Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1894-06-28
A COMMON FOE.
An Officers Experience with PAN
theirs and a Moonshiner


AN Officer's Experience with Pan
thers and Moonshiner.
Deputy Marshal Harry Ray had a
terrible experience with panthers re-
Gently in the Holstein mountains while
trying to arrest Rabe Davis, notori-
GUS tennessee moonshiner Davis had
oeen defying the officers for two or
three years, and was regarded as
bold, desperate man. His actual en-
counters with revenue raiders, how
ever had not been as numerous MS the
instances OF the latter's inability to
cope with his cunning. The general
region in which Rabe was supposed to
operate his still and hide himself,
when there was danger from without,
had been located by the marshal, and
as the old moonshiner had persistently
refused to be entrapped by the snares
ana subterfugcs set and devised for
him' 1t was decided that Ray and his
three associates should separate and
steal into the old violator's stronghold
from four different directions, meet
ang, after the search, on high peak,
which could be seen from almost any
part OF that country. 1t was about one
mile and half from the four starting
points to this eminence.
Deputy Ray, who is man of SPLEEN
did nerve, chose the toughest route,
and the one by which he was most
likely to meet the object,of the search.
lie had not proceeded far. on horse
back, until he was compelled to dis
mount. 1t was impossible for the horse
to go further over such q rough coun-
try, and, besides, it was safer, as his
life probably depended on his seeing
Davis before Davis saw him; so, after
lettering his horse, he proceeded on
foot.
AS he approached deep, dark hol-
low, dense with timber and under
growth, he was sure he heard some
thing not far ahead of him. He hid
behind a tree and waited for some,
time, but, as he could hear nothing
more, he was soon slipping ahead
again. The idea of wild animal
never had occurred to him, and he
fully expected to meet the old moon
sinner every minute. Across the bot
tom of the hollow was fallen tree,
which rested about ten or fifteen feet
from the ground. The marshal started
to walk across this log to the other
side. This was about the last act in
the search of which he has anything
like distinct recollection When he
was about midway of this accidental
footing he heard noise in the trees
overhead. His hand dropped instinct
lively to his six-shooter, as he looked in
the direction from whence came the
sound. He was almost paralyzed with
sudden and terrible fear. Crouching
upon an extended limb of tree. ten
feet from his head, was huge pan
Their. His courage returned as quickly
as 1t had gone, but he had only time to
draw the weapon from his belt when
the monster plunged at him. He
lodged it's leap, but mis- foot slipped on
the log and he fell SO heavily that he
was rendered unconscious when he
struck the stony bottom of the gulch.
Just how long he remained in this
condition the marshal could not tell.
1t seemed 20 him only moment, but,
In fact, il was quite an hour, during
which time this powerful beast and its
mate dragged him 20 their den, more
than a hundred yards up the gorge.
As consciousness began to return, the
first idea that occurred to him was that
water had been dashed into his face.
Next he remembered the ferocious
beas. and his fall The whole terrible
picture floated before his dazed senses
like a dream. But he was rescued and
surrounded by mystery. He struggled
up to sitting posture and tried to
speak. but he was too faint to utter a
sound, and seemed to be partially blind.
The strange, damp atmosphere and
semi-darkness puzzled him for few
moments, but his efforts to restore his
vision soon revealed to him the as
founding fact that he was not blind,
but in cave. This discovery brought
with it the startling realization that
he was in the panther's den, and that
he was expected to furnish that animal
its next meal His hand hunted for his
revolver again. 1t was gone 1t had
fallen from his hand and was lying at
the bottom of the rocky gulch, where
the panther had made its spring.
His apparently hopeless condition
dawned upon him with such peculiar
force that he was just about to lose
consciousness again when he heard u
noise as if made by something approach
ing the mouth of the cavern. Was it
man or beast, rescuer or captor, life or
death? Such thoughts as these flashed
through the mind of the marshal, who
was almost ready to give up in despair;
but the impression that some one had
thrown water into his face furnished a
slender thread to sustain his hope.
moment, which seemed almost like
nm hour. he saw enter the grotto tall
muscular man, carrying in his hands a
broad-brimmed SLOUGH hat full OF wa
ter II was Rabe Davis, the terror of
the mountains. But the officer had no
fear of him now, since 1t must have
been he who threw the water into his
face and was returning again on his
mission of mercy. His opinion OF