The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-03-31

The largest Tiger Ever Sho: in In
die Killed by an American Girl.

A slender young American woman
had the recent distinction of shooting
the largest tiger ever killed in India,
and is entitled to the bounty offered
by the British government. The hero
inc of this exploit is Mrs. Donnett, wife
OF an English army officer on service
IN India, daughter of John H. White
mouse, of Observation-Disclosures.
Mrs. Donnett has been spending De-
cember n January with her husband
ana a party of friends hunting big
game IN the Chanda jungle of Northern
l1.dla, In the midst of II, 900 SQuare
miles Of forest reserves Astounding in
all kinds Of savage beasts and other
big game. She has killed two tigers,
four PARTNERS, four bears. eight bears
and several other wild beasts, while
the rest of the marty killed nine other
tigers and a corresponding number of
less dangerous m Mrs. Donnett'S
econ tiger measured ten feet eight
inches in length and is the largest ever
killed in India. Her first tiger meas
ured eight feet four inches. In a letter
dated aJnuary 18th last, this extraordi-
nary young woma describes the event
and her sensations in a simple but
graphic manner.
4 am the proud slayer of the largest
tiger ever shot in India" she exclaims
with a girlish enthusiasm, land he fell
at my first shot. He measures ten feet
three inches, has a perfect coat. and
teeth two inches long. 1t took sixteen
men to carry him to camp, and l did
it all myself and it was such a diff
cult shot. But | must settle down and
tell you all about it. l am sort of a
big bug in camp row. The natives
bow down and kiss the hem OF my
dress, for I am the first lady who has
ever shot in these great jungles. All,
I am a lucky beggar. So just listen
while l tell you all about it.
I'VE heard a tiger had killed a lot OF
deer in a piece of bamboo jungle about
six miles off, so Timmins, my husband,
got about forty heaters together ana
we took up our positions near an open
space, while the beaterS went into the
jungle with drums and horns, driving
six buffalo in front of them, and made
hideous noises. After about half an
hour, when the beat was nearly up to
my tree, saw what l first took for a
deer gliding through the high grass
and bamboo, when suddenly an open
ing revealed a huge tiger to my aston
ished gaze. He was going full bat, so
[ saw it was a case of then or never,
and although it vas a very blind shot 1
let blaze at the vanishing stripes as
thew flashed through the bamboo.
"A roar and rush told me the mon
ster was hit, but I could see nothing,
as the jungle vas so dense. When the
shikar came up I told him where L
had fred and got down, and with
loaded rifles we approached the spot
where about ten yards from where L
fred lay the very finest monster 1 ever
saw, and his great striped body did
indeed look like a slain king of the
forest. The shikar and [ all but hug
ged in our excitement, and when the
beaters came up our hurrahs and jul
bilant exclamations brought
tumbling down out of his tree, and his
joy and pride quite touched me. The
monster was indeed glorious with his
10 feet 8 inches spread out to their full,
his gums rolled up showing his enor-
nous teeth and his skin in it's prime,
and. oh, so beautifully yellow ana
black.
Il had already shot three bears, two
panthers and a, tiger, besides all sorts
of deer and other smaller beasts. ana
when I saw that monster lying there
slain by my own hands it was the
proudest and happiest OF my
life. and I shall never get over the feel
ing of exultation."-Washington DIS
,ofch