New Orleans daily crescent., 1857-07-27
Pioneer Panther Hunting.

P1OnSeT F0OClef auQLIlS.
| -
/ OF all the wild beasts which inhabt the western
forests none are more the hunters dread than the
panther. Their sly, steathy, catike tread scarcely
full spring. and the certainty of securing their victim
in their long, knife-ke claws, has assigned them a
place in the west similar to that occupied by the lion
| in the forests of Africa.
They have not to be sure, the strength of the bear
nor the prawlng nature of the wolf, but what they
lack in strength they make up in quickness of motion
and terrific fierceness of attack. While the bear is
getting ready for hug the panther will tear his VIC
tim to pieces. The scream of the panther, like the
battle Of the western serpent, is sound that
fails to create tremor in the of the bravest
backwoodsman, and when one is heard at settle
ment it creates much excitement as the presence
| of rabid dog would in village.
They attack almost all kinds of beasts, but geney
ally they have preference for the DEER elk and but-
falo. Large as the latter animal is it falls victim
| to the panther's deadly spring. When from some
oyerhangng cliff the branches OF tree, it springs
upon the buffalo, striking its claws deep into the
flesh there is no escape for its claws are sharp
and strong that they penetrate the bark of the hardest
tree, enabling them to ascend with the eetness of
| a cat. The affrighted animal may plunge into the
thicket and endeavor to shake off the terrible oe but
it is of no avail the panther graphing the neck,
soon extracts the liteblood and the victim fails In
| their native wdness they fearless as they
were erocous, until the hunters deadly rifle taught
them the power of man. They will, notwithstanding,
they will run from dog--not because they fear him,
for with stroke of their paw they could put
stop to his chase and silence his barking orever-but
because of the proximity of the hunter with his rifle.
The following narrative is from pioneer hunter of
Kentucky who is said to have killed the last buffalo
in the cane-brakes of that State:
| l was living on branch of the Bigbone, called
Panther Run. 1t was year after had been with
| Gen. Wayne. had left home for deer hunt, with
rife, tomahawk and butcher knife in my belt as GUS
tomary and, securing about the woods, | came to
thick piece of brush-in short, perfect thicket of
| hoop poles. l discovered by the sound that some
dreadful bowling and scufling was going on, appa-
rently within hundred yards or So | crept as eau
tously and silently as possible through the thcket,
and kept until found myself within twenty steps
of two male panthers, who were making desperate
fight, screaming, splitting and yelling like couple
OF tom cats, only much louder, as you may guess.
At last one of them seemed to have actually killed
the other, for he lay quite motoness This what
| had been waiting for and while the other one
swinging forward and backward over him in trinmph
blazed away but owing to his singular motion |
shot him through the bulge of the ribs little too
far back to kill him instantly. They are very hard to
kill. But he made one prodgious bound through
the brush and cleared hmselfou sight, the ground
where we were being quite broken well as sliding.
l then walked up to him, nlistrusting nothing and
was within a yard of him when he made one spring
to his feet and fastened upon my left shoulder with
his teeth and claws, where he inflicted several very
deep wounds. was uncommonly active as well as
tai in scutlle but had hard work to keep my feet
under the weight of such beast l had my knife
out in an instant, and put it into him for dear life.
so we tusseed away, and the ground being siding,
and steep at that, which increased my trouble to
keep from falling gradually worked down the hill
TILL was forced against log, and we both came to
the ground, inside and the panther outside he still
keeping hold, although evidently weakening under
the repeated digs and rips he was getting. kept on
knitting away till found his hold sackening, and he
let go at last, to my great rejoicing got to my feet
made for my rifle, which had dropped in the early
part of the sculle, got it and ran home. gathered
the neighbors with their dogs and returning found
the panthers not more than fifteen rods apart the
one which had knitted was dying, and the one that
had shot was making effort to climba tree to the
height Of eight feet, when he fell and was speedily
dispatched; Next day stripped them of their skins,
which sold to saddler in Lexington for two dol.
lars apiece. You may depend that never got into
such grip again with panther.
COMMODORE STEVENS AND HIS HORSE PowHAT-
TANs-Some twenty years ago the late Mr.. Stevens
imported bay gelding called the Powhattan. He
bought him through an agent in London, and gave
for him $1,000 After he had him a week, the groom
one morning said:
Commodore that id Powhattan has kicked
all the boarding from the stable behind where he
stands.'
Ee has, Ell? Well, hitch him up before nv
heavy suky, and I'll take that vice out Of him in
The groom hitched up Powhattan and drove him |
up to the door in few moments. The Commodore |
got in, when Powhattan laid down on his belly. |
Commodore introduced shilling raw hide on his |
hams, when with one kick the bottom of the sulky |
was stoven through and the Commodore badly bruised
Commodore said nothing, but ordered Powhattan put
up week after, finding that nothing could be |
done with that animal, he offered him for sale Here
Is copy of the advertisement, which find in file
OF the Herald, OF Sept. 1913. 1t has never been in
print since:
For Sae1rhe bay Powhattau, He was sired by his father
q na dagRo! 81 1 he nn at last onea rim. He true ali
BRING Oft M ssysn Ssst @ get the
colossal sailor full Of whisky went into the Bos
ton Bethel, one day last winter The dav was cold !
outside, but the air of the chapel was hot and being
efanta WIN poor people in all stages of dirt its air
was not pleasant This state OF things produced vis
bic effects upon the drunken sailor. He became
qnamish, and disposed to vomit and being iammed |
up among the crowd, and unable to get away, his
lace was twisted INTO strange contortons the sweat
poured from his face and he became very pale The
preacher noted these changes and attributed them to
te sermon, and all at once turning to the sailor eX
claimed Brother Mariner, how shall we help you ?'
: Burn rag, was the sententious reply,
CuRIoslTlEs.- Whiskers from the cat that was let
out OF the bag.
The fringe to a cobweb curtain.
A coffin for the dead of night.
A VACCINATION from loaded matter.
Shavings from the planning of form.
A Duiiet from q shooting stick.
Order from foul case.
The rope with which Jacob lifted up his voice.
A few stitches taken by tailor ia a coat of paint
A little perfume from the flower of the army.
A minute quantity of jelly made from the current |
If the Mississippi.
few soaked logs from the drift of a discourse.
thimble full of steel dust supposed to have been
made when Macbeth filed his mind.
leaf from the tree of knowledge.
gentleman of color had severe attack of the
rheumatism, which finally settled in bis foot. He
ioctored 1t and nnrsed it, but all to no purpose.
FINALLY, tearing away the bandages he stuck it ont