The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-14

Out of Her Hand, She Quickly
Slabs the Beast With Her Sheath
Knife.
Fort Henry N. Y, Special to N Y World
An extraordinary story Of a brave
woman's escape from an awful death
comes from Mineville, this county. Just
before the big blizzard set in Mrs
Annie Saunders, the wife of an Adj
rondack mountaineer and trapper, set
out from her home, near Mount Marcy
in search of game.
Mrs. Saunders is a woman Of 1.-the
build, keen eye and progressing fea-
lures. She is perhaps thirty years old,
woman who has no superior in the
North woods as rifle shot and a hunt
ress Of great skill. The snow lay more
than two feet on the ground, and Mrs.
Saunders took with her pair of snow
shoes.
When she reached a point where all
traces of trails or pathways had been
obliterated she put on her snow shoes.
The morning was clear and cold, and a
sharp, cutting wind blew down from
old Mount Marcy. There was no sign
of snow in the air. The sky was blue
and the sun shone brightly.
Mrs. Saunders had not gone more
than half a mile up the side Of the
mountain before she came across deer
tracks in the snow. The trail led off to
the right, but Mrs. Saunders had no
idea of following the tracks, knowing
that it would have been a violation of
the law to kill deer at this time. Rab-
an hour she shot nimbly along on her
snoWshoeS, until at last she saw the
familiar rabbit tracks in the snow.
She took to the trail with childish
eagerness, as she afterward explain
ed. Within fifteen minutes she sighted
a leaping rabbit and shot him. She
fastened up to the bleeding, quivering
body fastened 1t to her belt and sped
on. The drops of blood that fell from
the dead rabbit wound left tiny red
stains on the snowy landscape. To
this was doubtless due Mrs. Saunders
subsequent thrilling adventure. The
little huntress, after following the
struck off to the right, penetrating the
forest still further.
Suddenly and without warning she
saw panther directly in her path.
With great cunning the ferocious ami
NAL had been following her, and now
had taken a short cut around until it
faced her ready to leap at her throat.
The smell of the dead rabbit dangling
at Mrs. Saunders belt Whetted the ami
mails ferocity.
With a wild cry Of fear Mrs. Saund-
ers tore the rabbit from her belt and
hurled it at the panther The animal
savagely tore the rabbit to pieces.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Saunders had turned
and was rapidly fleeing down the
+o;, 1;1 CHI
back. The panther was coming after
her in a long, easy lope.
Then she stopped, turned quickly and
shot at the panther. The bullet struck
the animals right ear, tearing away
half of it. The panther in pain and
rage rolled over and over in the snow.
Mrs. Saunders fired again, but failed
to strike the screaming beast in vital
spot. She turned again and ran or.
down the side Of the mountain. But
the panther ran after her with all the
energy and fury at its command. The
intrepid woman saw the painting beast
within a few feet of her, and the sight
so unnerved her that she came to a
standstill. The panther, unable to
check it's momentum, ran against her,
throwing her headlong into the snow.
Her rifle flew out of her hand, and she
gave herself up for lost
By good luck her hand came in con-
tact with the long, bony hilt Of her
hunting knife. She struggled to her
knees, and when the panther came at
her she drove the keen blade of the
knife far into it's shoulder. Then came
a fierce struggle. When the bleeding
beast hurled itself at her with wide
open jaws she thrust the knife into its
throat. The blood from it's wounds
gushed over her face and clothes, but
she pluckily held her position. Tho
panther tore her tight-fitting coat in
long strips from her arms and bosom,
and made a great rent in her hunting
skirt. Mrs. Saunders began to realize
that if the fight were not quickly over
she would be the loser. Although the
panther was badly wounded, 1t was still
capable of inf1icting mortal injury
Fortune favored her. and when the
panther unexpectedly presented it's left
side she with her last strength plunged
in the knife. 1t went true to it's heart
The panther jumped cCnvulsively and
fell dead in the bloody snow
Mrs. Saunders tainted and when she
revived not long afterward she was so
weak that she could scarcely make her
way back to her home near Mineville.
The next day her husband and a fell
low trapper went as far up the noun
tain side as they dared in the face of
the bowling blizzard that had set in.
They returned without the animals
carcass, having been driven back by
says that she would not repeat her cx-
perience for all the gold in the KIon-
dixie.
Il can't even think of it now without
shudderine.'' she said. fortunately I
escaped with a few ugly scratches and
bad scare. but it might have been
worse"