My great-grandmother knew a woman
who had a terrifying experience when she was walking through the snow to nurse
a sick neighbor. It was very cold, and the woman had dressed warm and was
hurrying to try to make the neighbor’s house before dark. Long before she got
there, she heard a scream behind her. Looking back, she saw a big panther quite
a ways back. She started running, but knew she would give out before she
reached her destination.
Then she remembered that she had
heard that if a panther found an article of clothing that had been worn by a
human being it would stop and tear it to shreds before going on. Anything to
slow him down, she thought. She threw down her scarf. Sure enough, when she
looked back he was tearing it up. Every time he would start off again, she
would throw down another garment. She reached safety wearing only her
undergarments. The neighbor got a gun and put an end to the panther.
Mrs. R.D. Berry
Galt, Missouri
Back in 1955 a call
went out from the editors of the then CAPPER’s
Weekly asking for readers to send
in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early
settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from
grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were
received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My
Folks title – My Folks Came in a
Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine
other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from CAPPER’s readers, and we are proud to
make those stories available to our growing online community.
