The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-08-17


and the negro 10 get in their work.
They assaulted him with their clubs,
striking him repeated blows. At last
the negro Knocked him down. and the
German ran mp and stabbed him TO
the heart with a large clasp-knife. Blu
for the plucky little fice--the real
hero of the occasion-there is no tell.
ing how the con est might have ended.
The panther measured three lengths
of an axe-handle-about seven feet
and would weigh three hundred
pounds.
Down on the B'ackwater. in South
eastern Saline, about the year 1880. a
settler named Samual Miller had built
his cabin and was opening small
6 rm. H had two little daughters
j 'anie d Susie. aged seven and six
One morning The mother of the little
girls sent them "a an errand to a
nriGhbor's. nearly Two miles distant
The road was mere pathway through
the thick woods. bat the children
knew it very well. Hqad in hand they
toidled along. unhee,ling because un-
conscious of peril. But half n mile
from home. on the upper are of large
leaning tree. which bt mt ,lirectly over
the path. they saw n large panther
sire: chcd ont at full length. baskine
II the morning sun! They did not
Know rightly what it was.
Oh. Susie" said Jennie. ''there'
a wolfT'
Yes" said Suzie. .,and srect it,
the bad old fellow that catched my
lamb and kills papa's pigs. Let n
80 right back home and tell papa. and
he will come aud shootit wiv his gun. :"
But what if it runs away while
we're gomez returned Jennie. Tell
you what Wen do. Susie: You stay
h re and watch it, and I'll run ard
tell papa! l can run tastes. you
know"
Little Susie readily assented 10 the
arrangement assuring her sister that
ii the bad old wolf should come
down the tree she would take n stick
an punch his eyes out" Then gath
ering up some acorn cups and
Q ,antity of velvet moss. she set about
cons .rucling a ''play house" at the
foot of the very tree Oh which crOuched
the panther. watching her curiously.
Presently he arose aud walke,i back
aud foIrth. back and forth. along the
evel extent of the tree. as if impa-
iient and meaning 10 descend B I
Susie shook her little fist at him
menacingly. AMI soon he lav down
again with his head between his paws.
Iazily blinking his great yellow eyes.
''as if" Susie said. ''he was awful
sleepy"
Away ran Jennie. feet as little
ftwn. and in due time she reached her
fathers cabin and hurriedty told her
mother that there was n big wolf
on tree. and that Susie had '.staid 10
mind it," Mrs Miller at once con
rehended the harro~Ing truth. and
called franticaliy to her hus band, who
was at work in his clearing near by
Mr.. Miller came nj once. accompanied
by Young 81 an in his employ named
G .orge P.unketk Realizing the im-
miuent peril of his child, and drea!-
ing that perhaps already a horrible
ftte had befallen it. the pioneer 4
not speak a word. but in few seconds
lie and young Piunkett. rifle in hand.
NtAC Atilia4AAr1 oH4AtAA " tue StC4ft-
Nearing the locality, Miller said:
IF we are not too late. George. let
me fire first"
P, ssibly the emotions of the father
at this time may be imagined; GER
tainly l can not describe them. Faint
hopes and siekening fears aIternated
IN his breast as he sped fieetly on. L
was hardly possj bic that the child was
yet alive. but as The panther had not
sprung at first there was bare
chance. Meanwhile. in the little
ca bin home, the agonized mother had
caught her remaining little one TO her
breast, and was praying silently but
ferventlT.
But-O. the Joy of itl-on coming
within sight of the fateful tree Miller
saw his child safe aud unharmed. The
little innocent was busy at her play.
grooming sweetly the while. Doubtless
H. who stopped the mouths of the
lions had preserved her! High above,
the pan her was on his perch. La two
seconds Miller's rife rang out. the
ther came crashing to the ground.
"A b ct fairly in its brain. and little
Susie sprang up and exclaimed: 20,
papa! How you scared mer'
This panther measured five feet ten
inches. Miller tanned its skin, and
when his daughters had grown to
maidenhood each of them had cape
made from it. For some reason the
Miller family di not long remain in
Missouri after this incident. They
went back 10 Illinois. but in ten years
or more they returned to the Black
water country. where Miller still
owned his farm. Miss Susie and Mss
j .nnia of,en wore their panther-skin
capes, and were very proud of them.
In 1849 The gold fever carried off Mr.
Miller; he went to California and died
there many years ago.
Some OF the pioneers termed the
panihars 'figers." or "iger-cats.'
O branch Of Salt river. In Shelby
County. old j hn Winnegan. n famou-
hunter, killed three panthers. o.
tigers" in one winter and the
stream has ever since borne the name
of Tiger Fork. In this lacality, pam
theirs were. as may be supposed, very
plentiful, but tn y were shy and even
cowardly. There were plenty of bears.
too and the old settlers tell of fierce
fight between a bear and a panther
years ago. but the tale is somewha at
musty and the details rather apocry-
phal. Burr Jouce, IN 81. Louis Globe