Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1903-05-04


country Of Colorado has created, as
always heretofore, 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 its tortu-
Gus mountain paths, without the SER
vices of John Golf as guide and COM
panion.
John Golf is a resident of Crawfords-
vile. At least, when he speaks of
"home" in that fashion peculiar to the
men who have gone into the wilderness
OF the West, he refers to the little cot
tage nestled away among the syca-
more trees that line 4 lonesome half
neglected byway Of the old Hoosier
town.
1t is now nearly twenty years since
John Gofi, set his face toward the
West, and, with determination TO
repair the lost fortunes OF the family,
made his way into the very heart OF
the Rocky Mountains. Goff spent his
boyhood days near Ladoga, a little
village scarcely half a dozen miles
away from Charlottesville. Here there
are half a hundred people inhabitin%
the countryside VITO yet remember
the sturdy young man when he fished
in Indiana streams and beat through
Indiana woods in search OF game. His
father and his grandfather We're trap
pers before him. his uncles and his
great-uncles We're hunters, and his
mother had in her veins the restless
blood of the pioneers wife. In John
Goff the traits of the family centred.
That is one OF the reasons he is Sc
lected annually to be the companion
and the guide Of President Roosevelt,
for Theodore Roosevelt, hunter, like
the men of his kind, loves a man after
his own heart.
Golf at the age of fifteen had already
brought his name prominently before
the people of his own neighborhood.
He had on this occasion been sent by
his father to the home of a friend. His
journey, however, was delayed until
darkness had begun to fall, and young
Goff, when finally he did put out, found
it necessary to make his way through
the woods, where already the dark
ness had grown dense.
In the course of his trip Golf was set
upon by a catamount. The hardy
young hunter had only pocket knife
to use as a weapon Of defense. Never
theless, he whipped this from his
pocket, and prepared to fight for his
life. The beast, as Goff maneuvred to
avoid it il possible, suddenly leaped
at the hunter from its perch upon an
overhanging limb, and striking square
ly upon the lads back, buried its claws
in his shoulders and fastened its fangs
in his neck.
Goff, although hampercd in all his
movements by the burly form OF the
animal and sick with the pain caused
by the claws and teeth ripping through
his flesh, finally succeeded in sinking
the blade of the little weapon into the
cats neck. This forced the beast to
loosen its hold with lis teeth and gave
Golf the chance to shake it from his
back. After struggle continuing for
thirty minutes, the lad finished the cat
tiiouht, anu HAIL uciu lIblu IoSS Ol
blood, he began his long journey to
his home.
This Goff accomplished on his hands
and knees. Every inch of the trail was
covered with his blood and upon az
rival at his fathers door he sank from
exhaustion, and was not discovered
until an hour later, when he was found
xyhppa ba ho1 fol in h. Sol,
The following day the body of the
catamount was brought into the town.
A rough sign was tackled upon it, which
read: "Killed by Goif." From that
time on the young hunter acquired the
nickname, BY" which has clung to
him through all the later years OF his
life.-St. Louis Globe-Democrat