Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-11-06
ONE SHOT THAT COUNTED.

ONE SHOT THAT COUNTED.
The Hope of Family When At
tackled by Huge Panther.
''No," said one OF the guests Mt n
Dallas CTexas) hotel to Il group Of gen.
tlemen in the corridor, II 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 had an interested
audience.
81 am pretty quiet citizen now" he
went on, "bGt about forty years ago
was lively enough. People had to be
lively that lived in this country then.
l hunted and fshed all up and down the
Trinity for good many miles, md 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. l lived
on farm out here abont ten miles. OF
the other side of the river, and used to
come here to mill, leave nv wagons over
on the other side, where Oak Cliff now
is, and bring my corn over in boat.
Sometimes it took us a week, for SO
many would be ahead of US, and we
would have to wait till our turn came.
zone timeI came with one wagon and
brought my wife aud the two babies with
NVo
where the dummy line strikes the hills,
and after the first day my wife got tired
of town and stayed at camp with the
for town, anyway.
II waited around the mill AZ 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. was getting.
along. though, the best could, and was
about hundred yards from the camp
should Judge, when l heard one long,
wild scream in the direction of the
camp, and knew that it was my wife
had my gun with me, an old fashioned,
lnuzzle- loading, double-barre shot gun
and lit out as though the old Nick
were after me, shouting to her TINT
was coming. My only thought was that
some rnt1ian had stolen into the camp,
and frightened her, and cooked the
gun as | ran. After her scream there
was silence, and then directly heard
the loud, frightened cry Of the baby
My, how did run! My foot caught un-,
der q root, and fell fully ten feet, dis
charging one barrel of the gun. but L
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 clump of bushes the baby
was crying in a pitiful, frightened way
OF course, l ran in that direction first.
It was q tangle of underground. and l.
had to go half bent. Stumbling blindly
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
ther 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. It
stood for an instant with its head.
lowered and its tail waving wickedly,
and then, before knew that had seen
it almost. it dropped the baby and
Sps o attacks ls U %ss op podee that
wholly unpreparcd for it. Ihad my gun
in my hands, but there had not been
time to use it. Twas thrown down with
great violence, and can feel yet the
creatures teeth crunching into my shoul-,
ders. That's the sober truth, boys
That old wound has been my barometer
for many a year.
"The panther had landed square on
my breast when fell, but his impetus
was so great that it threw his body off ia
one side, though his teeth were fastened
in my 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 withou, pausing
an instant he turned and leaped again.
This time my gun was ready for him
Only one shot! and if that failed there
was no chance of escape for any of us.
But fired 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 dowr
again, but he fell dead at my feet
"The baby had been screaming All
this time, but give you my word was
afraid to go and look at him. When ]
did go to him, found not 80 much as a
bruise on his pretty white skin. The
panther had held him by his dress anS
had lifted him clear of obstacles, ever
when he leaped from the wagon With
him.
LAS for my wife, found her in e
dead faint, and it was the longest time
before could bring her out Of it. She
had been awakened from the doze by o
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. 1t was providence
about that shot, boys. l couldn't do it
again if were to try a thousand times
But it was providence that came jus1
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