A Montana journal tells the story of a hunter who killed a mountain
sheep, and then shot a mountain lion that claimed the game:
Mr. Wesley Curnutt took his gun and started to hunt the horses. About
three or four miles from the White Sulphur Springs he discovered a band
of mountain sheep, and as soon as he gained a proper location, he fired
upon the game.
At the crack of the gun one of the largest mountain lions we have ever
seen (you can imagine how large he appeared to the bold hunter) sprang
from a cliff of rocks, and landed not over thirty feet from Curnutt, in
an attitude looking anything but friendly, and ready to contest titles
to the game in question.
Mr. C------, being an old mountaineer and an experienced hunter, took in
the situation at a glance, and saw there was no time to lose, as his
antagonist meant business; so he immediately drew bead on the gentleman,
and let him have a bullet before he concluded to give way, and as he ran
he received a number of shots, which he carried but a short distance.
Mr. Curnutt, after dressing his sheep, which was a very large one, the
head and horns weighing thirty-seven and a half pounds, returned to the
battle-ground and found his antagonist dead.
Mr. C------, having procured the assistance of Col. Kent, brought the
lion to camp, where they weighed and measured him, finding him to weigh
two hundred and fifty pounds, and measure nine foot eight inches from
the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, which the colonel (though a
bear-hunter in the Rockys for many a year) acknowledges to be the "boss"
of the mountains.
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"E PLURIBUS UNUM."
A correspondent of the Philadelphia _Press_ tells the history of the
Latin motto, _E Pluribus Unum_ (from many, one). "The origin of the
motto is ascribed to Col. Reed, of Uxbridge, Mass. It first appeared on
a copper coin, struck at Newburg, New York State, where there was a
private mint. The pieces struck are dated 1786.
"In 1787 the motto appeared on several types of the New Jersey coppers,
also on a very curious gold doubloon, or sixteen-dollar piece, coined by
a goldsmith named Brasher. It was there put _'Unum E Pluribus.'_ Only
four of these pieces are known to be extant, and they are very valuable.
One of them, in possession of the mint, is supposed to be worth over a
thousand dollars.
"When Kentucky was admitted, in 1791, it is said copper coins were
struck with _'E Pluribus Unum.'_ They were made in England. The act of
Congress of 1792, authorizing the establishment of a mint, and the
coinage of gold, silver and copper, did not prescribe this motto, nor
was it over legalized.
"It was placed on gold coins in 1796, and on silver coins in 1798. It
was constantly used thereafter until 1831, when it was withdrawn from
the quarter-dollar of new device. In 1834 it was dropped from gold coins
to mark the change in the standard fineness of the coin.
"In 1837 it was dropped from the silver coins, marking the era of the
revised mint code. It has been thought proper to restore it recently to
our new silver dollar without any special sanction of law, although the
expression is one very proper for our coins."
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