The Russellville Democrat., 1888-06-21
PANTHER STORIES.
Adventures of Early-Day Settlers
 in Missouri.
A PIucky Little Dog-A Little Gtrl Watches a Panther in Trco While Hor Sister Gives
 Warning at Home.

I6o not believe there are now any, or but very few. partners in Missouri Perhaps in ihe deep forests of South eastern Missouri, or amid the fast nesses of tho Ozark range. there are in all a dozen. but we do not hear of even that many. Fifty years ago they were very numerous. They were de- siructive, too, and sometimes made serious ravages upon the hogs and young cattle of the settlers. For some reason they did not often trouble the sheep; perhaps the flavor of mutton was not to their liking. They pre- ferred pigs, and have been known to brave all sorts of peril to get one. Their strength and agility served them as well as their daring. An old settler tells me he saw a panther-a "painter" he called it-one day tro- ting along through corn-field, with a 150-pound hog thrown over his shoulder, as nimbly as . cat nigh run away with rat
 Panthers 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 Cesar. 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 a proving panther was borne to his ears on the wings of the night wind The cry of panther is pecular-something like that of woman in distress and agony. but much more penetrating and narrowing. It can be heard dis tinctly mile or more. My old pio- neer friend says:
 '.Nothin' ever skecred me like the yell of painter. It made the cold streaks shoot oyer me. I never could get used to il, often as l heard it, and somehow it always made me think of Injuns."
 The Missouri river bottoms in Saline County were favorite haunts of these animals in early days. In the Ed mondson Creek settlement sixty years ago, panther killed and carried away six large hogs in one day. He concealed them in laEge cavity in tho ground formed by the uprooting of a tree in hurricane, covering them with leaves, He dispatched his victims within so short time that all of the carcasses were warm when the pile was discovered. This was huge dog panther savage as any tiger in the jungles of Bengal. The settlers organized a pursuit and chased the animal across the Missouri river into Charlton County. It swan the river with all ease. and very swiftly. As it reached the northern bank it shook itself.
 As a dog that shakes his ears
 When he leaps from the water to the land, and utterhg loud cry, as of triumph over the baffled hunters on the other shore, 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
 
 stands Four men. George Davis. his son, a German in Mir Davis employ and hired negro man belonging to James McReylolds. were at work in q clearing. For some days previously a large panther had made it's appear ance in the borders of the clearing, but after gazing upon the men for few minutes. it had uttered a few screeehes and gone away. On this particular day the men had taken their guns with them and had secured the services of half a dozen dogs. one of which was an insignificant fussy little flee. not bigger than tomcat, but as brave as a gamecock. The men were eating their dinners. with huge tree trunk for table, when the panther appear ed. The guns had been left on the other side of the clearing, a quarter of a mile away. The dogs were with their masters. but upon the first ap- pearance of the panther slunk 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 parked 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 sore am as if demanding his share of the din- ner.
 Upon the appearance of the beast upon the log the negro and the Ger man 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 tho dogs rushed at him There was something of fight but five of the dogs were killed in as many minutes to pieces by the huge, sharp claws and teeth of the monster. The only sur vivor among the canines was the little flee, which bravely kept up the fight. It would charge up and snap at the panther's hind legs. causing him to turn, then bound nimbly away, to return agaln and again to the contest The peculiar tactics of the spunky little dog bar rassed and hindered the movements of the panther. and enabled the German and the negro to get in their work. They assaulted him with their clubs, striking him repeated blows. Al last the negro knocked him down, and the German ran up and stabbed him to