The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-01
2EPID HUNTER
rs NINE-FOOT PUMA
$40 Chase and Death
rug gle With Dogs.
~ cap" PROVES WORTH
ress1s epherd Dog Adds to His
as Record as a Prize
Trailer.
p" PROVES WORTH

WASH. Jan. IL ON f1OO-
.lslan hunter. has just returned
the Blue Greek country, where he
Jagged the largest puma ever seen in
that section. He went up on the Blue
Creek a little west of Chemelah in
search of deer. and ran on traces of
bear. A party started out in search OF
the bear and bagged two lynxes. Late
in the evening the party was returning
home. and Bill Rowley, with whom Hop
per was stopping sent the rest of the
party around the trail with a wagon.
Hopper and companion decided to
take a short cut through the mountains
TO the farm, and thought they might
get couple more lynxes.
Not long after we started out Old
Cap, my bear dog, started ahead of the
rest and ran on for about 200 yards, -
said Hopper. Then he stopped and
began TO raise a terrific row. The other
dogs started after him, and we followed
as fast as we could, as we thought they
had freed a bear.
When we came to the dogs they were
surrounding a tree, and. looking up. 1
saw a gray form clinging to the boughs
L knew what it was in an instant.
have shot too many cougars to be mis-
taken.
Ran Away When Shot
Il tied Old Cap up to a tree at safe
distance, as knew he would want to
be in it If there was fight. The other
dogs were safe enough. for there was
not much danger of them running in
when the animal fell If he did fall
when he was shot. BY this time it was
so dark that 1 could just see the
puma's white throat and could scarcely
see the gun barrel. 1 told Rowley 10
take a nd rhar, cd 20
fire. We both fired at once We struck
him in the feshy part of the forelegs.
The animal came down with a thud in
about eighteen inches of snow around
the foot OF the tree. Then he started on
a run, and We thought we had lost him.
However. we let Old Cap loose, and
he took up the trail in hurry The
other dogs followed and Rowley and 1
brought up the rear. We did not go
far before the animal was brought TO
bay under the roots OF a windfailen
tree. The dogs were upon him, and he
was lying on his side and swapping at
them.
Great Puma at Bay.
"As soon as ! got to where 1 could
distinguish anything in the snarling
mass. saw the cougar swapping at Old
Cap and Old Cap doing his best 70 re-
taliate. Screamer. a fox hound. was
standing BY with bleeding shoulder, and
Old Cap had a cash across his throat
that exposed his windpipe. and
wound in the shoulder.
when / could get a sight of the
animal it had its mouth open / took
aim and fired as nearly as l could make
IL in the darkness directly between the
rows of glittering white teetch.. The
puma lay down and we thought he was
finished, but soon he showed fight again.
/ got a little closer this time and sent
a bullet through his brain. That finished
him.
Il have shot two hundred cougars"
continued Mr.. Hopper, but have never
seen one so large as this one. He meas
ured nine feet four inches plump and
weighed $50 pounds. 1 have shot some
almost as long I'm California and this
State. too. but never one that was so
heavy. The taxidermists here, where
the animal now is. say it is the largest
they ever saw"
old Cap is the dog that was in at
the death of Big Foot, great grizzly
bear that Hopper killed near Lewiston,
Idaho. about a year ago. He is a kan
CARGO shepherd and noted for his cour-
age.