The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-08-14
BY Clarence PuIlen.
CcODyrirht. 1879


MORE than 90 years ago + stayed for
tV several days at the house of Abner
Maxwell in FarmhiM ON the east slope of
the Green mountains. Maxwell, then
so years Of age, was a prosperous farm
er. still living on the farm where he
was born.
Thrown over the back Of q large
CHAIR ID the room in which 1 slept was
something scarcely to be looked for in
q Vermont farmhouse-a panther skin.
Spreading it upon the door / could
trace in the outlines the shape of the
animal as it had appeared in life and /
noted that it had been Of unusual size.
! made mp my mind that there must be
a story worth hearing about that pam
ther skin, and / was not disappointed.
Il have that skin by the best right in
che world" said my host when I ques-
toned him. "It's rising 35 years since
faced the beast that wore it, with only
q pitchfork for o weapon, not half a
mile from where we're sitting-a try
ing thing for q 15-year-old boy to do,
or for full-grown man for that matter.
But I'm not claiming all the credit for
myself. Ny dog Lion stood the brunt
Of the fight; Il needed both Of us t
save my little sister from the panther.
I'VE were living in the little un-
PAINTED farmhouse that stood where
this house stands-my mother and her
i've children, my father being dead. So
4here were six Of us; but / ought to add
smother, our great dog, Lion. He was
R&y4~~ry IalR E.1r,r5 1wl ho14
xnastih, and as brave and strong as he
was big. He was the protector of our
household. and always went along with
the younger children in their berrying
trips, for in such excursions they might
At d time run across a bear or prowl-
tng wolf, or q bob-cat spelling for fight.
SIN the fall Of the year I'm telling
about the farmers had been missing
sheep and calves from their back pas
tures. Suspicion at first fell on the old
/ Briggs, who had been in Jail once
for sheep-atealing, but this time they
couldn't fix the crime ON him. Then
aome Of the sheep were found where
they had been dragged, ~half-eaten,
with their throats torn. Their c-arcasses
"a every case were covered with dirt
and leaves, as IL whatever it was that
did the killing had meant to hide them.
It did not seem to be the work of bears
or wolves, and the farmers were puz-
zIeds bat being sore over their losses,
and feeling that the blame ought to be
nut somewhere. they made up their
minds that q dog must have done the
mischief. There was no other dog in
Earnhiu powerful enough to drag away
. sheep or calf, SO they decided that
che cnlprit must be Lion.
II knew what this would leadto; that
bur dog. II he remained at Farmhill,
would be shot or poisoned. The fact
fhat alltOur family knew that ne was
innocent did not count when once the
Suspicion was started. So / lost no
time. but started afoot, with Lion, for
NV Uncle Nathan's, at GiIead, 25 miles
away, returning alone che next day.
There was some bad feeling shown
toward our family when the neighbors
found that I had taken Lion away, for
NV doing this made them feel surer
than ever that the dog was guilty. But
he was beyond their reach and when
they found that the killing kept right
on. 81 his absence, they began to think
fbat be might be innocent after all.
sEEhen the weather got so cold that
che farmers took their stock up into the
harns. there was no more trouble. But
svfth the frst SHOWS there anne reports
- oueer tracks seen around some Of the
harns ana farmyards. The footprints
were like those Of a bob-eat in shape,
but bigger. Then folks began 70 say,