A Panther Scare.....

A Panther Scare of Many Years Ago

Our Grandfather Tully Tandy Pike built a one room log cabin a short ways west of the barn on the little branch that ran through the place and west of the home place. He called it a “camping place” for his children. After they were married they could live there until they located a place where they wanted to live. Most all of his children lived there for a time sometime during their first married years. I can remember when we lived there when there was just my brother and me.

I have heard my Aunt Ruthie Pike tell of a real panther scare they had when they were living there. Here’s that story:

One spring nite, just soon after dark, they could hear a panther coming across country northwest of their cabin. It was coming across the old Liston Place, its screams came every few steps. It seemed to be about ¼ mile away and there were no doors to the cabin, so they nailed a heavy comfort to both doors and they all kept real still, them and their two children and listened to the panther’s screams. He went on southwest about halfway between the cabin and the home. He could not have been far from either building. He kept screaming every few steps until he vanished in the distance. The next day a panther was seen sleeping in a tree only about ¼ mile from Joe and Martha Pike Pierson’s. Uncle Joe Pierson killed the panther. They all believed it was all the one and the same.

Martha Pike Pierson and Joe lived on Horse Creek about 4 miles from where Joe and Ruthie (Pike) first heard the panther so it was good news to hear the panther was killed.

We sometimes think we have rough times but I often wonder if anyone of us could cope with the hardships the old pioneers went through.

Written by Granddaughter that wrote history
Ruth Elizabeth (Lizzie) Pike