The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-13
CASE OF BUCK FEVER.
How Hunter Was Effected In nm
Encounter with "A Panther.
From the Waahinrfnn atar

FROM the washington Star.
Linton. Fla, Dec. 2.-"Panther BiII'' a
the name of Florida hunter. 80 far az
his friends know, it is the only name he
ever had. IL he ever had another II has
not been mentioned In Florida.
He Is six feet tall and spare built. All
the fat has been fried out Of him by south
ern sunshine. His complexion Is like rus
set leather. His gray eyes seem always
TO be squirting along a gun barrel. He
seldom speaks, a habit acquired during
years Of solitude in the pines.
Ills speciality is panther hunting. II ia
more exciting than any other sport IN
tloriua' Killing gators and wildcats ls
tame In comparison.
Nearly every hunter knows what buck
ieVer 49, and nearly all have passed
through this species Of stage fright
group or them was recently eswappine
DUCK fever" stories. The story which
Panther Bill told follows:
lt was just after had little difficult
" with man up in Georgia, that came
down In these parts. In them days there
warnt nobody much living between Fort
Pierce and Palm Beach, and nobody al ali
between Palm Beach and Miami. and the
population amt increased much since
then. had an old dog, bull terrier. not
n.NSh boou on the trall, but he'd fight
ike yellow wasp. He had a habit Of
runDing little way ahead of me and then
running back. IL was out In that saw
grass around the slough south OF Lake
sheridan that he began to raise a fuss. 4
went on after him, but couldn't keep I'D.
Pretty soon thought / heard him coming
oack. Any way, l heard something tear
Ing and piunging through the saw grass
toward me. didn't know what sort OF A
trail we'd struck. but l supposed it was a
deer. didn't even think OF panther for
u was when ! first came TO Florida. Well
! thought II was my bull terrier tearing
back to meet me. But 1t wasn't a dog at
all II was Of different family. I saw
IL bounding through the tall grass directly
toward me. 1t was doubling back on Its
own trail. II would have run right over
me. My arms seemed cold and numb. II
was hard to get the gun to my shoulder
Then my neck seemed stiff, and Il was
slow work TO make my head lean on the
stock. My eye was watery. and there SEEM
ed 10 be "A haze around the front sight. Nv
finger was stift. and did not seem abie
to pull the trigger. The pather was bound
ing toward me- There was a puff Of
smoke, flash and a bang, and a roar
from the wounded panther The charge
had entered his breast and had broken his
fore legs. He would spring with his hind
legs, but his fore legs, not sustaining him
would roar and spring again toward me.
had another she'll Ia the gun, but was
too paralyzed TO use II. Ny legs seemed
bound, and could not move one step.
Each second that panther was getting
nearer. / couldn't think. My brain SEEM
ed groggy. But the bull terrier had heard
the racket and came up from behind. He
tackled the beast He planted his teeth
In the panther's neck, and they rolled over
and over In the Jaw grass. OF course II
the cat had been able to use his fore
paws the bull terrier would not have been
In II. The logs Of blood from the wound
In the breast was telling on the big cat,
and he grew weaker. His roaring turned
20 groaning, and after several fierce rail-
lies and attempts 10 shake on the dog ana
get AZ me, he died.
when the cat was dead wondered
what had allied me. ] had never met a
Florida panther face 20 face before. Il
must have been q stroke Of buck fever "