The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-08-27
A Struggle with a Panther.

A correspondent sends the following
very thrilling account of desperate strug-
Gle with mammoth catamount In the
Blue Mountains, about seven miles from
Featherolville, on the extreme northern
edge of Albany township. He says: "
have Just learned the particulars of an en-
counter had on the mountains on Wednes-
day evening of this week, which has caused
a great deal of talk in this section. For
weeks past people coming down or cross
ing the hills have reported at various times
having seen a large wild animal, and 9TH
ers as having heard deep growls and
strange noises at certain hours OF the
night. A farmer along the base OF the
hills, named Ezra Seasoning, lost two
young calves and an entire litter of pigs
in the short space of eight days, and ne at
tributes the loss to the incursions OF this
strange animal.
These reports came to the ears of Ru-
dOlph Pheger, an old hunter and trapper,
who has passed fully forty years on the
mountains. He made several efforts to
hunt up the strange animal, but to no pur-
pose. At last he concluded to organize a
small hunting party. He had some one to
write to Schuylkill county to two old
friends of his who were also engaged in
hunting, and who had likewise passed
more than half their lives on the noun
tains. On Tuesday last they arrived On
foot over the hills, and stopped at the cab
in of Pfleger that night, determined to
start out as soon as they were rested.
Their names are Henry Vancolt and Thos.
Arson, two Englishmen, who first came
to the mines when the canal was built, but
gave up their business and took TO the hills
soon afterward.
On Wednesday afternoon, about two
O'Clock, the three started out on three diff
| ferent pathways, the men having previous
" agreed to meet at the "big tree" a
point about five miles off in the mountains.
They were well armed, and determined to
hunt up the mysterious animal if it were
possible. Nothing happened to any OF
| the party up to the time when Pfieger and
! Vancolt arrived at the tree, which was
within halfhour of each other. Nothing
was seen or heard of Arson. The sun
had gone down behind the hills, and the
forest was becoming gloomy in the dusk.
Arson was making his way slowly and
cautiously through deep and tangled
underbrush, and when about one hundred
yards from the point of meeting, he de-
termined to pass up through dense I'M
| dergroWth of shrubs. When directly I'M
| der small crag, and walking along with
his head bent to the ground and his form
doubled in creeping under low vine, all
| of sudden he heard a crash overhead
and the next minute he felt the claws OF
an animal sink in his neck and flesh, ac-
companied with fierce growls. By very
quick movement, Arson swung around
his arms, grasped the animal by the neck
with both hands and held it in his wise
| like grip. He then staggered back to the
clearing, when the animal shook off the
hunters grasp, and made an effort to bite
| his neck. Quick as thought the man
! grasped knife in his belt, and with fear
! full velocity swung it around and sunk il
| deep into the animals side. The brute
gave a long, low howl, and amidst the ex.
element man and beast rolled over the
| ground, and as they did so the former re.
| ceived three severe bites in the shoulder
! The growls of the animal attracted the at.
| tentiOn of the remaining two hunters, who
came dashing through the brush toward
the spot where the hunter and the brute
were tusslling on the ground. The
| struggle did not last long. Arson plunged
| his knife the second time into the animals
body, and in few minutes it rolled ovel
and died.
The hunters then examined it and found
it to be a species of panther, and which
was thought to be s catamount of the
mammoth species. l. weighed l46 pounds
and measured feet 81 inches long. moi
/ counting the length of its tail, which was
! 2 feet inch. Ii stood 2 feet s inches high
and was powerfully knit and very com.
pactly built.-ReGding Pa Eagle.