The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-08-31
IN DARK ROOM WITH COYOTE.
Strange Visitor That Came in Night
to Ranchman's Bedside.
From the Denver Times.

From the Denver Times.
Is it possible that there is, after all,
a groundwork of truth under the old
Indian belief that when a victor eats
the heart of a fallen foe he inherits
the desirable qualities of that foe? 4
case came to the attention of the police
surgeon this morning which reminds
one very forcibly of that legend.
NJ. j. Mcmahon, a ranchman living
near River Bend on the Union Pacific
road. eightythree miles east of Dem
ver came into town this morning for
surgical treatment, and the story he
tells Is weird and startling in the eX-
treme. Mr.. Mcmahon is not much in
terested In the psychic phenomena in
volved, nor is that to be expected
when he apprehends that he Is in dang
er of hydrophobia. The prevention Of
that dread malady and not the solu-
tion of the problem of transmigration
or kindred questions 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 o'clock by a heavy
blow against the window near his bed.
He lay still and listened, and presently
he again heard a sound as of a body
being hurled against the window.
Three times this was repeated, and at
the fourth blow the window gave way
with loud sound of splintering frame
and falling glass, and an animal
sprang into the room. IT was too
dark for Mr.. Mcmahon to see what
kind of a beast had come to visit him.
The room was very dark, and he had
not a firearm in the house. nor a
weapon of any kind at hand. SO he
lay quiet and waited. The animal
came to the bedside, and, instead Of
leapng 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 collie which Mr.. Nc
Mahon used to keep that he put out
his hand to touch it. He put his hand
on the animals head and stroked it
down over the back. as he used to do
to his dog, and he did this several
times without a sound or a motion on
the part of his strange visitor.
Then the weirdness, the strangeness,
the unnaturalness of the uncannv sit
uation .dawned upon him, and he was
seized with terror He was certain
that he had either a strange wild
beast from the plains or mad ami
NAL to deal with. His two hired men
We're asleep in the second room from
his. and he was alone in the darkness
with this strange presence. His over
wrought nerves demanded action, and
would no longer remain still. Selling
a 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 a pair of great fangs
pierced the blanket and sank into his
right hand. With his left Mcmahon
got a 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 endeav-
or to smother It, His frantic grasp on
the throat of the animal was so fierce
that his thumb was sprained and al
most disloca ted, yet that writhing
leaping form threatened momentarily
to get free from his grip and clutch
his own throat. He screamed for his
hired men to bring a light that he
might see, at least, what he was fight
ing. They We're so slow in coming that
he knew the battle would be over be-
fore they arrived, so he threw his an
tagonist on the floor and got outside
the door.
Then he told his hired men the sltua-
tion. They lit lamps, armed themselves
IL,
at the door. At first they could see
nothing, hut they finally made out
the form Of a very large coyote lying
on the bed. He lay outstretched 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.. Nc
Mahon 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 We're ready he leaped out
at the window by which he had enter
ed, and walked round to the kitchen
Standing on his hind legs the animal
placed his front feet on the window
sill and for several minutes stood gaz-
ing at Mr.. Mcmahon as he cleaned his
lacerated hand, Then he got down and
walked dejectedly away over the plain
and was lost to sight.
Mr. Mcmahon is greatly exercised
over the affair, believing that the
brute was suffering from rabies. Those
who are disposed TO delve into the
weird beliefs OF the redmen. are Won
dering II this may not be the coyote
who ate the heart of the collie, and
Is nnM inhabited oy bIc cpirit