The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1902-03-07
THE SHADOW
! ,,..oF DEATH

copyright. 1901. by C. Il. Lcwis.l
The town of Saugor. India. lies in
the basin formed BY the Bundclcund
range Of mountains on the east and the
Nindhya range on the west and is shut
in to the north and south by spurs
from those ranges.
One morning In the year 1867 news
came to Jubbulpoor, which is large
city sixty miles south of Sausor, that
the civil commissioner of the latter
town had been carried Off by a tiger.
No tiger had been seen within fifteen
miles OF Saugor for years, but US the
commissioners was riding In the sub.
urbs about shutdown he was pulled
from his saddle and carried or by a
beast lying in wait in bit of jungle
beside the highway. A servant wit
messed the tragedy. and he reported
the tiger as full rown, but not above
the average. He gave the alarm, and
a burdred people turled out. but the
tiger carried his prey across fields and
1lSuMuNS ulStUhNe VI Kun HhA
then entered heavy jungle. This
was the coming of what they called
the Shadow OF Death There We're
10 troops and but three English fam
lilies ut Saugor. Officials went mp
from Jubbulpoor to investigate. ard
six riflemen from the Tenth National
Infantry followed them. Before any
6ne had reached Saugor the tiger had
Killed a mail rider thirty miles to the
north. Two nights later he carried OF
a villager fifteen miles 10 the south.
Within week there was n cry OF
alarm all up and down the valley,
and fifty men We're put in the field as
hunters. \ reward amounting to about
$500 was offered for the destruction OF
the man eater. and villagers and farm
ers We're assured that his career would
lie brief. On the evening of the sixth
day after the tragedy mt SaIgor the
tiger returned to the outskirts of the
town. lcapcd over a campfire beyond
which sat an English civilian named
Baker. and the man was seized and
carried of with twenty people within
stones throw. Baker MAS Il sportsman
and had come up from Jnbbulpoor TO
join in the hunt. There were fou- men
within twenty feet OF him as he was
seized. Tile tiger crippcd him by The
shoulder. tossed him across his back
aud went away Into the darkness with
snarl. When daylight came. II was
proved that lie carried the man eight
miles before being lost in n ravine. At
one spot the beast. bur,lcned as he was
with the weight OF 100 pounds. leapcd
ditch eighteen feet wide. This made
the fourth victim In six days, and dur
ing that time the big cat had traverSed
n distance of $50 miles.
Had plague suddenly fallen upon
the people they could not have been
more alarmed. III one day half the in
habitants Of Saugor deserted their
homes. and in day or two more the
highways aud fields We're abandoned
by the farmers for several miles
around. The hunters got out aud beat
up the country. but while they were
Mt work the tiger Travelled forty-five
miles up the valley and killed a farmer
and his wife aud two children In their
hut and carried the body Of the farmer
To the foothills. Word had scarcely
reached the hunters when the beast
shifted his quarters by twenty miles
and carried of a woman who was get
tin. water at spring. \ hundred
soldiers were now ordered up from
Jubbulpoor, and sportsmen hockcd Ia
the valley until nearly 300 men had
taken up the chase. There was an
interval OF two days between the IL
gers sixth and seventh victim. He
Travelled eighteen miles in this time.
and. entering village just ut sun.
down, he seized the head man and
sped away. On this occasion he was
struck with clubs and cooking utensils
In the hands of the villagers. hut he
would not let 70 his hold Only TWEEN
ty-four hours later the beast ambushed
and Killed an English sportsman on y
highway.
After the eighth victim had been re-
corded the reward was raised TO ST..
300, and the number OF hunters was In.
creased TO 300, but it WAS too late TO
check the stampede. Ii is a matter of
record that twenty-seven villages and
800 farms were abandoned In ten days.
The tiger Travelled such distances that
no one In the valley felt safe. and lie
was so daring that the superstition of
the natives was aroused. The ninth
victim was another mail rider. the
tenth a farmer and the eleventh a
French tourist who sat on the yeranda
Of public bungalow when seized. Be