The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-19

On one occasion a large mountain
I lion was routed from his den and in
I his lair was found the carcasses of 16
I young male ellzs which had been killed
/ and dragged to the den and then eaten
at his leisure.
The track Of this monarch of the park
/ was followed down the elevation to
nigh ledge where he had waiting
place where he evidently laid in wait
for the passing animals and sprang up
I on their backs and chung with his cruel
claws working into their vitals while
they ran until they finally dropped
/ from exhaustion and loss of blood to
furnish meal for their destroyer. The
runs taken by these victims were
streWn with the remains of hundreds if
the young of the larger kinds and all
/ ages of the smaller species This lions
menu seemed quite varied for the re-
mains of young buffalo, deer, elk,
mountain sheep and antelope strewed
/ the path taken by his victims.
His lionShip must have been the auto
crat Of the cougar kingdom of the park
Tor IN many instances the carcasses OF
/ his victims We're only slightly mutilated
/ ana evidently at that time he was only
I thirsting for their blood. This immense
/ specimen of the lion tribe later fell a
/ victim Of the prowess Of the new game
warden and a pack of well trained dogs.
| Mr.. Jones first wish after forming his
plans for the protection Of the animals
in the park was to get rid of this muir
derouS specimen of the lion tribe. Ear
" one morning when there was a light
skift of snow on the ground Mr.. Jones
with his pack of hounds and one of the
park guides set out for the lair of this
monarch Of the brute kingdom with the
/ determination to kill him.
The cougar was routed soon after
his favorite hunting grounds were
reached and a chase began WHICH
lasted well into the day before the
lion was finally brought to bay. AS
is usual with the cat tribe he took to
Z - L Il
able to reach him, sat on their
launches at the foot of the tree and
started the echoes reverberating
throughout the canons of the park.
Colonel Jones and the guide soon
arrived on the scene and delivered
beast as it crOuched high up in the
boughs of the tree, but apparently
with no effect. It was then discov-
/ cred that the loads of heavy shot that
supplied with were light loads OF bird
/ shot for use on quails and the birds
which they were likely to find. The
/ guide had brought the wrong bag Of
ammunition along. There was moth
/ ing to do but to wait for a closer shot.
AS Colonel Jones was walking be-
meath the tree the animal made
/ spring for him but missed, went by,
and as he returned Mr.. Jones empt1ed
/ both barrels of fine shot into the an
/
4 eyes and so binding him that it was
an easy matter to dispatch him. The
4 skin of this animal now adorns the
parlor of the Jones home in this city
/ and is admitted to be one of the finest
! representatives of its kind ever seen.
The lion was found to measure ten
feet two inches from the tip of nose
/ to the tip of the tail, and the skin
| contained "a square feet.
Colonel Jones estimated at the time
! v-r7
park that there were 300 cougars in
! the park and that each one killed
! three animals a week on an average,
or that in q year they destroyed 49,
/ 600 animals of the different protect
4 ed species to be found in the park.
! The fact that most of the elk de-
/ stroyed were males SO reduced the
/ percent. of males thar not more than
1 Is per cent. of calves were born an
4 nually, and these were weaklings and
but few of them reached maturity
| succumbing to their natural enemies
+ or the rigorous winters.
War of determination.
The first thing to be done was to
! exterminate these natural enemies of
! the game to be protected, and this was
/ by no means an easy matter for game
was so plentiful that the most skillful
trapper could not allure their enemies
/ into traps nor to taste of the bats
/ of poison so alluringly displayed. 1t
! seemed an almost impossible task to
/ hope to exterminate them by shooting,
/ for their natural haunts were almost
/ inaccessible cliffs it seemed that no
man could scale. There was but one
way to get at these animals, and that
was to hunt them with dogs. which
must be trained to drive them from
their haunts and into the omen where
| the men with guns could DO the ex-
1 terminating.
The warden prevailed upon the sec
/ pack of eight hounds which were a
cross between the bloodhound and the
fox hound. Here is where the
troubles of the warden began to null
/ tiply, for the pack did not seem to
( understand the rules governing the
/ game in the preserve and all trails
| were alike to them. The first trail
/ struck by the pack of unframed dogs
/ was that made by a band of elk, and
{ off went the pack of hounds in full
! bay. After a short run they had one
/ of the bunch separated and spra wiling
! in the snow, which greatly encour-
! aged them and was indeed fortunate
thing for the pack, for they found
/ need for all of their courage in ARRAYS
which they were to engage in later on.
The pack was called off and new
] start made and they were kept under
! control until it was certain that they
had struck the trail of bear. Bruin
/ had lust emerged from his winter
quarters and the trail was fresh and
the scent very strong
Away went the pack again, their
/ music reverberating through the fast
ness of the mountains echoing and re-
echoing through natures vast soil
tude. The bear had been living about
the fort and when he found himself
/ beset by a new enemy he mace a
straight line for his old haunts near
the fort. 1t so happened that at the
time his bearship, closely pursued by
the pack of dogs. reached the fort a
company of new recruits were being
drilled on the parade grounds. The
excitement was too much for this or
dinarily we'll trained bunch of Uncle
Sans regulars for though the ser
geant stormed and swore, the company
broke ranks and were soon in close
pursuit. some riding and some afoot