From my family history book:
The following article appeared in the July 26, 1959 issue of the Tampa Tribune:
It was on a Sunday in July of the 1870's. Thomas H. Albritton and family, along with their pioneer neighbors,
had attended church services at the brush arbor in th Horse Creek seettlement, later to be known as Castalia (now
Lily).
Having heard a fine and very long sermon by Parson R.M. Evans (Methodist circuit rider) and adjourning the
services for dinner, the Womenfolk began making preparations for spreading the meal. The men gathered to one
side and were discussing events of the day.
Thomas Albritton, talking to Morgan Mizell and Cicero Platt, said: "Boys, my bear grease and hog lard is gettin'
mighty low. Supposin' we all go on a little hog hunt tomorrow on the prairie. The hogs along the hammocks ought
to be in pretty good shape."
Cicero agreed and the hunt was arranged for the next day. All were to meeet at Mr. Albritton's house early the
next morning.
About the break of day, Cicero Platt and his brothers, Marion and Lewis, rode up on horseback with their
"glass-eye" leopard dog and cur dogs following them. About the same time up rode "River Dan" Coker.
Mr. Albritton and his sons, Asbury and James, had alread saddled their horses and had their dogs tied.
Since this hunt was to be strictly a hog hunt, they decided not to carry a gun as it would be in the way.
Riding west on the prairie towards the hammocks, which were four or five miles away, the dogs jumped a
panther, called in those day, tigers or 'painters'. This was near the present line between Manatee and Desota
Counties. The chase was very short, the panther climbing a large live oak in a hammock.
They all rode up, looked the panther over, and then decided that one of them should return to Morgan Mizell's
and get a muzzleloader. the panther had to be killed, as pigs were his prey. Cicero left in a long gallop while
others were standing guard until his return.
In the meantime, the dogs jumped another panther in the hammock. This one refused to climb a tree. This
panther backed up aginst a blown over stump in a tall palmetto patch and began fighting the dogs.
Leaving Marioin to guard the first panther, Thomas and his sons went to the dog - panther fight. From the yells
of the dogs, it seemed to Thomas that the panther was getting the best end of the fight and would probably kill one
or two of their dogs if something wasn't done quickly. He shouted, "Boys, I'm not going to let that tiger kill my
dogs!"
With great courage and strength, he waded into the palmetto patch. Then with sledge-hammer first blows,
assisted by his bleeding dogs, he finally killed the panther. Opening his pocket knife, he cut the panther's throat
and dragged him out of the palmetto patch.
Soon after this fight, Cicero arrived with the muzzle-loader and they killed the panther in the tree. They cut off
the heads of both panthers, for which they would collect a bounty. The badly cut and bleeding dogs were treated
with raw pine gum. There was no more hog hunting thaty day. All returned to Mr. Albritton's home for a grand
meal. Vegetables from the cow-penned garden, grated corn pone, potato pone, cassava pone, buttermilk and curd,
homemade rice with red eye gravy, corn syrup and honey for a sopping dessert.
The oak and cabbage hammock where the bare-hand panther fight was made and the panther killed is to this
day known as Tiger Hammock.
