The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-02-07
DESCRIBES KILLING
BOBCAT BY HAND
John Sheehan of Ludlow Injured More
BY Fierce Animal Than by Ger
mans In World War.

! LUDLOW. Feb. IA Vermont bob
cat. made bold and ferocious by nine
! days of below zero weather and deep
snow which hid its food supply. did
more damage to John Sheehan of this
village. aged -. i'm 20 seconds than he
| suffered at the hands of the Germans al
! Chateau Therry. st. Mihiel. Ncrdun and
! other noted battles i'm which he faced the
| enemy during Is months of service with
| Company IL. 1881 Infantry, in which he
| enlisted early in the war. Crazed by
| hunger the beast attacked Mr. Sheehan
| and a companion. Arthur ConnorS of
! Ludlow, on a public highway but the
| former was able To dispatch il with no
other weapon than his bare hands. chok-
| ing it to death. Four deep scratches.
extending from upper wrist to finger tins
on each hand where the cats big claws
| lacerated his flesh win make scars that
will be n reminder for life to Mr.. Shec-
! han of his encounter with the bay lynx.
| Persons familiar with the traits of the
| fierce animals marvel that he escaped
with his life.
Although he has already received the
state bounty Of S. for killing the crca-
| ture Mr.. Shechan has refused 81 for the
| pelt. preferring TO have it mounted No
| trading II for cash as he considers it the
greatest trophy that he ever secured
notwithstanding the fact that his life
has been largely spent i'm the woods.
The feline was 10 inches long and 10
inches high at the shoulders 1t had a
! frame which. should have given il a
! weight of - hounds bat famine had re-
| duced its weight to half of this
Sitting ut his home with his arms
@wathed in arnica bandagcS half WAY to
| the elbow, Mr.. Sheehan told if his dan
gerouS experience.
Arthur and ] had an GRAND the other
! side of the mountain and we took the
] stgagA ~
| we reached place about three miles
4 from the village where there are woods
ON both sides of the highway, the bobcat
suddenly appeared from thicket and
stood facing ms in the middle Of the road
not more than six feet away. snarling
| and showing its teeth / took a step
| forward thinking 1t would take flight
| as a lynx is usually 81 coward but it
lStood still and made Il louderanoSe Be
/ leving that / could grab it By the neck
land choke al. T extended my arms 10 go
towards itand Arthur went to one side
Just then the cat spisng at me and
as it landed at my feet 1t made a PASS
with one paw and its claws ripped four
burrows in one Of my hands which / had
| thrown MP to protect my face. being 50
taken. by surprise that Che Wild cat
| should attack me.
| Before / could get a hold on tho ami.
mal IL struck dgain with its paw. which
came -tbrongbStlie. air With such lightning
speed that E.cbuld RAtt a0dgesit il, and il
cRucht the back Of my other hand. tear
ing it open almost as bad as the other
Then things became pretty lively. ! was
eping 10 have the cat and | cot
1t. with Arthur's help. choking
il with my hands until it was all in
when we fnishedF it with stick Nv
hands arc pretty sore but he did not
hart ne any besides those scratches.
Ills claws7 certalaIiv were sharp and
when he came ut me, a. | glance at his
skin AFTER the taNidermist gets through
with it. -
Mr. Shechan has lived in Ludlow and
entity All his life. An occasional pelt
OF some fuf beaEs3s=f4equently helps TO