The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-06
LION OF THE MOUNTAINS
1T GIVES A GOVERNMENT CLERK AN
UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE.
He Is Got Anxious 10 Emulate Col.
Roosevelts Example-An Adven-
ture in the Adirondacks.

'vice President Roosevelt may 60 out OF
his way to meet the mountain lion II ne
wants to-" said a government clerk at
the Corcoran a few days ago. There are
people constantly hunting for trouble who
rarely fail to find 1t. but L am not one OF
them. l am not looking for trouble. and
after the experience Will a mountain lion
l had recently / am more than ever will
ing to let the animal go its way in peace
as long as he will grant me the same
privilege
About a month ago I visited a friend
of mine in the Adirondack mountains.
where he had gone for his health. He had
taken up his quarters at a farmhouse in
a beautiful little valley among the noun
tains, where he was getting as much COM
fort and enjoyment as a ~consumptive can
under the circumstances. We had known
each other since boyhood, and. feeling the
need of a little recreation. 1 took a run
up there 10 spend a week or so with my
friend. 1t was still sharp and cool there.
for the season is not as far advanced in
the Adirondack region as it is here in
Washington, but the weather was much
more enjoyable than it is here.
"One evening just after dinner L con-
hbN 4 WYNN q ~ q c-O ~ "
the mountain road while 1 enjoyed my
cigar. Twilight is very short in this
mountain region, and it was not long
before arkness settled down upon me
and | found | had strayed several miles
away from the farmhouse. The moon
was by this time rising full and large in
the eastern horizon, and L felt contented
and was enjoying my walk in the crisp.
ann1 air m nnanCa1V The r1nnn soon rose
TO a height which lighted the surround
ing landscape sufficiently to enable me
to see the roadway for a dozen yards
ahead. except where the black shadow
patches of intercepting pines stretched
across the path. | do not believe ! was
more than a mile from the house when
/ was startled by a sound which made
my blood almost freeze in my veins, and
broke upon the deathlike stiffness Of the
mountain night in a thousand weird
echoes. 1t was a scream. a cry-some-
thing human and something diabolical all
In one. For a moment / stood still. /
could not move a muscle. and TO say that
l was frightened does not begin to de-
scribe my sensations. knew by in
stinct that the noise 1 had heard was the
savage cry of a mountain panther or
painter as the north woodsmen call
them. and that the beast had seen me and
was on my trail. l had no weapon with
which l could defend myself but a small
pocket knife, which would only have been
of service at close range. and then the
chance of it's doing any harm to the c,ea-
ture was extremely remote. especially in
the hands OF a man as unskilled in such
warfare as /.
HE WANTED A CLUB.
at was necessary to do something, and
that at once. / searched around me for a
club of some kind. with which TO defend
myself. 1 opened the one slender blade of
my knife and held the thing between my
teeth. Every stick L picked up was de-
cayed and broke in pieces every time /
struck it on the ground 10 test its strength.
My faith. somehow, was pinned upon a
club. / felt 1 could put up some kind of a
fight with a club, but my fright rapidly
turned to terror as soon as l realized that
nothing but dead tree branches was to be
had.
Then / thought of stones. There were
plenty of them in the road, and 1 filled my
pockets full of them, and threw them ahead
road. My mind was working like a whirl-
wind, my heart beating faster and faster
every minute, until l began TO fairly pant
for breath.
II thought of our old yellow cat at
home and took a hint from cat nature as
l had often studied it. which stood me i'm
good stead in these awful moments, and
| firmly believe saved my life. 1 knew
that a cat never likes to face a man and
will instinctively seek to get behind him.
If, then, l could keep the panther in front
" a my oiO $3.50 AtAh NfS ~
be able to brighten him off. 1 yelled con-
tinuously, and made all the noise and
racket l could. Cats do not like noise.
Their methods of attack are stealthy and
in silence.
Every now and then I could see the
beast leaping across the road from one
side to the other. AS his tawny form
reached through the air in the moonlight
it seemed to my terror-stricken imagina-
ton as If he stretched clear across the
roadway like a continuous streak of yellow
liOht Fort tinotp1V for me kent him In
front of me. If the brute had succeeded in
getting TO the rear of me my courage,
what little 1 had left. would have deserted
me entirely. and j would have been par
alyzed with helpless terror.
whenever l reached a patch of black
shadow my terror increased and my legs
almost seemed to weigh a ton, while my
feet seemed to be glued to the ground. ]
wanted TO run through the darkness, but
/ could not. How 1 got through that last
mile. with that brute near me; how every
! sound added fresh fuel to my terror. was
| a long drawn out nightmare which to my
dying day l will never forget. 1t makes
me feel old to think OF 1t.
OVERCOME BY FRIGHT.
when at last l reached the farmhouse
sank helpless upon the floor and became
| semi-unconscious. l was aroused by my
friend shaking me and pouring water on
my face. 1t was some minutes before ]
was able TO sit up and tell of my exper-
ience. 1 felt 1 was entitled to some sort OF
| sympathy. but instead 1 was scored for
my folly in going into the woods alone al
| night without a gun or weapon of any kind
| This was just the sort of treatment | need
ed. for / became a little pioued at the slurs
cast upon my common sense. and l recov-
cred shortly my eQuanimity under the
stress of the verbal fiogging | was getting
1T seemed, however. that the cries OF
the panther had been heard for several
nights. and neighboring farmers had had
some lambs and young pigs stolen by the
brute. A hunting party was organized the
| next day. of which | was not a member
and started at daylight to run the beast
down. Meanwhile 1 remained indoors al
day. Never did four walls seem so full
| of kindly interest as did that simple farm.
house. 1t seemed odd that a scene Of such
peaceful security could be so close to q
| locality fraught with such heart-poundme
/ resolved 70 leave the mountains by the
first train and get back and stay back IN
| the haunts of civilization. But l did not
l remained until the hunting party re-
turned. which Il did along about milking
time in the afternoon. And they did no
return e-mpty-handed. either. They haC
found and killed the panther. When L frs
sa them they were coming down the road
with something hanging from the center
Of a pole, which rested at either end or
| the shoulders of two men. 1t was the brut,
| of the night before. His forefeet and hi.
hind feet were tied together. and the pole
run through them. They laid him out or
the grass in front of the kitchen door anc
/ had a good long look at him. His face
and muzzle were black, with a tawny body
| fading to a dirty white underneath his bel
ly. The men had shot him just between
the eyes and killed him instantly. He wa:
| about six feet long from his nose to tn,
tip OF his tail. and quite capable of givins
me all the fight / could ask for for m