The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-06-20
From Por,er's Spirit Of the Time.
THE PANTHER AND HIS VICTIM.

The victim was young physician, who
hung out as the Blockhouse village, and
had. it is said. more love for. and more skill
in, shooting than surgery. Some ten or
twelve miles from the Blockhouse isl place
called the English Settlement" and be-
tween the two places an unbroken forest
extends nearly the whole way: there is no
road through, but the settlers have blazed
a line," and on this line tho doctor started
one autumn morning for the settlement.
He took his gun, OF course, and also ex.
pressed an intention Of being absent week
or more, if the hunting proved good.
He was not expected at the settlement.
nor did he arrive there but it happened
that two or three days afterward. q man
came through from the latter place. and on
being questioned by the Doctors friends.
gave the rather startling information that
no doctor had arrived. As it was known
be took no camp implements along. and
was not likely to have got lost. his friends.
to the number of half dozen, took their
rifles and started for the settlement, to +" see
it out" They had not far to 60. lie was
lying few yards from the path. frightfully
torn and mangled, one barrel discharged.
and the cap of the other exploded, with un.
mistakable evidences of fearful life and
death struggle on his person. The men
who found him were hunters, aud they
said painter " at once. There was trail
OF blood leading from the corpse to thick
ct, but the leaves were falling, and after q
long trail, they could follow it no longer
1t is worthy Of note that an old hunter Of
that party gave it as his belief after wash
ing and closely examining the corpse. that
the panther had had his under jaw broken
by the shot. and consequently could not
eat or bite the body. Good dogs were
brought to the spot the day after the body
was found, but nothing came Of it. and the
conclusion was that the panther had crawled
off to a thicket and died Of his wound !;
tha. it was panther no one who saw the
body or heard the story even doubted
This was in November In the April
following. some children who had been
playing in the road at the settlement. rushed
t into house near by, wild with alright,
and attemptingly incoherently to describe
something Of most fearful aspect. that
was trying 10 get over brush fence into
|, the road.
! "It's long as a horse. and 90, bloody
. eyes," one little fellow said.
e The children we're too much accustomed
J, to the sight Of wild animals 10 make sucl
= fuss withou. cause, and couple Of men
:, who heard the yarn. started up the road
: Immediately to the spot indicated by th'
: children. Sure enough, there was gaunt
n spectre-like skeleton. trying, in meander
ing, feeble manner to worm himself through
: the fence into the road. falling On his sid
q. times from sheer exhaustion. and onl,
y able to regain his feet after repeated trials
: lettering and stumbling at every slight ot
y y struction in his path, and totally incapabl
d of inaicting injury on any living thing
4. He was an object Of pity rather than fear
g Twas the panther. who had managed f.
!. Eve long months to keep himself alive with
- - out the least assistance from his under jaw
which was hopelessly shattered. and mus
~ have precluded the possibility Of eating il
:. the proper sense Of the word. In his woun
ded and exhausted condition, be must hav
, managed to exist by catching mice an
:, such small deer " as he could tuck int
re his throat with paw. and swallow with
'r out mastication Death must have beel
r. a relief to him, and be suffered himself 4
= be Knocked in the head without snarl
:. He was large specimen, measuring near
ly eleven feet from tip to tip. and with hi
broken, decaying jaw. skin hanging loosel!
=, over the snake like yertebre. and blood
,e shot, famished eyes. muss have been walk
g, ing nightmare to look %.
in