Morning journal and courier., 1890-07-24

Brave Fight OF q moIher with .
gantic Panther.
tErnu, fha phfls d.lrtfs Tfrua.


From the Philadelphia Tinesl
The wife of Morris Kspper, q ranchman
owning an extensive place near Harold,
Texas, had yesterday an adventure with .
large female panther, In which the lady suc-
ceeded In killing the animal with . hoe.
Her husband had requested her on leaving
the house at dinner to send him SOME medi.
cine which he was taking at regular inter
walls. when these intervals occurred, which
she did, dispatching her son, o boy of nine
or ten, to his father, who was employed In
his vegetable garden, situated about three
hundred feet from the house. Her second
child, little girl of three, begged several
times to 60 instead of her brother, SO In the
cool of the evening Mrs. Kspper, to crafty
the child, sent her instead with the medi-
cine.
The path, though bordered with tall bush-
es, was all the way in plain view of the piaz-
"a, where the lady sat watching the little girl
as she toddled off; but removing her eyes for
q moment 70 examine her work, she lost
sight of her, and the next moment was hor-
rified to hear the child scream ont In sudden
pain or alright. Running as fast as she
could down the path she found that the lit
tie girl wss no longer in ID, but the crushed
grass and broken bush on one side showed
that some large animal had just left 1t.
The mother, following the trail. which was
perfectly distinct, soon came upon panther
| dragging the child by its little dress along
| the ground, but the weight prevented the
animal from going faster than walk, 90
/ that without Its detecting her ehe ran back
| and caught up the hoe that her husband had
| left In the garden and returned. The pan.
ther had then dropped the child, but was
still standing over It, and on seeing Mrs.
Kspper began to snarl, showing its pointed
teeth.
She ran up to iS, when it again seized itt
prey in its teeth, but the heroic lady tore heI
child from its grasp, and putting 1t behind
her, met the panther as 1t rushed at her, in
fnriated by the loss of its booty, with blow
of the hoe, which, missing the head, ye
severed it's left ear from II. The panthe
paused in fits attack on her, and began to tr,
and reach the wound with its mouth, scream
ing and tearing up the earth. Mrs. Kappe
then brought the hoe down on Its head witt
such force as to crush its skull, and the mex
moment the animal lay dead at her feet.
Turning to the child she found IL insensi
BILE from fright, which accounted for its si
lence while being dragged by the panther
The little thing Ia still in . precarious condi
tion from the nervous shock 1t sustained
Mr. Kspper. who had left the garden for
few minut-s. ON his return was surprised
see his wife crawl In sight, and instead O
calling to him .ignsl1ed him to spproach
When ke did 30 he found her 30 exhsuste
by her late excitement that she- could no
stand on her feet nor speak other than in
gsspiug whisper.
He carried her and the child home, wher
they were placed in bed. The heroic lady
though she managed to tell her adventure Il
her husband, cannot hear il mentioned with
out going into violent Mysteries.
The csrcsss of the panther was brought Il
town this morning to be preserved as an in
teresting relic and instance of q mothers de
votion. 1t was q large one, measuring near
ly nine feet from the muxzle to the tip OF tn
long, curling tail. and of the family know
| On tho stfaunv baIlisd 70