The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-02-16
Desperate Fight with Tiger.

Mars furnishes that paper with the fol
lowing account of severe fight with a
tiger. in Jefferson county, Texas
| give you the following unvarnished
account of fight between Mr.. Absalom
Williams, who is about seventy years of
age his wife, and an enormous tiger,
which occurred about the lst of Doccm.
bcr. at Mr. WIS residence
The tiger was first discovered on the
promises of Mr. James Drake, who lives
in the north portion of jefferson county.
where it entered his enclosure attacked
his horses. and killed one, besides wound
ing two others While the tiger was
committing its depredations, it was dis
covered by Francis Drake, son of the
proprietor Of the premises. who fired a
shot gun at it, wounding it in the side
but not dcxtcrously, when it made its
escape The next day, while Mr.. and
Mrs. Williams were sitting in their
house-thc rest of the family being alb
scnt-they were startled by strange
noise in the yard, in front Of the house
Mr.. W, on going out, discovered his dog
engaged with the tiger, when he seized
an ox-yoke and aimed blow at the
varmint," but missing it. struck lis
dog. The dog then got away from the
tiger and retreated In an instant the
tiger sprang upon Mr.. Williams, seizing
him by the hand. jerked him about twcn-
ty feet-The cid gentleman finding him
self in the too powerful grasp of the
wild animal, courageously determined to
give it the best trough and tumble fight
in his power, and having no weapon
within his reach. he seized the tiger by
the throat with his other hand, and
throwing his whole strength forward
crushed the tiger to the ground. both
falling side by side.
At this time Mrs. Williams came tC
the rescue, with gun, which she snap
ped at the tiger, but there being nc
priming in the pan, it did not so off
Mr.. W, then, with one arm round the
tigers body, by an effort, disengagcd
himself The tiger discovering new
adversary in the person of Mrs w
jumped at her, and attempted to grasl
her hand within its jaws, while it struck
aud lacerated her breast with its fore
paws She tried to avoid the monster
but fell to the ground. The tiger made
anoth er grasp at her head, his upper
teeth penetrating at the top of the skull
and sliding along the bone, peeled of
the skin till they met the lower teeth
which penetrated on the right side Of
her face.
Tn the mean time, Mr.. w had seized
the oxyoke again, aud giving the tiger
a tremendous blow, caused it to leave
Mrs w, when it leaped into the house
and got under the bed. The door was
Immediately closed and the monster Sc
cured Mr.. w. was exhausted from
the effects of his wounds, from which tho
blood flowed in streams but not so
his bctter-half When she saw theil
mutual foe thus attempt to take posses
sion Of their house, she determined tC
finish the battle. and Notwithstanding
the severity Of the wounds, her dress al
most entirely torn from her person, anC
covered with blood. she deliberatel,
took the gun, and shaking some powde
from the barrel into the pan, placed th'
muzzle between one of the openings
which the logs of the house afforded, anC
fired with steady and deadly aim. TIL,
tiger was killed When subsequent,
measured it was found to be II fee
from the tip of its tail to its nose.
During all the time the fight was 60
ing on, no one but those engaged in i
were within hearing Mr. WIS neares
neighbor lives three miles off However
as Mrs w. was washing the blood iron
her person, neighbor came riding by
and, alarmed at her appearance, inquired
the cause The old lady. unable, from
the loss of blood, to speak, pointed t.
tho dead body of the tiger.
The escape of Mr. and Mrs. William
is indeed wonderful, and they ARE nov
recovering gradually from Sheir wound
Mr.. w jokes about the tiger fight, an'
intimates that the old lady was mos
enraged when the varmint took posses
sion of her bed and house. 1t nee,
hardly be added that Mr.. Williams is
brave man. He fought the British a
New Orleans, and subsequently tn
Mexicans, in the cause of Texas bu
this last fight is, perhaps, the most sing
ular of all His wife, in intrepidity an'
daring, is worthy of him, and the tw
together are of that courageous elias
that have encountered forest wilds AM
frontier dangers-the pioneers of Chri:
tian civilization and American institu
tions,