Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02
PANTHER REFUSES
| TO TELL Who HE is
Stubborn Beast DISCUSSES
|. Self as Dog, Cat, Rabbit
\ and Coon.
Continued From First Page.)


was clipped by a stray bullet when his
ear entered the danger zone, the boy
was shot while preparing to join the
hunt, the dogs cat and bunny were
mistaken for bigger prey, and the goose
suffered wrenched leg while dangling
from a tree in the unwilling role of
panther bait.
Research accords to Emma Braxton.
colored resident of the Suburban Gar
bens section, in Northeast Washington,
the honor of being the first human
being to do down on the records as an
Rye-and-ear witness of the elusive
beast, although reports had filtered in
hDout predatory prowler prior to her
experience.
Huntsville Gets in Chase.
The earliest published rumor that a
panther was at large appears to have
come from Huntsville, Prince Georges
County, Md. on January 10, when
farmers of that section told of several
dogs being killed and a horse attacked
by ferocious animal. On January IL
"a false report emanating from anony-
NOUS sources had it that a panther
had escaped from the Beaver Dam Club.
The colored woman heads the list
OF victims Of the stealthy critter She
told police she was attacked January
l3 by an animal as large as a panther,
which snatched from her a pet poodle
and carried it. shrieEi-S piteously, to its
den. She was quite positive the thing
was panther, except that maybe it was
an diversified police dog.
The first sacrifice of the hunt which
et once started occurred on the night
following, when a fine specimen of
delis domestica, or common garden var
bety of tomcat. was brought down by
"a colored sharpshooter, Arthur Green,
after the latter had freed it on C street
northeast near Benning road.
Club Denies All Ownership.
On January Is the board of gov
brnors of the Beaver Dam Club issued
p commnnique disclaiming past, pres
ent or future ownership of any wild
cat of whatsoever description, and beg
ging its capturers kindly to refrain from
bringing 1t to the club dead or alive.
On January 16 there came to the
police a report which was deemed
highly important at the time, which has
been lost sight of in view of later
developments. A resident of the north
east section announced the loss of his
fighting wolf dog, Fido, which escaped
from a pen on the previous Sunday.
The dog was described as very vicious
in the presence of other dogs.
The Bladensburg Fire Department
swung into action on January II, led
by Chief Andy Gasch, after "Panky'
Lewis, well known Maryland amateur
athlete, had breezed into town with a
new unofficial croSs-country sprint rec
ord and a breathless story of having
\ been chased by the varmint. "Panky"
described the animal as half again as
large as police dog
Rail Employees See 1t!
On the following day tracknien of
khe Pennsylvania Railroad saw the
beast at the Benning freight station.
They vowed it was too large to be
cat and not like dog" Capt. Charles
and protector of the helpless in the
dar-hung eleventh precinct, in the
eastern section of the city, at once or
ganized a panther squad, composed of
Acting Sergt. w. F. McDuf1e and
Policemen j. E. Click and e. r. Shoe
maker, all wildcat huntsmen of some
mote. The police trio, armed to the
teeth with sawed-of shotguns, rifles
and pistols, hurried to the Benning sta
fion and examined tracks in the snow.
Convinced the prints were too large
Tor dog, the doughty officers spent
a cold and fruitlesS vigil in the Ben
ming neighborhood.
This same day other things happened
70 make the panther problem loom
larger than ever. A pig was clawe6
TO death in Bernard Chapman's pigsty,
out on Fiftieth street northeast, and
Conductor Eugene A. Buckley of the
Washington Railway & Electric Co.
was slightly injured by a bullet sup
posedly intended for the mountain lion.
Blind Tiger" Is Blamed.
Conductor Buckley's experience led
Capt. Peck to issue a warning against
promiscuous shooting by panther hunt
ers. The warning was coupled with
frank suggestion of skepticism on the
part of the precinct commander. The
hint was dropped that maybe some of
the more colorful accounts from the
front could be traced to a blind
tiger"
The raid on the Chapman pigpen
brought out most of the city's remain
ang big game crackers. The United
Crouch, acting chief of the predatory
animal division of the Department of
Agriculture, offered all available lion
traps, nets and other paraphernalia in
Its possession. Walter johnson, of some
Tepute as tanner of Tigers, Cubs and
other big league game, fetched his
trained dogs to the scene. Windsor
AudAlSf uepuIy game warden, arrived
with his guns Policemen McDuffie
and Mckee were formally assigned to
the cougar beat of the eleventh pre-
cinct, when Capt. Peck became won
over to the panther arguments of his
men.
Converts Hog Into Sausage.
Transferring its depredations to the
Marlboro pike near District Heights,
the phantom puma descended January
81 on Harry Fowler's pigsty and in
dulged in another porcine orgy. One
hog was converted into sausage and
nine others we're slashed mercilessly
Policeman Mckee kept an all-night
watch with billy goat tied TO a stake
as bait, but the only enlivening incident
OF an otherwise dull evening was the
frightening away of a group of colored
hunters who heard, the goat bleat
friendly greeting
On the night of January % the nervy
catamount walked right into a care
fully laid trap and walked right out