The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-08
SAVED BY A TRAIN.
Deadly Conflict Between a Track-Walke
and a Panther.

Deadly Conflict Between Track-Walker
and Panther.
Mike Donovan, a traek-walker employed
by the Southern Pacific Railroad and In
charge of the section here, was recently at.
tackled by large panther, and only with
much difficulty succeeded in killing the
beast, says a Stella (TeX.) correspondent of
the Globe-Democrat Donovan, armed only
with Ratchet and wrench. was engaged in
his daily inspection of the track, and had
reached part bordered on one side by
dense thicket of post oaks. when his
attention was attracted by a rustling in the
underground. The next moment he was
startled by the panther hurting itself upon
him. The attack was so unexpected that
the man staggered and fell under the crea-
lures weight, but managed to deal it blow
with his Ratchet, which. without woundlng
It severely; caused it to spring from his
body with a hoarse cry. Donovan
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 Shout
ders, but the iufuriated creature, though
bathed in blood, appeared only the more de-
termined in its luminosity and sprang upon
its foe with such force as to again fell him
to the earth, when il endeavored to fix
upon his throat Unfortunately for the
man the panther's assault had knocked
his Ratchet from his grasp as he fell,
leaving him with bare bands to graphic
with the snarling, maddened animal, tear
ing ut him with dstended claws, and suf-
locating him with its fetid breath as its gap
ing 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
l. -
fronted him as they struggled madly over
the prbble-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 a hor-
rible death, and, literally, sick with terror,
he exerted himself with strength born of
desperation, and succeeded for a moment in
so crushing the panther'S throat that the
beast, gasping for breath, relinquished his
hold sufficiently to enable him to roll to
one side and off the track. Before he
could rise, however, the panther fell
their deadly embrace the long train
swept by. Donovan says that so close were
they 10 the track that the heat of the engine
scorched them as 1t passed. He screamed
Justify for help, but supposes that the noise
of the train prevented his cries from being
hbtIu' ub pdubHol dpp6dlSu lllSHltu6u
out of its senses by the thunder of the loco
motive, and Springing up from Dnnovan's
body made. for the woods. screaming
at every jump. The Irishman here
was enabled to recover his footing, and
seized his wrench that lay near, then run
ming TO an adjacent tree, braced himself
against il, awaiting the return of the panther,
which, on seeing tie train disappear, ad-
vanced toward him as undaunted as at first.
Donovan raised the heavy wrench as it
reached him and brought 1t down with full
force on its head. The blow sent the crea-
ture reeliug to one side. The man. with
another blow, succeeded in knocking it
over. and stunning it, when, running for his
hatchet, 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.