The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-20
A FEARFUL SIEGE.

The capital of Michigan had scarcely
been changed from D.troit to Lansing
Lcfore my father got the fever to go
West. We were then living in New
York St1tc, and doing fairly We, on a
farm, but the talk alb ut Michigan up
set many man who was then well
enough Fl. l was II years old the day
we lett for the Wc,t-father, mother,
four children, and a hired man. All of
us, clear down to the baby, were en-
thusiastic and full Of hope, and father
was just the sort Of man the Detroit
land sharks Were looking for. They
sold him a swamp farm IN Shiawassee
county, and il one way and mother,
cheated and defraudcd him, until We
reached our destination with hardly u
dollar TO begin on. A span OF horses
and a COW constituted our live stock,
and when father found how he had
been duped, he lost heart entirely. The
swindlcrs guaranteed forty acres of
Gearing and good log house. The
clearing was q lake, and the log house
was a wrctched affair, about sixteen
feet square, which had been put up for
some surveyors.
1t is not, however, Of our family
troubles am going to talk. Michigan
was a great game cou try at that date,
and we soon discovered that we had To-
Gated pretty near head quarters. Inside
Of three days we had seen a raather,
three wolves, bear, lynx, anl Al IT.
dian devil. Our nearest ncigLbor was
ten or twelve miles away, and the near
est village about twenty. We were
dead stark alone in the midst of gre It
wilderness, and, aside from all other
pcriIs, the Indians, who were generally
supposed to be rcGccable, looked upoa
all pioneers with jealous eyes, and made
their stay unpleasant in many ways. On
the 81 coad day Of our stay they stole
our COW and ran her off into Ingham
county, where vo accidentally found
her two years later; and inside of a
week they made several attempts to get
the horses. I, was not unit, fired upon
that they left Us in peace, AMI then the
wild beasts aad reptiles took hold. Our
hut stood within 900 feet of the edge OF
great swamp, and the swamp was
headquarters for rattIesnahes, blue
racers, black snakes, bears, panthers,
wolves and every other creature belong
Jag to the country. During the first
week of cur stay we killed upward of
a hundred snakes, most Of them rattlcrs;
and Gordon, the hired man, who was
good shot, killed a bear and three
wolves.
Our adventures with the panthers
were many and pc!ilous, as the beasts
seemed detcrmiael not to leave the To-
cality. The first time I saw one my
life was pre,crval il a most wonderful
manner. We had been located about
10 days, and were cIearin; up pie &C
Of land about a quarter of a mile from
the house Father WAS sick in the
house, Gordon was eff after a deer for
meat, and l was in the clearing alone
having a light axe and cutting away at
the small trees. The only thing I feared
was the snale7, having been assured
that no wild beasts would attack me by
daylight. In cutting down young
beech tree it foil upon an iron wood in
way to break it off about 10 feet from
the ground and leave the trunk bldyy
splintcrcd. This spliateroI trunk stoo
about IA feet from very large beech,
| had noticed it only in a general v ay,
as l had set myself stint to do, md
was working with much cnthusiagm.
It was about 4 o'clock in the alter
noon and was bending over to lSam-
inc a curious bug which was crawling
at my feet. when a scream filed the
woods, something hit and knocked
me flat Oh my face, aod next
instant a wonderful situation was devcI-
oped. A panther had sprung upon me
from the large beech tree. The coward
had no doub. been watching me for
long time and had waite for me to
get my back to him. He meant to clear
the splintered ironwood in his spring,
but he did not quite succeed. He had
struck me with his paw rolling me over
but not hurting re to speak of, and as
he came down his right hind foot
caught between two great splinters and
held him fast Then was treated to
circus. I was 200 scared to move and
stood not more than ten feet away and
witnessed what nobody ever saw te-
fore. The beast hung head down ward
in the air, c!awing aud splitting and
yelling, and the harder he struggled the
moro securely was his foot imprison ed.
Such screams and yellsl Father and