The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-11-07

dent Roosevelt Is again con
templating "A sOjourn in the
wilds OF the White River
| country Of Colorado has created as
! always heretofore, a buzz OF comment
/ in the little Indiana city OF CrawfOrds.
! VILE For the Chief Executive OF the
| Nation never hunts in Colorado. beat.
| ing up or down its mountain streams
or winding IN and out along It's tortu.
Gus mountain paths, without the ser.
vices OF John GOff as guide and com.
panion.
John Gon is a resident Of Crawfords-
willie. At least when he speaks Of
home in that fashion peculiar 10 the
men who have gone into the wilderness
Of the West. he refers 10 the little cot
tagc nestled away among the syca-
more trees that line a lonesome. half
neglected byway Of the old HOOsier
town.
1t is now nearly twenty years since
John GOn set his face toward the
West. and, with determination 10
repair the lost fortunes Of the family
made his way into the very heart Of
the Rocky Mountains. Gon spent his
bOyhOOd days near LadOga, "A little
village scarcely hall a dozen miles
away from Charlottesville, Here there
are half hundred people inhabtng
the countryside WHO yet remember
the sturdy young man when he fished
in Indiana streams and beat through
Indiana woods In search Of game. His
father ana his grandfather wcrettrap-
pcrs before him, his uncles ana his
great-unclcs were hunters and his
mother had in her veins the restless
blood Of the pioneers wife. In John
Con the traits Of the family centred.
That Is one OF the reasons ne Is So
lcctcd annually 10 be- the companion
aud the guide Of President Roosevelt,
for Theodore Roosevelt. hunter. like
the men Of his kind, loves a man after
his own heart
Gon at the age of fifteen had already
brought his name prominently before
the people of his own ncighborhood.
lie had on this occasion been sent hy
his father 10 the home of a friend. His
journey, however, was delayed until
darkness had begun 10 fan and young
Goff, when finally hc did pat out. found
il necessary 10 make his way through
the woods. where already the dark
ness had grown dense.
In the course Of his trip Goff was Sct
upon by a Catamouht. The hardy
young hunter had only pocket knife
10 use as n weapon of defense. Never.
thclcss, he whipped this from his
pocket. and prepared to fight for his
life. The beast, as GOn maneuvrcd to
avoid II If possible, suddenly lcapcd
at the hunter from It's perch upon an
Ovcrhanging limb. and striking square
ly upon the lads back, buried its claws
i'm his shoulders and fastened It's fangS
in his neck
Goff, although hampcrcd in all his
movements 10y the burly form of the
animal, and sick with the pain caused
hy the claws and teeth ripping through
his flesh, finally succeeded in sinking
the blade of the little weapon into the
eats neck. This forced the beast TO
loosen it's hold with Ms teeth and gave
GOff the chance to shake il from his
back. After n struggle continuing for
thirty minutes. the lad finished the cat
amount. and half dead from loss of
blood, he began his long journey to
his home.
This Con- accomplished on his hands
and knees. Every inch of the trail was
covered with his blood. and upon ar.
rival at his fathers door he sank from
exhaustion, and was not discovered
until an hour later. when ne was found
where lie had fallen in the dead faint
The following day the body of the
catamount was brought into the town
\ rough sign was tackled upon IT, which
read: Killed hy Goff." From that
time on the young hunter acquired the
nickname, BY" which has clung to
him through all the later years of his
lifc.-St. Louis Globc-Dcmocrat.