The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1907-12-11
Killed a CatamOunt.

George Eakin, Joseph Scott aud Mart
Huffman, of Clintonville, this county,
arrived in town on Saturday night, on
their way home from weeks hunting
trip in the vicinity of Kelettville. Forest
county, with the carcass of a wildcat that
weighed 20 pounds, and lynx that
weighed 80 pounds. The wildcat was
killed early in the week, but the larger
animal was shot by Scott on Saturday
morning, as the hunting party was on its
way from camp to KellettviIle. Their
dogs showed considerable uneasiness
when striking the trail ofthe "cstamount"
and refused to go very far ahead of the
men, who when they noticed the prints
of the feet of the animal in the snow
were rather dubious about following up
the trail themselves. Finally Scott sight
ed the animal walking in the road ahead
of them and killed it at the irst shot.
This is the first lynx that has been
brought to Oil City in some years and its
exhibit at the Central hotel, where the
party stopped for few hours. naturally
attracted considerable attention and much
speculation as to "the nature ofthe beast"
1t was finally identified by George
Quinn, who was one of the spectators of a
pitched battle between one of these
animals and thoroughbred bulldog at
Edenburg, Clarion county, in 1876 and
who spoke with authority, classifying
the animal as being known both as a
enough to be new to the younger genera
tion and is still fond memory with
some of the old timers. One OF the Clar-
ion county hunters had trapped the lynx
and while exhibiting it in Edenburg an.
nounced that there was nothing of its
weight that could "lick" it. This aroused
the ire of the owner of a 35-pound bull
dog and he made the match. A pen was
made of sucker rods constructed in a
slaughter house and on the day of the
battle there were drillers, tool dressers
and other sports present from a wide
radius of country aud mum bering several
hundred. Betting was spirited and at
the appointed time the bull dog was
thrown into the pit where the "cat' was
apparently sleeping. The dog went into
action at once and had the feline by the
back of the neck before it realized what
was expected Off. The skin on its neck
was loose enough to permit it to turn on
ifoh haa md ;p tee al 4
feet were working like buzz saw, tax
ing out chunks of dog skin and flesh with
every revolution. The dog was almost
as active and fully as ferocious. The
animals were evenly matched and when
they each were torn almost into ribbons
they quit fighting because they we're ex-
hausted by their exertions and loss of
blood. The bets were called off, the fight
declared draw and it was supposed that
both the animals were ready to die. The
owner of the dog carried it TO pond near
the slaughter house and started to wash
Its wounds. This revived the hull dog
and seeing canine near that was cross
between shepherd and New Foundland,
and owned by Mr.. Quinn, then boy in
his teens, the bull dog promptly attacked
it. Attempts to separate the fighting
dog and the crossbred failed until both
the an imals were thrown into the pond. |
The bull dog ultimately recover ed and
fought many another battle with those Of
his kind, but the lynx died from its in
juries it had received in the conflict Oil |
City Derrick.