The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1891-08-20
ONE SHOT THAT COUNTED.
The Hope of Family When At
tackled by a Huge Panther.

mo" Sa1Q one OF the Su6SlS do
Dallas (Texas) hotel to a group of gen.
tlemen in the corridor, 81 am no hunter
and have never pretended to be one, but
/ did pretty bit of shooting once, not
very far from where we are talking now,
that just about saved my life and posi-
bly, other lives, too"
The gentleman, who is old, but never
prosy, Immediately haa an Interested
audience.
81 am pretty quiet citizen now" he
went on, "but about forty years ago I
was lively enough. People had to be
lively that lived in this country then.
1 hunted and fished all up and down the
Trinity for a good many miles, and never
came back from one of my trips without
game.
"But on one of these trips / came
mighty near being game myself when |
came home. Dallas wasn't anything but
little scattering hamlet then. lived
on farm out here about ten miles, on
the other side of the river, and used to
come here to mill, leave my wagons over
on the other side, where Oak Cliff now
is, and bring my corn over III a boat.
Sometimes it took us week, for so
many would be ahead of us, and we
would have to wait till our turn came.
zone time I came with one wagon and
brought my wife and the two babies with
me. We camped over there, just about
where the dummy line strikes the hills,
and after the first day my wife got tired
of town and stayed at camp with the
children. She never was much OF hand
for town, anyway.
81 waited around the mill all the first
day, and the second and third. On the
evening of the third day was pretty
late getting off from town, and | could
scarcely see my way to the camp, after
got across the river The moon had
Just risen, and it made everything
vague and indistinct I was getting
along, though, the best could, and was
about hundred yards from the camp, |
should Judge, when heard one long,
wild scream in the direction of the
camp, and I knew that it was my wife.
I had my gun with me, an old-fashioned,
muzzle- loading, double-b barrel shotgun
and l lit out as though the old Nick
were after me, shouting to her that |
was coming. My only thought was that
some ruffian had stolen into the camp
and frightened her, and I cooked the
gun as [ ran. After her scream there
was silence, and then directly heard
the loud, frightened cry of the baby.
My, how I did run! My foot caught un-
der root, and [ fell fully ten feet, dis
charging one barrel of the gun, but |
was up again like fash, with one bar
rel still left to fight with. And there
was the camp, with its fire smoking
away, and everything was quiet in the
wagon, where the family were sleeping,
and off in a clump of bushes the baby
was crying in a pitiful, frightened way.
Of course, ran in that direction first.
1t was tangle of underground, and |
had to go half bent. Stumbling bhndiy
ahead, almost in total darkness, merely
guided by the child's cries, came sud-
denly upon something that stopped me
as though were shot. The largest pan
Their ever saw had the child. 1t had
dragged the poor baby out into the
bushes and had faced around to meet
me, holding the child by its dress. 1t
stood for an instant with its head
lowered and it's tail waving wickedly,
and then, before knew that had seen
it almost, it dropped the baby and
sprang over its body upon me.
''The attack was so sudden that was
wholly unprepared for it. had my gun
in my hands, but there had not been
time to use it. Twas thrown down with
great violence, and I can feel yet the
creatures teeth crunching into my shout
ders. That's the sober truth, boys.
That old wound has been my barometer
for many year.
''The panther had landed square on
my breast when I fell, but his impetus
was SO great that it threw his body off to
one side, though his teeth we're fastened
iAmy shoulder. With mighty effort |
rolled away from him and struggled up.
A less active man could never have done
it. He bounded away through the
bushes few feet, but without pausing
FL instant he turned and leaped again.
This time my gun was ready for him.
Only one shot! and if that failed there
mo chance of escape for any of us.
But fred that shot and it caught the
animal in mid-air. The shot went
straight through his heart. His body
struck me and almost knocked me down
again, but he fell dead at my feet.
1.-THE baby had been screaming all
this time, but give you my word l was
afraid to go and look at him. When l
did go to him, I found not 50 much as
bruise on his pretty white skin. The
panther had held him by ais dress and
had lifted him clear Of obstacles, even
when he leaped from the wagon with
him.
''As for my wife, I found her in a
dead faint, and it was the longest time
before I could bring her out of it. She
had been awakened from the doze by
feeling of weight and oppression, and
had found the panther standing over
her with his two fore paws upon her
breast. She screamed and tainted, and
the panther took the baby away from its
place beside her. It was providence
about that shot, boys. I couldn't do it
again if l were to try thousand times.
But it was providence that came just
when it was needed. - Globe Democrat.
A Lucky Accident.
tkuLo avail 90 0f bo