The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-01-09

when he saw the animals eyes begin
to snap. Then he attempted to stab
him with his pocket-knife. The pan
Their sprang to his feet and Meshach
beat a quick retreat. When he saw
the dog have him by the ear he again
took the club and knocking him down
beat his head into a pulp. In this bat
tie nearly a quarter of an acre of
ground was fought over. The panther
measured nearly ten feet.
Family of Eleven Children
Meshach's family in the meantime
had been steadily increasing until
there were eleven children.
He and one of his sons went to Mr..
Fitzwater, who lived near the glades
and Meadow Mountain, for a weeks
hunt. They killed several deer and
on Saturday evening the son said he
had wounded a doe and he knew she
would die, so Meshach started out on
Sunday morning to find her. Striking
her trail he had followed it but
short distance when he found pam
Their was also following. Then Mesh
ach turned his attention to the gen.
tleman and went after him with long,
quick strides. When he came to level
ground he trotted, up hill he walked
fast and down hill he ran and kept
travelling from one place to another.
The panther was hunting and had
jumped three times at deer. Meshach
followed him up to the Yough glades,
through a labarinth of crooks and
turns until late in the afternoon he
entered the State road, followed it for
mile or two, then left it and COM
menced hunting again. Meshach per-
tinaciously following. The chase con-
tinued until late in the evening when
Meshach came upon large deer that
had been killed near the State road
where no one would suspect panther
venturing.
The deer was still warm. Meshacb
knew that he had him and loosing the
dog in a few minutes heard him rum
ming at full cry toward large glade,
but as Meshach waited to see him en-
ter the glade all became quiet. He
thought the dog had lost the animal.
AS he stood waiting he heard the dog
behind him and found the panther
had run back to where he had killed
the deer, but the dog was too close,
so he entered the State road, ran
down it until he came to Major CAL
omese's fence, jumped on that and
ran some distance, then turned back
to elude the dog and sprang into a
tree where he hid.
Meshach stood in the road, pro-
voked that the dog had lost the trail,
as it was nearly night. At last the
dog turned back, threw his nose in
the air, and Meshach knew he winded
the panther and after searching the
trees found him hiding among the
limbs of a pine. The wind passed too
high for the dog to locate him and
when the panther peeped around the
tree Meshach sent a bullet through
his brain.
He hurriedly skinned the animal
and cut off his head as evidence to
claim his premium, and started for
the Calomese farm, two miles distant.
Meshach had been travelling at high
rate of speed since early morning, but
did not feel tired. When he reached
the gate a negro boy ran to tell his
master that Mr.. Browning was there.
Meshach related his route and exper-
fences to Mr.. Calomese, who was de-
| lighted at his success and said he had
travelled about forty miles. Meshach
was then fifteen miles from home.
Mrs. Calomese being on visit to
Cumberland, they talked until ten
o'clock, then retired.
About midnight the mail boy came
along blowing his horn, when the old
gentleman had to get up, receive his
mail and attend to some papers. By
that time not much of the night re-
manned. However, they rested until
the cook announced breakfast, after
which Meshach hurried away to re-
lieve the anxiety of the Fitzwaters'.
Mrs. Browning Is Crippled
A few more seasons had added
their toll to the years that had sped
and Mary was riding home from a
visit to her oldest daughter when her
horse SHE'D at small boy who saw
her coming and stepped behind a tree.
Mary was thrown and her spine was
dislocated. She was permanently Grip
pied, but she lived three years.
Sometime afterwards Meshach be-
came assessor for Allegany County,
and in Cumberland met a Mrs. Mary
Smith, who became his second wife.
Meshach was living comfortably on
his farm until February, 1857, when
his second wife was paralyzed and
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