The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-12-13
Wyandote Priest Fights Epidemics,
Hunts Man-Eoting Tigers in Mission
Post Among Primitive Indian Tribe

This year as in past seasons, ben
eft party will bC held for the Wy
andotte priest a. 7:30 pm. Sunday
at st. Joseph auditorium, Fourth
and Maple streets
Proof of the dangerous life the
missionary has led, are the scars on
his head and arm where he had
been ciawed by leopard.
Living in primitive conditions
among the Caro- people, who until
100 years ago were head-hunters;
FIR E-arks is often called upon to
kill tigers moleSting the people and
their cattle.
He relates: One time my party
started out after a leopard that
had been causing considerable trou-
bic. We missed it the first night
and tried again the next day at
different spot. About 4 pm. a mas
ter of one of the villages ran in
saying a tiger had just killed his
bull. The bull. weighing about 700
pounds, had been dragged by the
tiger about 80 yards from the palm.
up hill about 20 feet and into
thicket. The carcass was about
half eaten
Villagers butt machen at the
priests request about 20 feet from
the remains of the bull and at six,
just before dusk, the priest and his
party were waiting in the machen,
sitting until midnight when they
returned to the mission.
The tiger returned between one
and three o'clock that morning and
finished his meal.
FIR. Marks continues the story:
I'VE finished our meal about
midnight Ghe next day., and 1
suggested that we stroll down the
rail to a waterhole about one
eighth OF a mile away. We had
seen a leopard there several nights
before. At the waterhole we looked
around and saw nothing, then
started back l flashed the light
from side to side across the fields.
Suddenly my spotlight struck
eyes-large. glazing, fiery red eyes
about two hundred yards away.
They seemed to be down in a gully
and they stayed on us, just as
kept the light on them. Then we
did foolish thing. We started
across the field toward them!
"At about one hundred yards
distance from them, FIR. Weber
said, That's tiger, and I believe
he is stalking us All had was
shotgun with four shells. Father
was carrying a As carbine, useless
at night, because it could not be
aimed and is not powerful enough
to kill a tiger. Meanwhile those
eyes were glued on us. Then they
began to move TO and fro covering
distance of about % feet as the
animal paced back and forth. We
saw a couple of Caro- boys COM
ing down the road and called out
asking them to hold the light for
Us. They flashed it everywhere but
the right place.
'All at once FIR. Weber whiS-
pered, Look! He's coming up the
bankl' We started backing off. In
rice fields this is dangerous be-
cause Of the paddy entertainments.
One is likely to trip. Finally, we
got back to The road. I fired my
gun twice, then stumbled and was
out on the road. Luckily l did not
hit the beast. If I had, he would
have rushed. Posthaste We scurried
back TO the mission.
Early the next morning the
Caro- boy and I went out to look
around. In creek bed we saw the
footprints at least five inches
across. The Caro- boy measured
them. and then held up his hand
about as hign as a table to indi-
cate the probable height. 1t still
gives me the shiverS when 1 think
how We went toward that beast and
fired our guns. If We had hit him,
he would have been on us in three
seconds in the darkness"