Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-07-16
A Hoe her only Weapon.
ssStSsIvE FIGHT OF MOTHER wITHsA GIGAN-
@'Af TIC PANTHER.

I SNvE FIGHT OF MOTHER w1THsA aIaAN
i TIC PANTHER.
TheSAs4aA Of Morris Kapper, lranchmar
owing an extensive place near Harold,
Texas, had recsntly an adventure with q
large female panther, in which the lady sue.
ceeded in killing the animal With hoe.
Her husband had requested her on ieaving
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, 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 go instead of her brother, so in the
cool of the evening Mrs. Kapper, to crafty
the child, sent her instead with the medi-
cine.
The path, though bordered with tall
bushes, was all the way in plain view Of the
piazza, where the lady sat watching the lit
tie girl as she toddled off; but removing her
eyes for moment to examine her work she
lost sight of her and the next moment was
Mortified to hear the child scream out in
sudden plan or alright. Running as fast as
she could down the path she found that the
little girl was no longer in it, but the crush
ed grass and broken bush on one side show
ed that some large animal had just left it.
The mother, following the trail, which was
perfectly distinct, soon came upon a pam
ther dragging the child by its little dress
along the ground, but the weight prevented
the animal from going faster than walk,
SO without its detecting her she ran back
and caught up the hoe that her husband had
left in the garden and returned. The pam
ther had then dropped the child, but was still
standing over it, and on seeing Mrs. Kapper
began to snarl, showing its pointed teeth.
She ran up to it, when it again seized its
prey in ita teeth, but the heroic lady tore
her child fiom iss grasp, and putting it be-
hind her met the panther as it rushed at
her, infuriated by the loss of its booty, with
blow of the hoe, which, missing the head,
yet severed its left ear from it. The pam
thsr paused ip its attack on her, and began
to try and reach the wound with its mouth,
screaming and tearing up the earth. Mrs
Kapper then brought the hos down on its
head with such force as to crush it's skull,
and the next moment the animal lay dead
at her feet.
Turning to the child she found it insensi-
Bile from fright, which accounted for it's
silence while being dragged by the panther.
The little thing is in precarious condition
from the nervous shock it sustained. Mr.
Kapper, who had left the garden for few
minutes, on bis return was surprised to see
his wife crawl in sight, and instead of CALL
ing to him signaled him to approach. When
he did so he found ber so exhausted by her
late excitement that she could not stand on
her feet nor speak other than in gasping
whisper. He carried her and the child
home, where they were placed in bed. The
heroic lady, though she managed to tell her
adventure to her husband cannot hear it
mentioned without going into violent hys-
terics.
The carcass of the panther was taken to
Harold to be preserved as an interesting
relic aud instance of mothers devotion.
1t was large one, measuring nearly nine
feet from the muzze to the tip Of the long,
curling tail, and of the family known as the
"Sawny-b -bellied."