The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-02-08
}l9I i s. @ & /. L a. N E GUS.

IdBr WITH ii j AauAR, OR AMERI-.
DAN TIeER. A correspondent of TIE
4 lpestoa lVe,es gives the following
account of a Desperate fight between
Mr. Absolem Williams, who is about
seventy years Of age, his wife, and an
enormous tiger, which occurred about
the LIST OF Deccmber, at Mr.. WIS
sresid dencei:
The tiger was first discovered on
the premises Of Mr.. James Drake,
4 who lives in the mort portion Of JET.
ferson County, where it entered his
I enclosure, attacked his horses, and, Kill
led one, besides wounding two others.
While the tiger was committing its
9depredations, it was discovered by
Francis Drake, son of the proprietor
of tho premises, who fired shot gun
gat it, wounding it in tho side, but not
dangerously, when it made its escape.
Tho next day, while Mr.. and Mrs.
Williams were sitting in their house,
{the ,restof the family being abscnt,)
they. were startled by strange noise in
the yard, in front of the house. Mr..
Nv, on going out discovered his dog
engaged with tiger, when he sized an
ss1x-y oke and aimed blow at tho "var-
}Smint," but, missing it struk his dog.
The dog got away from the tiger and
retreated. In an instant tho tigar
sprung on Mr.. Williams, and seized
him by the hand, jerking him about
twenty feet. The old gentleman, fin
ding himself in the too powerful grasp
of the wild .anamal, courageously de-
termined to give it the best "rough
and tumble fight in his power, and hay
/ ing no weapons within reach, he seized
the tiger by the throat with his other
y hand, and, throwing his whole strength
forward, crushed The tigar to the ground
both falling side by side. At this Mrs.
Williams came to the rescue, with a
gun, which she snapped at the tigar|
but their being no priming in the pan
Nit did not 60 of. Mr.. w. then, with
one arm round the tigers body, and
grasping its troat with his other hand,
by an effort, disengagcd himself. The
tigar, discovering new adversary in
the person of Mrs. W., jumped at her,
and attempted to grasp her head
within it jaws, while it struck and lac
Grated her breast with its fore paws.
She tried to avoid the monster, but
was felled to the ground. The tiger
made another grasp at her head, his
upper teeth penetrating at the top of
the scull and sliding along the bone,
peeled off the skin till they met the
lower teeth, which penetrated on the
Y right side of her face.
In the meantime, Mr.. W., had seiz-
ed the ox-yoke again, and giving the IT,
ger n 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 secured. Mr.. W., was cx-
hausted from the effects of his wounds,
q from which the blood flowed in streams
hntsnot 50 his better half. When she saw
their mutual foe thus a,tsa;sagg1g5E Ike
fcssoss,on ot rnEiS ;snt 1ti;! uc5c +:
snined to finish the btttfe, and, not
withstanding the severity of her
& wounds, her dress almost entirely torn
from her person, and covered with
blood, she deliberately took the gun,
! and, shaking some powder from the
barrel into the pan, placed the muzzlc
between one of the openings which the
logs of the house afforded, and fired
with steady and deadly aim. The IT,
gerswas killed. When subsequently
measured, it was found to be twelve
y feet from the tip of its tail to its nose.
q During all the time the Gght was
going on, no one but those engaged in
it were within hearing. Mr.. WIS
nearest nieghbor lives three nils oil.
/; However, as Mrs. W., was washing
the blood from her person, a ncighbor
came riding by, and, alarmed at her
appearance, inquired the cause. The
old lady, unable from the loss of blood
to speak, pointed to the dead body of
the tigar.
The escape Of Mr.. and Mrs. Will
liams is indeed wonderful, and they are
now recovering gradually from their
wounds. Mr.. W., jokes about the IT,
ger fight, and intimates that the old
lady was most enraged when the ''var
7 mint" took possession OF his bed and
house. 1t need hardly be added that
MIR. Williams is brave man. He
fought the british at New-Orlcans and
subsequently the Nexicans, in the
cause of Texas; but this last fight is,
perhaps the most singular of all. Ills
4 wife, in intrepidity and daring, worthy
of him, and two together, are Of that
J courageous class that have encounter
led forest wilds and frontier dangers
the pioneers of Christian civilization
and American institutions.
A Pass WoRD.-Mr. Lover tells a
good anccdote Of an Irishman giving
. the pass word at the battle Of Fontc-
noy, at the time the great SAKE was