Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-01-26
Romance Ezaseded by Reality.
an Erecting Cha a c1M Taken off by
am Eagle and Ciarried Tro Miles.


vile, Jackson County, now in town, informs
us that on Chriktmas Eve, about three o'clock
in the afternoon, the farm of a Mr. W Whiteside,
about five miles from sIeigsville, was the scene
of a most exciting and.nearly fatal event. 1t
is briefly this
Mr.. Whiteside Eps ia the little town doing
some business his wife was away at neigh
bor's where siekchild was struggling with
cholera infauturn aud the only in@door. servant
they had was outi 10 the barn looking after
some cattle, wien their chiid--a bright little
boy, just.learnfng to t6ddls around on its little
feet and prattls fie name of sspa"-tumbled
or crawlod oslt of rs cradle, IN which it was
feft asfecp- ~ the . -setvdffe lew moments
before. and managed somehow to get to the
door. which was unfortunately open at the
time. although the girl left in Charge of the
place averts that she had closed il on going
out. The child tumbled into the front yard,
it is supposed, and was crying and sprawling
around, when great gray erge, seen BY the
girl as she was leaving the barn, came sweep
ing down, and, fastening its immens, and
cruel talons in the clothing of the iittlsboY,
rose up, apparently with much difficulty, as
high as it could, which was not very Ugh,
and sailed off across inc adjacent woods, Just
-
trees. When the servant saw the eagle om-
ing down, as she was leaving the barn, she
had a presentiment of the strangest kind, md
says she felt that the child was out doors, md
that the fierce bird of prey was pouncing down
upon it but when, in q moment after, she
beheld the great tyrant of the air rise abye
the house-top with the little child in its CLAWS,
she grew dizzy and fell to the ground. Ter
weakness however, did not continue long, the
cold air blowing across her face revived Ter
quickly, and jumping on her feet and gnziig
round, wildly, she saw the eagle disappearing
over the woods in the direction of the Com
berland River. She was filled with but one
impulse-to rescue the little boy. She BEANIE
us one frantic, for she had remarkable Iffec.
ton for the child. She rushed forward,
bounded over the fence as ifshe were endowed
with the lightness and agility of deer
dashed into the wood, dark and tangled as it
was, not taking time to hunt out foot paths or
cow-tracks. She instinctively felt that the
thieving bird would keep in straight line,
and she kept in straight line also With
the strength and unthinking couTnge of n
strong man who has become suddenly derang-
ed, she dashed the underground aside, crossed
ravines as if she were on the level plain.
spurned the fallen trees and jagged rocks as if
they were the smoothest and sohest moss.
The patch Of wood was fully mile and
half through but the girl made the run to
the other edge of it without feeling in the
least fatigued. Beyond the wood, and between
it and the river, lay patch of cleared ground
partly marshy ard partly cornfeld, full of old
stumps. When she left the wood, and had
clear view, she saw the eagle as if he were
inclined to alight with his burden somewhere
in the neighborhood of the river. This gave
her new courage and fresh-hope, and she ran
forward with increased speed 1t luckily
happened at that time that there was man
hunting in the ncighboring marshes, and just
at the particular moment, when the eagle
reached the ground with his burden. shot
went off so dangerously and alarmingly near
him (for the hunter was behind clunp OF
bushes, about twenty yeards off, and had his
back toward the spot where the eagle and the
child were), that he mounted into the air
again, but this time without the burden
The pursuing girl was filed with Joy. when
she beheld the bird rise without the child
But fearing he would return, as he seemed
inclined to do, she set up vigorous shouting
as she ran which attracted the hunters atten-
tion in that direction, who, seeing the eagle
quite near him, and lady running down the
slope with streaming hair aud garments, and
wildly shouting, concluded at once there was
something strange and, perhaps, dreadful in
his immediate vicinity, and he also set up
vigorous halloong, and proceeded to reload
his gun with much precipitation, forgetting to
20 after the game which he had just shot
The eaglcsoon became aware the formidable
opposition he would meet if he attempted to
recapture his prey, and thinking better of it,
he wheeled around aud swung himself in one
grand swoop across the river and disappeared
behind the shelving rock which forms the
opposite bank.