The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-08
MAHxsMANSH1p THAT COUNTED.
A City Man In the AdirondRcks Saves HIS
wiTe's Lire by Pistol shot.

wife'a Lire by Pistol shot.
From the Rochester DsmocdL
YES we have a large variety Of people here
In the woods during the year. Some come TO
hunt and fish, others to look over the timber
and iron lands. aud others In pursuit OF health.
have hardly known season when we did mos
have at least one or two gold huntera"
The speaker was one OF tho veteran guides OK
the northern Adirondack region, who made
his Headquarters in st. Lawrence county.
The best marksman ever cav In St Law
renee county" the guide said. was Butt
falo man named Birgin. who came here few
years ago with his wife, who was an invalid.
She was threatened with consumption, and the
doctors had advised her to try the air OF the
mountains. Bir2in had q neat log cabin bulls
about two miles In from here early in the
spring, and whom no had furnished 10 hand-
somey he moved in with his wife and two
servants. He seemed to have plenty OK
money, and didn't have anything to do bus
take care OF his wife and sketch and write
little, and practice shooting with revolver,
don't think / over saw him use a ride.
| never could see why he prqotised so much,
Tor he could hit everything within range thae
he could see. / have Known good many crack
shots and seen u deal Of cose SHOOTING In my
yTays rracticed with a rather old-fashioned
b9SspE G TSGo s1o T va Sqd he
he left tho woods. though.
enc day asked MIN how he came to be 90
expert. lie said that when he was very
E9,ung lad he had fancy, for pistol practice.
Mhsn oS Sp Ts 1 pT s9sy IL
became good denl interested in him and
took pains TO ipstruc' him When n he went
he sim used and advsed him to rr9etiso with
nothing else. Ii WAS one Travis had had made
iqf t" Travis he show
ed me a shot | would not believe could he
made II hadn't seen him make It three times
in success on. Somo hard wood boards had
been left where the llooro, the cabin Ind been
laid. lrEin took one OF these oards and laid
with little spirit lowell. Ten paces from the
plank he bn put Gi,0r max nH1nt as pig Ss
got, back, ten, PAGES from the plank
and eysed his PISTOL ard rGd az
from the hard wood and struck the mark Oh
the tree; This he did thee times In succession;
ia e sn4 tas wHs Sc enc Of ns sh IN hsd
tice He said that some timo his practice
might he OF use 10 him. And ho was right
ii was no, very busy in the $ ring and carly
summer and went around with hirgt in, a good
looked like work,
health was SO much better that she WAS able
to Join us in short stros into tho timber. and
cushons With WITH |G girls hour
or two at time while Birgin would ramble
bH AMI sEGh and sm the oks
stroll over to Birgins cabin along in the !oro-
noon. when the weather was fine Then, as his
further and further into tho woods, each
time in u new direction. On these trips,
loading shotgun, and it's worth tn ee OF any
breech leaders | ever handled. In the left
and buck hot, and in the other barrel charge
Of fine bird shot. Deer were out OF season. and
'lne afternoon boy, who then lad
OF fifteen. had been out with my shotgun. He
came homo at night good deal excited, He
him about panther that had been seen and
heard in the neighborhood. He talked so
much about the panther that he forgot to tell
left both barrels loaded with bird shot.
the panther and thought the boys had besn
trying to scare the lad. l had never seen q
Toast about here i thought so little about il
that DIDN'T mention the matter to the Birgin
a9a spo her the
woods. when they were doing Mrs. Birgin SO
THE next morning took my shotgun and
went over to the Cabin; l only looked to see
that it was loaded and supposed the load Of
My careessness for that's what it was. came
very near being disastrous
Mrs. Birgin WAS feeling stronger than usual
that m9rnlng and we walked long G, way from
and carried big basket of provisions. We
camped for lunch In = pretty little ravine, over
self crossed the little ravne and e the
men sitting on the bank, Birgn had his re-
yolyer in his belt as usual and began hammer.
ing on rock looking for specimens, and sat
looking on, with my gun over my knees.
"Suddenly heard 2 stir in the under5rush
head, and you can imagine how / felt when1
saw full; grown male panther only lew feet
been attracted by the smell of the provisions
and was making observations;
hunting or panhers FHt hen hem did YOU Que ever HHs
happen to meet q tuI-grown panther In the
woods You had touch h oil buck fever when
deer. panther l. great Zig cat ana when
0nejs iniorIered with tits apt TO make things
Otherwise II iS better lot alone.
My first thought WAS to give the panther
dose Of buckshot. and took quick aim and let
go my left barrel. over the heads OF the women.
/ knew by the light lecoiI thai something was
sent the other charge instnctivey. Tho pan
ther was less than 100 feet away.
You can imagine the effect of the blrdshqt
simply maddened him. The beast prepared to
spring upon the women, but could do MOTH
shot Mrs. Ibirgin had turned ana caught sight
Of the panther Just above her ana fell in
The huge beast made, the, srrinG. hut vent
Wide Of his marx ma rH,lrI dG"h ne , bank t.
been equal to the emergency, II" sprnng up
instantly when shot. and drawlnt: HIS Colts
er seG fG me- thG ian
the centre Of the forehead Jusr rs he spranR
clear OF re ground, He yuSl ,RraZed the form
rolled IN 10 tho bottom Of tho Eon.
"Eirgiu hurried W the hauk 10 attend to his
wife. VINO soon recovered ana went to look
over the panhe It, ACE and neck were pep
ps cd with the irtlo bird shot, but tho empty
socket and the hole between tho eyes told tho
story While WAS oNerhauing the panther
pirGin came, down and looked on. Now I
know what ] have been practising all this
time for. was all he said. He told me alter
" ar'l that he did not wait TO larry get the
sights: hui his long practice made 1t impossi-
Die Ia miss his ann.
"BirGin and the girl helped Mrs. Birgn back
to the cabin, half carrying her most OF the way,
skinned the panther, leaving on tho head
and claws Birgln took tho skin with him to
IdIal0 when his wife's health was fully re-
stored in the fall.
For a while tho boys had good deal to say
about cunning Tor panther with bird shot, but