Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1880 — A Pennsylvania Hunter’s Battle With a Panther. [ARTICLE]

A Pennsylvania Hunter’s Battle With a Panther.

• Henry Lascar Is an old hnnter who has been familiar with the forests in this neighborhood for many years. He came into the village, on Monday last, with torn clothes, the leather of his high boots cut into strips, his face seamed with ugly gashes, and his general appearance indicating that he had been having a conflict with a threshingmachine or a grizzly bear. He was reticent at first in regard to his unseemly appearance; but, after being warmed a little, he said that about ten days ago he started out on one of his expeditions, with the intention of being away perhaps a week or two. He built a small shanty of hemlock boughs, where he spent his nights sleeping before his camp fire. The warm weather had not melted all the snow in the depths of the forest where he was, and one morning he noticed the foot-prints of a large ani” mal, supposing at first they were those of* a bear. But, after closer examination, Lascar knew that a very large panther had passed. Animals of this species have rarely been seen in this neighborhood of late, many old woodsmen believing that they are extinct not only hereabouts but throughout the State. Lascar hesitated at first to follow up the trail, but his hunter instincts got the better of his caution, and he started. Over the pathless wilderness he wandered for several hours, passing at length a place where the animaihad caught a pheasant and left its blood and feathers scattered on the snow. The trail was fresh, and the hunter increased his caution, moving watchfully and slowly. In a few minutes he stopped in a narrow ravine having high rocky walls on either side, and trees growing so thickly overhead that the spot was in dcep.shade. The footprints that he had been following all led to a hole in the rocky wall. Standing at a distance, he threw a stone into the hole, getting in response a snarl and a hiss that was not comfortable to hear. After waiting a few minutes, the hunter climbed up and, looking into the darkness of the hole, saw a pair of fiery red eyes glaring at him. Then he raised nis gnn and with a hasty aim fired. The next instant he was knocked over, and before he could get to his feet again the animal was on him. It seized the gun with its teeth, and breaking off the nipple rendered the piece useless. Then, first with one paw and then with the other, the huge beast knocked the hunter about over the snow as a cat plays with a mouse. Lascar tried to draw his hunting knife, but at every attempt he was prevented by a sharp blow from one of the animal's paws. His face was scored deeply at every stroke, his clothes soon torn into strips, and his whole body covered with blood. At length he managed to draw his knife and plunged the blade deep into the beast's flank. It bounded away a few feet, looked at the hunter a minute or two, and trotted away lifting one hind leg very carefully and disappearing in the woods. Lascar bound up his wounds and, after a journey of nearly a day, returned home.— Lafayette Corners {Pa.) Cor. N. Y. Sun.