Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-01-23
IRONTON. MO-. THURSDAY. j
Old Times.

| E0. A6gfSteT-My early ChlldhOC(
days at my old home [ often sat by N,
grandmOther's chair, and now, how
plain I can, in my minds eye, see be
sitting in her low rocker with tha
same old yellow blanket spread owe
the hack Of the chair, and d large rec
handkerchief over her shoulders, and ;
white cap all plated and ruffied witt
big bows on top and on the back, anC
around her neck string of large go!G
| beads, as she sat in the twilight hum
ming some old song or ditty, or as she
would sit and talk of her girl days and
early life in the new country Of thai
time for that was over hundred years
ago. How she would talk of the wild
| beasts Of the forests, how close would
| draw my chair to her side. | shall
never forget one story she often told oi
| TWO of their nejghhor men. How they
! took their old fliGt-lock muskeis, and
would go out OH a hunt to get meat fog
their families, and how on one cold
snowy day they went aud had got sep
| Grated. One of the men called to his
| friend; as lie received no answer, he
| He'd again. Ju-t then an arm Of lis
up, there lay an awful large panther,
who had killed his friend and had
eaten him up, aud was just on the
point of jumping down on him. The
- I oh
panther. Now, that might have al
been true, fer in that cold climate wild
animals became more fierce with cola
and hunger, | little thought as | sat
and listened to these fearful stories that
in a few years ] should come face to
face with such animals. When We
came to this valley there were good
many panthers in the mountains.
When [ asked my old hunting tutor
about them he said, "Yes, there are
jus lots of painters around here, and
all sorts of varmnts, but you need not
be afraid of them, for painter won't
touch you unless he can jump on you
when you don't see him. If you come
across one don't you run but Just keep
your eye on him; he won't jump on
you as long as you keep your eye right
on him, and when you lie down to take
a nap in the mountains get up close to,
a ledge of rock or a big log, and lay
your gun across yourself, and when
you wake up don't stir or movea hand
until you have looked all around you
for a 'painter,' if he finds you asleep,
will sit down a little distance from you
II you should find one watching you,
move your hands just as easy and
steady around until You can get your
sights Oh his eyes, then fir" | have
watch any slow move you may make,
but you just make a quick sudden
movement, and they will make dash.
Now in this country there were, on
kind of oak (sound oak or black jack |
that grew very close together, the boiies
covered with limbs and those with
thick coat of leaves that never fall of
new leaves come on in the spring, and
those trees bear immense crops Of
acorns, which cover ali the little limbs |
and twigs. All kinds OF fowls. and
animals, such as deer, coons, 'possums,
turkeys, wild ducks, quails, are very |
fond of these acrons. Such places are
splendid hunting grounds. All such |
animals as panthers, wolves, lynx,
catamounIs. foxes all love 20 hau"t
such places to catch their game. So ii
often happens while man is there hunt
ing be will come across some of those
creatures hunting TOO.
When / first began to hunt nights /
all alone, no dog, no nothing but my |
old Betsey on my shoulder and big |
hunting G knife in my belt, | often came
across some of those animals. l re-
member one night, about the holidays, |
started out aboutthe time every body |
was going to bed. [ had just reached
one of those thIckets of black jack, rs |
was moving slowly along, looking for
turkeys, heard one of the most pierre |
ing, agonizlng, heart-rending screams.
1t came upon me with such terrible,
startling effect, my heart almost jump |
ed in my mouth. My hair fairly stood
up. my legy said run. ! stopped and
stood still. In few minutes the awful
stiffness of the night was broken by an
other of those screams. | felt as though
| wished the gro ound under me would
open and let me drop down into the
earth. / never in all my after life had
so much trouble to keep my legs under
me. 0 they just wanted "to git!' bad
to talk to my legs "stand your ground,
your own, my brave" but / tell you it |
was hard work to make them mind. |
I stood still and listened and watched. |
In a few minutes | heard the panther /
come bounding towards me, | drew |
down old "Betsey" ready for service.
When tue panther got in about fifty |
yards of me he stopped AMI crouched |
down close TO the ground and COM
menced crawling aioug on the ground.
I stood with gun ready to shoot as soon
as be would show himself little bet
ter. Oh, how / wished | was at home
IN bed; what would | have not given