The Turnbo Manuscripts
by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925
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ACCOUNTS OF PANTHER ATTACKING COLTS
By S. C. Turnbo
A few stories of this kind are given here to show the stealthy nature
of panther in attacking young colts. Major Sampson Barker, who lives on
White River two miles below Forsyth Mo., contributes a short story of this
nature. Barker is a native of Virginia being born in Scott County in that
state in 1832. He served as major in the 27th Virginia Regiment in "Stonewall"
Jackson’s command and was present and in command of this regiment when
Jackson met a tragic death at Chancellorville. After the close of the war
Major Barker came to Taney County, Mo., and has lived here since 1869. Here
he has enjoyed the art of hunting and farming. He has killed many deer and
has had a few tussles with wolves, but he never met a wild panther. "But",
said he, "I have a short panther story I will tell you which was told
me by Tom Snodgrass who on a certain occasion soon after the war visited
Springfield, Mo., and died while on the way back home. Mr. Snodgrass informed
me that in 1865 while he lived 1 ½ miles above Forsyth he met a panther
one day which gave him serious trouble, which came about this way. In the
early fall of the year mentioned I had put up a corn crib and one day while
engaged in putting on the roof a mare of mine came running into the wood
yard without her colt. Thinking the colt had been attacked by wolves and
without taking time to arm myself I ran in the direction the mare had come.
About 200 yards from the house I ran onto a panther devouring the colt which
it had just killed. The animal seemed to be greatly angered at my presence
and before I could get out of its way it sprang on me. I had nothing to
fight it with except my bare hands, but I was robust and in good health
and made good use of my clenched hands and struck it such fearful blows
that it was not able to maintain its strength but a little while, and I
soon killed it; but it tore my clothes and flesh before I was able to conquer
it. The panther was a suckler and very weak from starvation and nursing
her young. This was the cause of my gaining such an easy victory as I did"
said Mr. Snodgrass.
Major Barker’s story reminds me of another account as told by Philander
Snow. Every old settler In Douglas County, Mo., remembers Jarriett Huffman,
who lived on Cowskin Creek, a branch of Beaver Creek. Huffman was a great
hunter and killed game all over Taney and Ozark Counties as well as Douglas
County. "Uncle Jarriett told me one day," said Mr. Snow, "that
a settler who lived on Cowskin Creek sent his two boys into the field to
cut corn stalks with hoes. The man owned a mare with a very young colt following
her. During the day the mare fed up on a low bluff near the field, but some
distance from where the boys were at work. All of a sudden they heard the
bell making an unusual noise. The mare was bad disturbed. The oldest boy
remarked that "we had better go and see what is the matter with the
mare." The youngest boy replied, who was 13 years old, and said, "you
stay and work and I will go," and he went on. It was some time before
he returned back to his brother in the field. His brother was astonished
at seeing his clothes torn and bloody. He asked him what done it. He said
something jumped on him and he had killed it. His older brother requested
him to go back with him to the bluff and show the animal to him, When they
reached the spot it proved to be a young panther not half grown. But it
was not dead and trying to get on its feet. They finished its life by hitting
it on its head with stones. The younger boy said that when he got in sight
of the mare she was standing and looking toward him with the young colt
hovering against her breast. "I kept walking toward the mare to find
out what she was scared at," said the boy. "Just before I reached
the spot where the mare was the panther which was concealed in the grass
leaped on my back. I reached my hands back over my shoulders and caught
the little beast by the ears and pulled it over my head and slammed it violently
against the stones and injured its spine so that it was not able to use
its hind feet and soon killed it as I then supposed. When I jerked it over
my head it tore my back severely as well as my clothes." No doubt."
said Mr. Huffman, "the panther was trying to catch the colt, but the
mare was protecting it."
Here is another story of a similar kind except that the panther did not
leap on the man. "In 1865 I was residing on James Fork of White River,"
said Sam Carpenter. "During the summer of that year I had a mare and
a colt out on the range that I had not seen for some time and I took my
rifle from the rack one day and went into the woods to hunt for them. I
had a long weary tramp but was at last rewarded by hearing the tingle of
the bell. But I soon recognized that the mare was annoyed by something.
The bell at times would jingle rapidly as if the mare was running and jumping.
I knew the mare was not in the habit of doing this unless something was
wrong. I hurried on faster and before getting in sight of her I heard her
neighing to the colt and the bell was jingling very rapid. Then I raised
to a trot and was soon running my best. When I got in sight of the mare
she was watching something, but on account of the rank grass I was unable
to see anything. I ran on until I was in a few yards of the mare and discovered
a panther lying in the grass ready to leap on the colt. The mare was trying
to make it go away. About the time I saw the beast it pitched at the mare
but the latter avoided it by jumping out of its way. The attention of the
animal was so absorbed in watching the mare and colt that it was ignorant
of my presence, and I was so amazed when I saw it that I stood perfectly
still until it alighted on the ground after springing at the mare. It was
now in a few feet of me. I saw the ugly creature was irritated and much
angered because the mare was defending the colt so strongly and it crouched
for another leap at the mare or colt. This brought me to my right mind,
and quickly leveling my rifle I took aim at the panther in a moment. As
I pulled the trigger it saw me, but before it had time to attack me a leaden
ball entered its body. With a powerful bound it sprang away through the
tall grass. It did not stop until it ran about 80 yards from where I shot
It. From here it was not able to go further and died in a few minutes. I
have no doubt," continued Mr. Carpenter, "that if I had not reached
there in time, the panther might have killed the colt and also crippled
the mare while she was trying to protect her colt."
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