The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-03-20
FOUGHT WITH A WILDCAT.


II have been reading In the papers
lately CERTAIN. scicntinc assertions that
no Wild animal viii Voluntarily attack or
pursue q human being, bnt that on M.
contrary. the fiercest OF them. a. tradi-,
ton and tho tales OF woodsmen classtf,
them. Win make haste 10 escape the pos
sible siglN rof man. inlCSs in a. operate
eases, hunger may ursc IL Ia approach
him, its most dreaded Zoe silch cases
beins extremely fare." aAid "A mat
ter-of-facr ane veraci0us New York b,si-
ness mans according 70 the Ncw York
Press.
III that Is so l had "A little experience
once with. wild auimal that must have
been the most desperately hungry beast
that ever longed Tor food Tho pcclft-
renee was ir northeastern Pennsylsaula.
where ONES winter | had some business
that called me ten miles from the county
town to ole OF the bacywOodS districts.
IL wae late IN the afternoon when start
ed on my ireturn 10 the Village Tho way
was over lonely. narrow, crooked m0un~
tain rossi. bordered by deep woods much
of the dssa .ance. Toward dusk. as / was
rounding short tnrn ~ thu road. ny
horse VIII ch had q good dea of spirit.
shlod sndss snly ana sprang forward on
furious rnil
AT the same instant an animal with
glarsng en- pumped down from some
where and landed in the sleigh "A niy feet.
IL had cvi hently leaped from a tree AT the
horse, th,s quick movements of witch
nervous nimal had defeated that pun
pose, and the attsckinE animal bad
alighted with its iprcfrct on ihc rnbe
that lay Gcross my TAP II glazed ftiri-
ously at n ", with rs face not more than
two feet away AS. Il cnng ~ ihn robe
with It's - arp CLAWS. growhrs hptcoly
had netcr seen "a v3Scat. bgt 2 kuaW isl
staistly ano srstnctf-eN That had one "a
deal with berg and q, scefnrd no be a very
large and savage cue ~ yhat / had no
weapon bur Fortunately The WHIP that.
stood in liz socket nn The dashboard was
loaded az ..te buii
Clingipe tcthe rsias win my ieft hand
-the hGrsc MAS nNIlng swayl uusckly
drew the whir from 5~ socltct ana
struck the Wild az on fho head WITH tho
heavy butG rhat caused rho animal 40
loosen rs hold 0H the robe and tlrur into
the snow nt tho ado OF ths, sirixh hut
the agile and fwEoHs beast wa up in
the fraction OF ses0n,h aud with one
bound sprang on tho hack OF the sleigh
which had a low body
Although the. horse was -qrlnig,r r,,u,lly
away alpaig the nalTow aud rroo.ed rnad.
throwing the sleigh nom ale 20 side and
threatening IL constantly Mlth ,lcgtrur-
tion against somc rock or stumn WIS
Obliged 10 drop he rcins and lcayc The
result ~ the runaway to chance for th.
wildcat was strrggng desperately 90
gain q toothud IN The sleigh and fghg
me nt close auafpers, | knew that ~ the
sleigh should happen up come Into coll
lision with any OBSTACLE heavy ,nC-rgh 20
wreck IL would be nn match for tno cat
amourn now wrought 90 the utmost fc-
rocity. lighting a on the shppnw snow.
even n | were unharrned by ~. collision.
m 60 A atf ire, Il
the determined beast while stin nos
sessed the advantage Of foothold IN The
sleigh
once r thought Il was all up with me.
for the sleigh was carried abruptly
round n short turn IN the road by the
speeding horse one runner struck stour
or root and the sleigh cawoned ANA ram
at least ffty feet on the othor runner
alone. | mechan nicallv throw the weight
of my body toward the upper side uf tho
sleigh, all the time raining rapid blows
on the head OF tho wildcat with the hutt
or the whip. and forced the sleigh down
10 hs balance on both runners again a
few more blows after that and was re-
joiced 10 see the determined and ienaci- Z.
Gus beast first loosen one claw, hang for
n second or so by the other. while II
tried 10 seize the ton OF the back OF the
sleigh again with It's teeth. and then
ralmble TO the road and lie motioniess In
''r dropped back on the seat limp and
weyrk. and too much unnorved 10 make
the least effort TO obtain control OF the
runaway, which was stll rushing wildly
along the uncertain road. made still more
uncertain by the gathering darkness. The
horse ran at least three miles further.
and then began to slow up. and at last
stopped half way up long and steep hill
from sheer exhaustion. had by this
time recovered sufficiently to take charge
of the horse again and drive the rest OF
the way 10 the town, which wasn't far
and where I arrived with n horse COW
cred with foam, n sleigh splintered and
covered deep with scars and scratches
made by the desperate wildcat, and my
self so badly used UP by nervous shock
that il was three days before / was able
10 gev about again in anything like good
condition I never heard whether the
wildcat was killed by my blows or not.
but I have an idea he was. | hope so
Science may be all right In declaring that
wild animals VIII hasten to fee at the
very suspicion OF mans approach hut IL
ever / am going anywhere and hear there
are wildcats In that direction III 60
ronind some other way."