Los Angeles herald., 1890-09-11
A REMARKABLE SHOT.
a CITY MAN IN THE ADlRONDACKS
SAVES HIS WlFS'S LIFE.

He Was Always Practicing and Could
Make Some Really Wonderful Target
Shots-He Kills a Wild Panther with
an Old Colt Revolver Having Two Balls.
"rhe best marksman 1 ever saw in St.
Lawrence county," the Adirondack guide
said, twas Buffalo man named Birgin,
who came here few years ago with his
wife. She was threatened with consump-
ton, and the doctors had advised her to
try the air of the mountains. Birgin had
q neat log cabin built about two miles in
from here early in the spring, and when he
had furnished it handsomely he moved in
with his wife and two servants. He seem
ed to have plenty of money, and didn't
have anything to do but take care of his
wife and sketch and write a little and prac-
tice shooting with a revolver.
Zone day Birgin showed me shot l
would not believe could be made if hadn't
seen him make it three times in succession.
Some hardwood boards had been left
where the floor of the cabin had been laid.
Birgin took one of these boards and laid it
on the ground, and leveled it up carefully
with little spirit level. Ten PAGES from
the plank he put mark about as big as a
silver half dollar on tree. Then he got
back ten PAGES from the plank and leveled
his pistol and fired at the center of the
plank. The bullet glanced from the hard
wood and struck the mark on the tree.
This he did three times in succession. He
said that was one of the shots that had
been taught him, and he had always kept
it in practice He said that some time his
practice might be of use to him. And he
was right about that.
FILLING A PANTHER WITH BIRD SHOT.
''After couple of months Mrs. Birgins
health was so much better that she was
able to join us in short strolls into the tim
Der, and she enjoyed them very much. She
would sit on some cushions with one of the
girls an hour or two at time, while Bir-
gin would ramble around and sketch and
examine the rocks. On these trips al
ways carried my double barreled muzzle
loading shotgun, and it's worth three of
any breechloaders l ever handled. In the
left barrel l always had a heavy charge of
powder and buckshot, and in the other
barrel charge of fine bird shot. Deer
were out of season, and all we cared for
was a few birds for Mrs. Birgin.
Zone afternoon my boy, who was then
lad of Is, had been out with my shotgun.
He came home at night good deal ex-
cited. He had met some of the boys, and
they had told him about a panther that
had been seen and heard in the neighbor-
hood. He talked so much about the panther
that he forgot to tell me he had fired the
charge of buckshot, and left both barrels
loaded with bird shot.
'The next morning l took my shotgun
and went over to the cabin. only looked
to see that it was loaded, and supposed the
load of buckshot was in the left barrel, as
usual as the boy had never interfered with
it before. My carelessness, for that's what
it was, came very near being disastrous.
Mrs. Birgin was feeling stronger than
usual that morning, and we walked a long
way from the cabin. One of the servants
went with us and carried a big basket of
provisions. We camped for lunch in a
pretty little ravine over near Little River.
After lunch Birgin and myself crossed the
little ravine and left the women sitting on
the bank. Birgin had his revolver in his
belt as usual, and began hammering on
rock looking for specimens, and sat look
ing on, with my gun over my knees.
"Suddenly heard a stir in the under
brush on the other side of the ravine. |
turned my head, and you can imagine how
l felt when / saw a full grown male pan
ther only few feet back of where the wo-
men sat- 1t had probably been attracted
by the smell of the provisions and was
making observations.
THE DEADLY SHARPSHooTER.
''My first thought was to give the PAN
ther dose of buckshot, and took quick
aim and let go my left barrel over the
heads of the women. 1 knew by the light
recoil that something was the matter, but
I could not understand it. sent the other
charge instinctively. The panther was
less than 100 feet away.
"You can imagine the effect of the bird
shot in the face of a robust and hungry
panther. 1t simply maddened him. The
beast prepared to spring upon the women,
but could do nothing with only an empty
shotgun. At my first shot Mrs. Birgin
had turned and caught sight of the panther
just above her. and fell in dead faint.
''The huge beast made the spring, but
went wide of his mark and rolled down the
bank to the bottom of the little ravine
Birgin had been equal to the emergency.
He sprang up instantly when L shot, and
drawing his Colts revolver sent 38-calibre
slug into the panther's right eye. A sec
ond slug caught him in the center of the
forehead just as he sprang clear of the
ground. He just grazed the form of Mrs.
Birgin, and was dead before he had rolled
down to the bottom of the glen
''Birgin hurried up the bank to attend
to his wife, who soon recovered, and
went to look over the panther. Its face
and neck were peppered with the little
bird shot, but the empty socket and the
hole between the eyes told the story. While
Twas overhauling the panther Birgin came
down and looked on. Now l know what
have been practicing all this time for,
was all he said. He told me afterward
that he did not wait to fairly get the sights,
but his long practice made it impossible to
miss his aim.
fBirgin and the girl helped Mrs. Birgin
back to the cabin, half carrying her most
of the way. 1 skinned the panther, leav-
ing on the head and claws. Birgin took
the skin with him to Buffalo when his
wife's health was fully restored in the fall.
For while the boys had good deal to
say about cunning for panther with bird
shot, but they won't soon forget the two
shots with which Sirgin brought down the
only panther ever killed in these woods
with pistol. ."-Rochester Democrat.
One Woman's Work.
Mrs. John G. Curtis, of New York, is the
founder of one of the most remarkable or
oh in, iS Of