Newport daily independent., 1911-03-06
A Reminder of Youth
Hunter Sees Panther Like He
 Used to Hunt.
Animals Are Not Extinct In State of Pennsylvania as Generally Sup posed-May tlave Escaped
 From Menagerie or Circus.

Waterville, Pa.-William Button, who lives on the mountain about two miles north, and who when a young man had more than one exicting ad- venture with partners, declares that the belief that partners are extinct in Pennsylvania is a mistake. He says he saw panther in open day light one forenoon during a trip he made through the wilds of the country north of his place on an inspection of his bear traps.
 Button is seventy-one years of age, and has lived in the Pine creek region ever since he was a boy of seven, when his people came in over the old Coudersport pike and "squatted" on piece of land along that thoroughfare and followed the business of trapping and hunting and tilling a small piece of ground in the neighborhood of what is now Haneville.
 Young William was schooled in the wilds and at eleven years of age was a fine shot with a smooth-bore rife, and year later he killed big pam ther that had followed him and his mother while they were returning at night from Lock Haven. This ami nal, but few weeks before, had at tackled and almost killed a peddler that had passed along the road.
 With his acquaintance concerning partners and their ways, the old mans declaration that the panther has sy WI fa wilds gives rise to a most interesting question, for the state authorities announced as much as fifteen years ago that there were no more partners in Pennsylvania. Mir Button was in specting his bear traps the other day, and had gone into a deep ravine in crossing from one ridge to another, when his attention was attracted to the partially devoured carcass of a deer The blood and torn flesh of the animal showed him that the work had been done that very day. He ex- , amined the carcass to determine the character of the animal that had killed it. when he heard a peculiar, cat-like growl that seemed to come from the thick of big hemlock close by, and looking up into the boughs of the tree he saw the form of a big tawny crea- ture that lay crouched on one of the limbs at point near the trunk. It was far too big for catamount, and | for the moment the old hunter thought it was mountain lynx, which animal is still found at rare intervals.
 l He had rifle with him, but before | he determined to shoot being anxious 1 to learn the character of the beast, the thing raised quickly and jumped to the ground at the other side of the tree. A shot sent in it's direction failed of it's mark and with that the animal had gained effective cover in the thicket At that moment the heast t l gave vent to a cry of anger that was enthusiastically, MT. Button says, the 1 cry of the panther as he heard 1t | hundreds of times In the early years 1 of his manhood as hunter and trap
 per Button watched for the animal
 to come into the open beyond the
 thicket, where the ground rose; but l 1t was smart enough to avoid this, and as 1t doubtless was gorged with
 its feast of deer the animal probably
 took to a convenient tree and retired for rest. Button examined the ground where the beast must have leaped
 down, and found in the soft earth l tracks that further convinced him that 1 the animal was panther,
 1 The sold hunter. however, is not of 1 the opinion that the panther Is one of