frame and falllng
glass. and an animal sprang into the room.
1t was too dark for Mr.. Mcmahon to see
what kind of beast had come to visit
MIN. Inc room was very dark, ana ne ldu
not a firearm in the house, nor a weapon
of any kino at hand. So he lay quiet and
waited The animal came up to the bed
side. and. instead of leaping upon him as
he had feared 1t stood quietly looking at
him, and finally laid its head on the bed
and gaZed at him. Its action was so much
like that of a collie which Mr.. Mcmahon
used to keep that he put out his hand to
touch 1t. He put his hand on the an1mals
head and stroked 1t down over the back. as
he used to do his dog and he did this sew
eral times without a sound or motion on
the part Of his strange visitor.
Then the wetrdness, the strangeness. the
unnaturalness of the uncanny situation
dawned upon him. and he was seized with
terror. He was certain that he had either
a strange wild beast from the plains or a
mad animal to deal with. His two hired
men were asleep in the second room from
his. and he was alone in the darkness with
this strange presence. His overweight
nerves demanded action. and would no lon
ger remain still. Selling blanket he
leaped from the bed and. protecting his
hand with the blanket. he grappled in the
darkness with the animal. Probably the
challenge was accepted. and pair of great
fangs pierced the blanket and sank into his
right hand. With his left Mcmahon got
grip on the brute's throat. and wrenched
his right free, tearing two long gashes IN
the flesh. Then. still holding the throat
with his left, he wound the blanket and
coverlets around the beasts head in an en-
deavor to smother it. His frantic grasp on
the throat of the animal was so fierce that
his thumb was sprained and almost dislo-
Gated. yet that writing. leaping form
threatened momentarily to get free from
his grip and clutch his own throat. He
screamed for his hired men to bring light
that he might see, at least. what he was
fighting They were so slow in coming that
he knew the battle would be over before
they arrived, SO he threw his antagonist
on the floor and got outside the door.
Then he told his hired men the situation.
They lit lamps. armed themselves with
clubs. and peered cautiously in at the door.
At first they could see nothing. but they
finally made out the form of very large
coyote lying on the bed. He lay out
stretched, with his paws on the pillow and
his head between them. just as the faithful
collie used to lie. The men wanted to kill
him with their clubs. but Mr.. Mcmahon
forbade 1t, and told them to drive him into
a vacant room and hold him prisoner. Mr..
Mcmahon went to the kitchen and began to
battle his wounds while the men prepared
the room for the coyote.
Before they were ready he leaped out at
the window by which he had entered, and
walked round to the kitchen. Standing on
his hind legs the animal placed his front
feet on the window sill and for several min
utes stood gazing at Mr.. Mcmahon as he
cleansed his lacerated hand. Then he got
down and walked dejectedly away over
the plain and was lost to sight.
Mr.. Mcmahon Ii greatly exercised over