The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1876-09-09
Devoured by an Alligator.
HORRIBLE FATE OF HINDoo GIRL.

There lived in Calcutta a lovely girl
of sevente en-, who was engaged to man
she was much attached to; her father,
however, did not approve of the match,
and was anxious that she should marry
another man, who had proposed to her
some time before. This second lover,
backed up by the father, was most per-
sistent in his attentions, and ultimately
hoped to win the girl, who, on her part,
disliked him intensely, and declared she
would marry the man she was engaged
to, and no one else. All of sudden
the girl disappeared, and, though every
search was made, no intelligence could
be gained of her, nor was there any APP
parent reason for her mysterious alb
sence. Suspicion fell on both her low
ers, especially on the one whose suit she
had rejected, for it was we'll known he
was highly incensed against her for her
Indifference toward him. They were
both arrested and imprisoned, albeit
they both declared their innocence, and
also their sorrow and establishment Mt
her disappearance. 1t was ascertained
that she was last seen alive going to the
tank with her pitcher to draw water,
and that she had never been seen since.
On this it was decided to have the tank
dragged, which was accordingly done.
The first time they found nothing; how
ever, they tried again. On this occasion
they felt something very heavy in the
net. Presently they saw the huge head
of an alligator, and soon after heard n
tremendous splash. which broke the
net and allowed the animal to escape.
They Immediately commenced making
another net of extra strength, and one
not likely to be broken by the alligator.
When it was finished they dragged the
tank, and this time they did so most
thoroughly, but to their amazement
nothing of the alligator was seen.
"Where can it be-" they exclaimed;
surely, we were not deceived; we all
saw it; and yet if it was in that tank we
must have caught it," Some of them
proposed that they should drag the tank
from the opposite side. This they did,
and their efforts were crowned with sue
cess, for they captured the alligator and
brought him safe to land. He was of
monstrous size. and n most ferocious
monster. Inside of him they found no
end of gold and silver buckles and ma
tive ornaments; some of them were rec
ognized by the bereaved father rs be-
longing to his poor daughter, for they
were the same as she wore on the even
ing she was last seen walking toward the
tank. The grief of her friends on this
terrible discovery can be better imag-
ined than described. She must have
put down her pitcher into the water,
quite unconscious of danger, when she
was seized by the monster and in mo-
ment dragged down. Not soul knew
the existence of the alligator in the tank.
It was the only one there, and had a
habit OF hiding under the shelving of
rock on one side of the tank. This &C.
counts for its not being captured when
the tank was dragged on so many occa-
sions. How this monster got into that
tank, and where it came from, is ques-
ton for naturalists alone to answer I
have heard, though l cannot vouch for
the truth, that alligators have been
known to travel great distances at night.
This animal must have walked straight
through the populous city of Calcutta
to the tank unobserved. Cclcutu Sport
ing Mlgozime.