Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-12-14
Panther Hunt in barnard.

1t AAAAa anu lhtEAN-AtAAk VI HAAC
capture OF the panther IN Barnard. mainly
rs given hy one OF the principal actors IN
the hunt. by which 4 very large aud savage
Deast was canght. that has heen feeding On
sheep. which have been paid for hy he
town. IS having heen KILLED bv dogs. The
correspondent Of the Standard thus writes
To satisfy the numerous questions your
correspondent sends the following paruc-
uiars. As related by the youth VINO irsi
discovered the track and followed il to the
end. His name Is James VI. Caldwell: ne
is fifteen years Ofage. over six feet in height.
ana weighs about rs pounds; Barnard
specimen Of hoyhoOd that il will % hard
for other towns to beat. His statement IS
as follows. and is in the opinion Of your
correspondent the exact truth:
The morning Of Thanksgiving iay, J
1881. dawued wa N and pleasant Tor ne
time OF year. an iuch or two Of snow nav
ing fallen during the night. making 1t An
excellent time TO track game. AMI IS it |
IS something OF a custom n this vicinity /
TOR the bows 10 have Z hunt On Thanks
giving day, wnen the weather Is suitable, /
| thought 1 would try NV luck during the
forenoon. Taxing my snOt gun. l started !
about I A. NJ. ana had not gone more than (
100 rods ana mad reached the top Of the
wooded hill east OF the residence of Capt. f.
Bruce. ana ABOUT . rods from 1t. when | !
struck track made by some large animal.
leading toward the north. The rack
made was about four inches n diameter.
and unlike any had ever seen. [ finally
concluded it must De a Dear track. anu
followed it about 40 rods through 4 clear
ing. on Capt. Bruce hill. till II entered a
dense spruce thleket on the farm OF Mrs.
Abbott had TO 90 slow after this rs it
was difficult 10 get through The spruces.
and | could see out little ahead. The
tracks seemed very fresh ana I knew he
game must be near. had gone parnaps
a third of mile from ne place where |
started the game. when the track turned
10 he left. followed about - rods farther.
when the rack crossed my own made Two
or three minutes before. | vas startled 10
think the bear. or whatever IL vas. must
be within two Or three rods OF NE. al
though sheltered from view Dy NE dense
spruce. [ now thought hau better 20 tor
assistance, As mad nothing but snot gun.
although 1t happened 10 De heavily loaded.
| vas now not TAR from the house ot Mr..
Buurdeau. VINO mad TWO rl1ies. and e1pec
ted TO ilnd my brother George there Also.
| soon reached the house ana told Mr..
BOurdeau, lIs son JOnn. ny brother
George. and Mrs. Ab0olt's boys. viii. I'd
ana Carl. that there vas 4 bear N the
suruces. ana asked them 10 20 With me
lfJer IL. pney consented 20 20, except
Mr. Bourueau. VINO rather rldlculed he
idea that bear there. he said II vas
nothing more than Dig dog rack. ana
ue dlu not see me Jun n following dog
rack.
There we're now six 0f is. With .wO
des anu one snot gun: our ages being
nom TO ~ ana none OF us ever having
seen = Dear outside 4 uenagerle. We
separated INTO parties OF two Is We entered
/ tne tnlcHet. aacn party with one gun. ana
! hunted Tor ne rack. Eacn party soon
iUund q diff rent track. anu continued %
! follow them Tor an hour or more; out The
/ .pruces we're SO thick and the tracks cross
! ed each other 50 otten-sil Of them fresh
/ that We could not ell which vas made
T Hrsu ana winch asst. ana We came near
ylvlng ND the hunt wnen I ana John
+ Bourueau. VINO was with me, happened 10
strike ne ,rall eading rom me ,hlcKet
/ towards the south. We Two followed II tor
about Two miles before 1t again entered the
. ~tLllt Dldtc " ltib IL WbAL CAhs '|SAA AZ :
north lae last third Of 4 nile On me same
trali il made gong south. Whatever IL
was passed near he sugar house VI capt.
Bruce. ami continued to the south. making
4 crooked trail through he sugar -ot TIL
! wnen sOouL IS rOds south Ot lie sugar
house, re made a turn. i 4 large circle.
and started lack Tor the tdlckeL OF spruces
on Mrs. AbDoLt's arm.
1T vas soon after making this turn that
we came n sight u the animal. 1 vas
startled bv my companion saying. Hold
on Jim here a Catamount. l saw IL 1t
the same moment Walking slowly Up ne
nil some / ) rods ahead ana not seeming
to notice is. II vas an immense one.
standing some three feet nign. ana vas a
( panther. Or American ion OF me largest
SIZE. We now stopped = lew inmates
anu waited for the others OF me party %
come np, Will. ed ana George; Carl nav
ny abandoned he trail. We now started
on a run TO Overtake the panther. out ne
soon entered 4 small Lllcket 81 spruces.
ABOUT nalf way between ne residence Ot
I Can't. Bruce ana his sugar house. Lnd We
had 10 continue slowly and cautiously, and
the panther gained on Is. ana when We
came out OF the InickeG 10 was not IN sight.
4 We pressed on and followed the trail INTO
the tnlcket we mad left about an louT De-
fore. We now lad 20 move cautiously
and creep through me spruces. AMI could
20 but slowly We continued on me LrAli
for u considerable time longer. wnen | BE-
gan % De Ootn tired AMI hungry; my
clothes and feet being wet; Inc snow tatl.
ny from he spruces upon Us most Ot ne
lime We now thought BEST TO send iOr
more nelp. and dispatched Ed Abbott me
Youngest OF our party, TO nave Mr.. Alex
auder CroweIl and his son Ed come up and
help us yet the panther. John. George
ana myself VIII soon leaving us). conun-
ued on the lrail IN hour -onger without
again seeing the panther, wnen Mr.. Crow
Eli ana his two sons arrived ana jOlned Us.
A little snow squall now enabled Us 10 tell
the fresh track from me old. and We all
followed it for malt an hour without sight
ing he game; out At this time we NET %
without seeing il. but We heard IL make
some big Jumps to avoid US. Mr.. Crowei
proposed that we separate, ne and his sons
following the trail to drive the panther out
where we we're 50 that we could snoot lL.
We remained IS stationed ABOUT twenty
minutes. wnen we heard a gun nred some
Z ~ FOuS DStOW U.S. 20 SLhA AbN AOA -AAS SANSS
At our nest pace. As we came up 10 Mr..
Croweil ne saId. John. have snot him.
Let me take your gun ana shoot him again .
J de TOOK the gun ana shot again. putting a
oail into the eve ot me savage creature
Is ne law disabled from walking. but glnr-
ng 1t Us IN 4 savage manner. his ended
: nIs existence; MS Iirst snOt. from snot
gun. having entered his breast rs ne ,aY
, "a mis- belly. de was within two rods when
ue tired. ami the snOC were more effective
IMAM a bullet would have been.
1t seems he mad eaten heartily OF some
sneep killed IN Pomtred the night before
and was feeling good natured. ana did not
care 70 DICK a ilss with anyo )dy. Ii seem
: ea his naolL. and we found many places
r wnere ne stretched himself out On ais
/ belly with his tset extended. Tor purpose
of resting. suppose, ana he so laid Wnen
I The rirst shot vas tired, seemingly con-
solous OF beng able to take care OF himself
If attacked BY puny man; IN good humor
with himself ana ali the world; Ieellng