Arizona republican., 1904-05-29
SHOT AND KILLED WILDCAT.
And Saved Life of Boy Whom the Cat
 Had Attacked.

A fight for life with a hungry wildcat from the southern hills, the sure shot of a nervy woman and the rescue of a boy from a terrible death were the essential features of d suburban tragedy which occurred five miles south of Pueblo one night last week at the home of George J. Warden, a prominent contractor of Pueblo.
 MT. Warden was away. During the night young Adam Warden, his brother, heard peculiar noises at the barn. He threw on his clothes and ran out to see what was the matter.
 As he unlocked the barn door his at | tention was held by a deep, hoarse moving, accompanied by the stamping of horses feet and the whinny of alarm. Still unsuspecting, he entered, to feel at once the pricking of a score of cruel cuts on his back and shoulders, the weight of heavy animal on him ana to hear the growl of the wild beast in his ear.
 He jumped aside with cry of fright. Then came a pistol shot and a sudden relief from his burden. The cat had 1 sprung over his head at some one be- yond. Again come the sound of a shot, followed by a heavy thud on the floor. Then his sister-in-law rushed up, ask ! ing if he was hurt.
 1 It was all over in a moment. Faint l ing from his loss of blood, the boy stumbled into the house, where his wounds were dressed.
 It was Mrs. Warden who had follow ed him from the house, armed with a SS Smith l& Wesson, intent upon discov- ering the cause of the noise, which had also awakened her. She saw the cat spring upon the boy and immediately brought the gun into play. Although she ran a great risk of hitting him, instead of the beast, she felt confident In the steadiness of her nerve.
 Maddened with pain the cat sprang from the shoulders of the boy direct for the new danger, claws outspread, splitting and growing. Mrs. Warden's nerve did not waver. She caught the beast in mdair, coming directly for her, with a bullet through the heart. It rolled over dead at her feet. Then she helped her frustrated brother into the house and dressed his wounds. Young Warden is little the worse for his ex- perience His back is covered with deep gashes and scratches, but none Of them penetrated sufficiently deep to become serious.
 Mrs Warden has a local reputation as a crack shot. She has target in the backyard at which she practices every day. She is an accomplished equestrienne and also a Pueblo club woman of considerable prominence.
 This is by no means her first thrill ling experience. She once killed a black bear in Iowa while out camping with a party of friends. Housed in a big tent on the side of a hill. she was the first to hear the suspicious noise breaking into the nights stiffness. With a A Winchester she stole out on a tour of investigation. Tn the moon light she saw a bear approaching. She fired and wounded it. The animal ran for her at once.
 She feared to shoot again because of the danger that she would not be able to reload in time. and waited calmly until she could be sure of herself. When the big, skulking body sprung into the air, she fired, hitting him in the vital spot and bringing him to the ground at her feet.
 She is only 27 years of age, pretty. slight and feminine in appearance Denver Post.