Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-08-15
Bath. WIN a nc p.n,h.r.

bnttAo WIN Dig Enmtnoks
Stella, Fort Bend county, Tex. CORE
spondence of the Globe-D Democrat. Mike
Donovan, a track walker employed by the
Southern Pacific Railroad, and in charge
of the section here, was recently attacked
by large panther, and only with much
difficulty succeede. in killing the beast,
Donovan, armed oily with Ratchet and
wrench, was engaged in his daily inspec-
ton of the track, and had reached a part
bordered on one side by dense thicket
of post oaks, when his attention was at
tracted by rustling in the surrounding
underground. The next moment he was
startled by the panther hurting itself upon
him. The attack was 80 unexpected that
the man staggered and fell under the
creatures weight, but managed to deal it
blow with his Ratchet, which, without
wounding it severely, caused it to spring
from his body with hoarse cry. Dono-
van had only time to scramble to his feet,
however, before the panther returned to
the attack, screaming fearfully. He met
it with uplifted Ratchet, and cut it deeply
about the head and shoulders, but the in
furiated creature, though bathed in blood,
appeared only the more determined in its
luminosity, and sprang upon its foe with
such force as to again fell him to the
earth, when it endeavored to fix upon his
throat, Unfortunately for the man, the
panther's assault had knocked the Ratchet
from his grasp as he fell, leaving him
with bare hands to grapple with the snarl-
ing, maddened animal tearing at him
with distended claws, and suffocating
him with its fetid breath as its gaping
mouth strained at his throat. 1t was only
by the exertion of his utmost strength
that he was able to retain his grasp on
the panther's throat, and so prevent it
from getting at his own, but new
horror confronted him as they struggled
madly over the pebble strewn roadbed.
The panther had thrown him across the
track, and, in spite of his frantic efforts
to throw it off, held him with his back
across the rail.
The shrill whistle of the afternoon
train here warned him of the approach
of horrible death, and, literally sick
with terror, he exerted himself with a
strength born of desperation, and sue
ceeded for moment in so crushing the
panther's throat that the beast, gasping
for breath, relinquished his hold suffi-
GENTLY to enable him to roll to one side
and off the track. Before he could rise,
however, the panther fell on him again,
and as they closed in their deadly en-
brace the long train swept by. Donovan
says that so close were they to the track
that the heat of the engine scorched them
as it passed. He screamed Justify for
help, but supposes that the noise of the
train prevented his cries from being
heard. The panther appeared frightened
out of its senses by the thunder of the
locomotive, and springing up from DON
ovan's body made for the woods, scream
ing at every jump. The Irishman here
was enabled to recover his footing, and
seized his wrench that lay near, then
running to an adjacent tree, braced him
/ SSAl dSelhoV ~ dWditluS IilO lSIItiu vi JllO
panther, which, on seeing the train dis
appear, advanced toward him as un-
daunted as at first. Donovan raised tile
heavy wrench as it reached him, and
brought it down with full force on the
panther's head. The blow sent the crea.
tTe reeling to one side. The man, with
another blow, succeeded in knocking
it over, and stunning it, when, running
for his Ratchet, he dispatched the animal
by nearly severing the head from the
body. Donovan was badly scratched
about the limbs and breast, and very
much exhausted by his fearful struggle
but otherwise uninjured. The panther
was large one, of the species known a:
gray cats, and bore the marks of 6
still inilamed gunshot wound, given prob
ably by some hunter, and which had evi
lnntlv RIM tho animal mod