The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-09-03
A STRUGGLE In THE MOUNTAINS.
How Panther Tackled an Engltshman,
and how the Panther was Killed.

How n Panther Tackled an Engltshman,
and how the Panther was Killed.
A correspondent sends the following
very thrilling account Of q desperate
struggle with q mammoth estaM,ount in
the Blue Mountaine, about seven miles
from Festhefoifville, on the extreme
northern edge of Albany township, to
the Reading (Pa.) Eagle. have just
learned the particulars of an encounter
had on tho mountains, which has caused
great deal of talk in this section. For
weeks past people coming down or
crossing the hills have reported at vari-
GUS times having seen large wild ami
NAL, and others as having heard deep
growls and strange noises at certain
hours of the night. A farmer along the
base of the hills, named Ezra Sensen-
ing, lost two young calves and an en-
tire litter of young pigs in the short
space of eight days, and he attributed
the loss tothe incursions of this strange
animal.
These reports came to the ears of
Rudolph Pfeger, an old hunter snd
trappef who has passed fully forty years
on the mountains. He made several
efforts to hunt up the strange animal,
but to no purpose. At last he con-
cluded 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 mountains. They
arrived on foot over the hills, and
stopped at the cabin of Pfeger. Their
names are Henry Vancolt and Thomas
Anson, 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.
The three started out on different
pathways, the men having previously
agreed to meet at the "big tree" a
point about five miles off in the noun
tains They were we'll armed, and de-
termined to hunt up the mysterious
animal if it were possible. Nothing
happened to any of the party up to the
time when Pfeger and Vancolt arrived
at the tree, which was within half
hour 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. An
son was making his way slowly and
cautiously through deep and tangled
underbrush, and when about one hun.
dred yards from the point of meeting,
he determined to pass up through a
small ravine, whose sides were over
hung with a dense undergrowth of
shrubs. When directly under 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 crash over
head, and the next minute he felt the
claws of an animal sink in his neck and
flesh, accompanied with fierce growls.
By a very Quick movement, Anson
swung around his arms, grasped the
animal by the neck with both hands,
and held it in his vice-like grip. He
then staggered back to the clearing,
when the animal shook off the hunter s
grasp, and made an effort to bite his
neck. Quick as thought the man
grasped knife in his belt, and with
fearful velocity swung it around and
sunk it deep into the animals side.
The brute gave long, low howl, and
amidst the excitement man and beast
rolled over on the ground, and as they
did so the former received three severe
bites in the shoulder. The growls OF
the animal attracted the attention OF
the remaining two hunters, who came
dashing through the brush toward the
spot where the hunter and the brute
were tusselling 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 over and died.
The hunters then examined it and
found it to be species of panther, and
which was thought to be catamount
of the mammoth species. 1t weighed
246 pounds, and measured feet 81
inches long, not counting the length OF
its tail, which was 2 feet l inch. II
stood feet 8 inches high, and was
powerfully knit and very compactly
built.