The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-08-17
PANTHER STORIES.
Adventures of Early-Day Settlers
in Missouri.
A Plucky Little Do=-A Little GIrl
Watches a Panth in "a Tree
While Her Sister Gives
Warning AT Home.

do not believe there are now any,
or but very few. panthers in Missouri.
Perhaps in the deep forests of South
eastern Missouri. or amid the fast
nesses of the Or ark range. there are
. IN all dozen. but we do not hear of
even that many. Fifty years ago they
were very numerous They were de-
siruetive, too. and sometimes male
serious ravages upon the hogs and
young cattle of the settlers For some
reason they did not often trou bic tho
,heepi perhaps the flavor of mutton
was not TO their liking. They pre-
ferred pigs. and have been known 10
brave all sorts of peril to get one
Their strength and agility served
them as we'll as their daring An old
settler tells me he saw a panther-a
painter" he called it ne day iro
Ting along through corn-Ge,d. with
150-pound hog thrown over his
-houlder, as nimbly as a cat Nigh
run away with rat.
Ptnthers very rarely attacked a
human being. They often ran from
an unarmed man. The worst pecu-
liarity about them was their fierce
screams. Many a pioneer. brave as
Caesar. as he sat by his fireside in his
lonely cabin in the forest. has felt his
blood chill and his heart stand still as
The piercing scream of prowling
panther was borne TO his ears on the
wings of the night wind. The cry OF
a panther is peculiar-s something like
that of a woman in distress and
agony. but much more penetrating
and narrowing. II can be heard dis
tinctlY a mile or more. My old pio-
1eer friend says:
'Nothiu' ever SIX cred ME like tie
yell of painter. 1t made the cold
s.reaks shoot over me. never could
get used TO It, often as ard it. end
somehow it always made me think of
Iajuns."
The Missouri river bottoms in Saline
County were favorite haunts of these
animals in early days. In the Ed
mondson Creek settlement. sky years
ago. a panther killed and carried
away six large hogs in one day. H.
concealed them in q large cavity in The
ground formed By the uprooling of
rec in hurricane, covering them with
leaves H. dispatched his victims
within so short time that all of
the carcasses we're warm when the
Pile was discovered. This was hug.
log panther. savage as any tiger in
the jungles of Bengal. The settlers
organized a pursuit and chased tae
animal across the Missouri river into
Charlton County. Ii swan the river
with all ease. and very swiftly. AS
it reached the northern bank it shook
tsalf
AS a dog that shakes his ears
When he leaps from the water to the land,
tad uttering loud cry, as of triumph
,ver the bafi Il hunters on the other
'hore. he sprang up The bank and dis
appeared in the heavy bottom tim
bers.
In the year 1925 a panther was
killed in the Davis bottom, north Of
where the town of Malta Bend now
stands Four men, George Davis, his
son. a German in Nj. Davis employ
and hired negro man belonging to
James MR. ylolds. were at work in
clearing. For some davs previously a
large panther had made its appear
ance in the borders of the clearing,
but after gazing upon the men for few
minutes, it had uttered few scree ches
and gone away. On this particular
day the men had taken their guns with
Them and had secured the services of
half dozen dogs. one of which was
an insignificant fussy little flee. not
bigger than a tomcat, b 1t as brave
as a oamec0ck. The men were eating
their d nners. with huge tree trunk
for table. when the panther appear
ed. The guns had been left on the
other side of the clearing, quarter of
mile away. The dogs were with
their masters. but upon the first ap-
pearance of the panther skunk away
and cringed at the feet of the men as
if for protection. The little flee. how
ever did not quail. He tore around
and barked and growled at the in
truder as if he meant 10 eat him up.
The panther came boldly forward. and
at last sprang upon the log where the
men were sitting He uttered scre am
us if demanding his share of the dim
ner.
Upon the appearance of the beast
upon the log the negro and the Ger
Isan caught up large clubs. and as the
animal came nearer they urged for
ward the dogs and boldly assaulted it.
The panther turned tail and the dogs
rushed at him. There was something
of fight, but five of the dogs were
killed in as many minutes-torn to
pieces by the huge. sharp claws and
teeth of the monster The only sur
vivor among the CANNES was the lit lie
flee. which bravely kept up the
fight. 1t would charge up
and snap at the panther's hind
legs. causing him tc turn, then
bound nimblY away. to return again
and again to the contest Tha pecnliar