Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-02-16
EXTRACTS FROM THE AUTO
BIOGRAPHY OF
JANE GREY SWISSFIELM
First Newspaper Woman Of
Minnesota.
4 Remarkable Woman Of Ante.
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CHAPTER XIV.
| Swissvale.-Age, rs, ~.
| In April, 1912, my husband took
possession of the old home In the val
ley, and we went there to live. There
we're large possibilities In the old
house. and we soon had a pleasant
residence. I had the furniture mother
left me, and small income from her
estate. The farm I named "Swiss.
vale" and such is the name thereof
When the Pennsylvania railroad was
built it ran. through it, but not In sight
of the house. and the station was call.
ed for the homestead.
| In the summer Of ~ I began to
write stories and rhymes, under the
nom deplume of Jennie Deans" for
The Dollar Newspaper and Meals Sat.
urday Gazette, both Of Philadelphia
Reece G. Fleeson published an anti
slavery weekly in Pittsburg, The Spir.
it Of Liberty. and for this I wrote abol.
ition articles and essays on woman's
! right to life, liberty and the pursuit
OF happiness. My productions were
praised, and my husband was pro.
voked that did not use my own
name. II I were not ashamed of my
! articles, why not sign them? He had
not given up the idea that I should
preach. Indeed, he held me account
able for nose of the evils in the world,
| on the ground that I could overthrow
them IL would.
Elizabeth was married in June, and
went to Ohio. In the autumn, my hus-
bands mother and the boys came to
live with us, to which I made no OBJ
lection, for "honor thy father and
mother" was spoken as much to him
as to me. Maybe had some spirit
ual pride in seeing that she turned
from her converted daughters, who
were wealthy and lived near, to make
q home with unregenerate me. She
liked my housekeeping, and grand
mother" as always called her, with
her white 'kerchiefs and caps, sitting
by the fireplace plying her knitting
needles, became my special pride.
My husband had converted the
Louisville goods into one panther, one
deer, two bears, and a roll of wild
cat" money. It was not very good
stock with which to begin life on q
farm, but the monotony was relieved
by a hooking, kicking COW, and &
horse which broke wagons to splint-
ers.
Tom, the panther. was domiciled in
the corner made by the old stone
chimney and the log wall OF the house,
close to the path which led to the
garden. The bears were chained in
the meadow behind the house and
Billy, the deer, ranged at will. Tom
and the bears ,te pigs and poultry so
fast that we gave up trying to raise
any, while Billy's visits to the garden
did not improve the vegetables. tried
to establish some control over Tom,
as q substitute for the fear he felt for
his master, who was not always with
in call, and who insisted that Tom
could be tanned so as to serve the
place Of q watchdog. Tom had been
quite obedient for Tom, and my ter
ror for him had abated. ,
I was interested in the heather of
India, and was president Of q society
which met in Pittsburg. Coming home
from a meeting. was thrown out of
a buggy and so badly hurt that was
kept in bed six weeks. When began
to go out on clutches, started to 90
to the garden, and forgot Tom until |
heard him growl. He lay fat, with his |
nose on his paws, his tail on the
ground straight as q ramrod, save a
few inches at the tip, which wagged
slowly, his eyes green and fiery, and
I not three feet from his head, and
just in reach, even IL his chain held;
but had seen it break in one of |
those springs which he was now pre-
pairing to make. There was no help
near! He would spring for my head |
and shoulders. II these were out of |
his way, he could not hold me- by my
dress which was thin muslin wrap !
per. He was not likely to leap until |
something moved, and might lie there !
sometime. had heard that q panther |
will not jump under the gaze Of a |
human eye, so looked steadily into |
his, while I talked to him.
'Tom! Tom! Down SIR" and 80 tried |
to recall his knowledge Of me.
Fortunately my feet were q little in
advance Of my clutches, and while
looked and talked, holding my body
was planting my clutches
and throwing my weight on my we'll
foot I heard the girl coming out of |
the house and knew the time had
come. With all my strength I swung
myself backward as he made the leap.
His hot breath rushed into my face,
his fiery eyes glared close to mine.
but his chain was too short. Then
knew had no mission for tanning pan
theirs. From the first I had feared |
that he would kill some child, and it |
was impossible to prevent them troop |
ing to see him. After my own narrow !
escape protested so strongly against !
keeping him, that my husband COL
scented to sell him to q menagerie; but !
those which came were supplied with |
panthers, and, although he was a |
splendid specimen, full nine feet long, |
no sale was found for him.
That adventure supplied memory |
with q picture, which for long years |
breathed and never was absent. If it |
was not before me it was in some cor |
ner, and knew Tom was crouched |
to spring on me; his fiery eyes glared, |
the tip of his tail wagged, and he was |
waiting, only waiting for me to move. |
Often when woke at night, he was
on my bed or in a corner of the room. |
He was hidden in fence corners and |
behind bushes on the roadside, and
Mary's little lamb was never half 80 |
faithful as my phantom panther.
My husband could not understand
I. Z