El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-23
Fight With a Lynx.

l met Linn a few days afterwards
and he gave me an account of the af-
| fair. He went to the Indian at once
but he was dead-the grizzly had
crushed his skull like an egg shell.
Noticing that Linn's dove-colored
overcoat had innumerable rents in the
back and shoulders in parallel lines.
asked him how it had been done, He
answered that it was the work of a
California lynx. He then told me that
one evening late, he took his rifle
leaving his revolver at home, and went
out to try for some deer that browsed
in and near his field. Crawling to get
near enough for a snapshot, while
he was under a live oak tree on his
allfours he encountered the lynx. The
lynn was probably watching the
deer. Ia doe and two fawns). hoping
they would pass under the tree. and
afford him supper and breakfast: but
bounced down on Linn and tried to
grip his throat. Fortunately for him
it was very cold and he had his coat
collar turned up around his neck mad
the beast only got hold of the collar
and other clothes. or the m would
not have come out winner in the des-
perate fight that ensued. The lynx.
enough very hungry. kept his hold on
him. and began fiddling on his back
with his hind feet in a way that
promised to soon get through his
clothes and reach the meat Linn was
so astonished that for a moment he
hardly knew what to do. but he had
struggled to his feet. and being unable
TO use his rifle. drew a butcher knife
he had. and tried to stab the lynx.
The knife was one he had used long
while in the northern part of the state
in crevicing for gold. that is picking
1t out of the seams of the rocks. at
Feather River. and it was as dull as
the traditional meat axe. 1t did no
more than glance off of the lynXs ribs
and only angered him. The lynx was
on Linn's right shoulder so Linn could
not strike him fair blow or get hold
of him anyway. The cat had the best
of 1T every time. clawing the man. lac
Grating his hands, splitting and growl-
ing. Linn found it nearly impossible
TO keep his feet. with this weight on
his back, and he dreaded the cat
changing its hold for if he should get
him by the neck. with his strong jaws
and long teeth. he could have broken
his neck. Then Linn tried falling on
the lynx with all his weight. and ly-
ing on top of him. This did stop the
fiddling with the hind feet. but started
the forepaws to work. and they were
armed with the sharpest and longest
claws and soon made the fur fly
from Linn's scalp.
Linn tells that he was now getting
cut of wind not having been in train
ing for such 4 scrap, and it began to
look as though this animal of 35 or
40 pounds. was to come off victor. But
finally Linn managed to get the cat I'M
der his right side. and placing the
butcher knife's point against the beasts
side. threw his weight on the handle
and drove it through the lynx side. |
The cat hung on savagely until the
blood from his lungs filed his mouth
and he gasped in the last throes of
death. Man armed with only a dull A:
knife is still quite a dangerous GUS
toner This is the only instance that |
ever knew of lynx, or catamount or
Wild cat attacking a man. though 7
nave heard they do sometimes in the ,
northern states during cold spells
1riven by starvation.