Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1845-09-20
lErnm Lhe CharLeslan Cnmier |

REmARKABLE FACT IN MATERIAL lllsroRY,
MAJOR John piler, farmer OF great
respecrability in this country, informed
me that while he lived nj his fathers IN.
Missouri, some twenty years ago, a w
Izard, tis not this bird the re-. vnItufeO
was taken alive, having gorged lsell
over a carcase to such degree as 10 pre-
vent its flying; its weight being TOO heavy
for lis wings; when he, together with his
father, brother, and neighbor, with a
small shoemaker's awl, rijped open us
eyes, SO that no part Of The bail Of either re
ma,ned The head Of the bird was then
put under one Of It's wings, in which posi-
lion it remained few minutes, when, to
the surprise Of all, it gradually relieved
It's head from its wing, shook itself as II
to arrange its dlsordered feathers, and
reappearcd with two good sound eyes,
free from blemish, and possessing IN eve
ry degree the power of vision. This
seemingly cruel experiment was repeated
with The same bird on different occasions,
in the presence of different persons, fifty
times, and always with the same result,
and rot the least injury appeared to have
been occasoned BY it. Aiter the lapse OF
few months, this bird flew away TO its
accustomed haunts. have mentioned
this fact to several persons, who, though
they had "never seen the like" expressed
Inc surprise or doubt Of its truth, but re-
| piled that they had always heard that
the down from the inside OF A buzzard's
wing was a cure for hlndess in horses,
and one man remarked that he had cured
most nveteratc case OF approaching
blindness in himself by it. He procured
the down, spread it on bandage, applied
it to his eyes, and recovered.
In confederation OF NJ Jor PLIERS state
ment, whose deposition is here to suhJoin-
ed, can state my own experience on the
subject. Travelling, some three years
since, on the american bottom, | slaid
part Of day with friend of mine
whose step-son had the day before taken
d half grown buzzard--so soon as saw
the bird, the statement of Major PLIERS
came fresh upon my recollection, and as
| had always been incsedulo1s | was de-
termined to put it to the test of expert
ment, and accordngy mentioned the fact
to the young gentleman who had the bird,
and desired him to operate upon IT, Tia
wing no sharp pointed instrument at hand,
other than a common pin, with that he
lpunctured one of the eyes, and all its luS
lire instantly disappeared. The head was
Iplaced under the wing Of the bird, whe re
lit remained few minutes only, aud when
taken out, the eye had resumed It's usual
briIiancy, appearing as sound as the 9th
or, with not speck upon it. In this ex
pertinent, it is true, the eye ball was not
ripped open-that operation seeming too
cruel TO have my participation, out, as far
as it goes, it serves 10 inspire belief in
the auempt oil Major PLIERS.
The fact stated in the conclusion o! the
deposition, relative to The bald eagle, has
not, venture to saw, arrested the aten
ton OF any one. Who would believe that
1.-The feathers Of that bird cannot be pluck
ed out? The idea Of feathers and pluck
ing are ever associated, yet you cannot
gel those Of the bald eagle without taking
1.-The skin with them; unless perhaps,
Through the agency Of some chemical
application, Of which we "!ar west in the
back woods" know nothing.
SIGMA.
DEPoslTIoN.-'I, John PLIERS, a citizen
Of Randolph county, linoiS, depose and
say, that am The individual alluded TO
lin the above communication, and that the
facts stated therein, so far as am concer-
ned, are true in every particular The
experiment in ripping open the buzzard S
eyes, during the time we kept II, from
February until May, was repeated, ! dare
say, fifty times; and once, at log rolling
Ten times in one day. An old African ne
negro, belonging 10 MIR. f. VnIIi, ST., Of
81. Gcnevieve, named Joseph, (Ihough sup
posed TO be upwards Of one hundred years
old, first told me Of 1t, and have tried it
frequently since on different buzza rds,
:, with the same result. This same negro
told me that the feat hers could not be
plucked out of bald eagle. This is
true. You may try ii in any way, and
scald it. and you cannot pull out feather
(Signed,) JOHN PLIERS
Deposition taken before
(Signed.) JAMES HUGHEs, J. P"
HoRsEs. The time and LABOR spent IN
our country, 10 make feed for horses, is a
heavy item of expense; and great por
I,;., ,,c :, M ~ In sovpd hy ma shines for