The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-11-02
A FIGHT FOR LIFE WITH RATS

rocky crevices and cavcrnous passages n,
the summit of Pixies Peak, in Colorado
have recently become formidable and dan
Seious. These animals are known to feeC
upon saccharine gum that percolate.
through the p res of the rocks. apprentl,
upheayed by that volcanic action which, al
irregular intervals Of teS days gives tc
the nfodntdin crest that vibratory motion
which has been detected by the Instruments
used in the office of the United States sig.
nal station. Since the establishment of the
government signal station on tho summit of
the Peak, at an altitude of nearly $4,000
feet, these animals have acquired voracious
appetite for raw and uncouked meat, tho
scent of which seems to impart To them !,
ierocity rlvallng the starved Siberian wolf.
The most singular trait in the character of
these. animals is, they are never to be seen
in the daytime When the moon pours
down her quocnly light upon the summit
they may be seen in countless numbers,
hopping around among the rocky bouldcrs
that crown this barren waste and during
the warm summer months they may be seen
swimming and sporting in the waters of the
lake, short distance. below the crest of tbs.
trail in the water exhibits glowing, spark
ling light, giving to the waters Of the lake
flckerins silvery appearance. A few days
since Mr. John L. OKcct, one of the gov
ernnicnt operators at the signal station, re
armed to his post from Colorado Springs,
taking with him quarter Of beef 1t being
late in the afternoon, lis colleague Mr..
Hobbs, Immediately left with the pack ami.
NAL for the Springs. Soon after dark,
while MIR. O'kcet was engaged in the office
forwarding night dispatches to Washington,
he was startled by loud scream from Mrs
OKeef, who had retired for the night in an
adjoining bedroom, and who came rushing
into the office screaming, The rats the
rats y Mr.. O'Keef, with great presence OF
mind, immediately girdled his wife with
scroll of zinc plating, such as had been used
in xoeiess-. L- =: r:.jonssNhioh4pxsrs..4.a-a--
sus.'~sfrom clilhping upun ner person;
and, although bis own person was almost
literally covered with them, he succeeded
in incasing his legs each iu joint Of stove
pipe, when he commenced fierce and dcs-
perate struggle for the preservation of his
life, with heavy war-cluh preserved at the
station, among other Indian relies captured
at the battle of Sand Greek Notwthstand.
ing hundreds were destroyed on every side.
still they seemed to pour with increasing
numbers from the bcdr 'om, the door Of
which had been left open. The entire quar-
ter Of beef was eaten in less than iive min
utes, which seemed only to sharpen their
appelitcs for IN attack upon Mr.. O'kecf,
whose hands. face and neck were terribly
laceratcd. In the midst of the warfare
Mrs O'Kccf managed to reach coil of
electric-,wir hanging near the battery; and,
being a. mountain girl familiar with the
throwing of the lariat, she hurled it through
thc:air, causing it to encirclc her husband
and spring out from its looscncd fastenings,
making innumcrable spiral ways, along
which she poured the electric fluid from the
heavily charged battery. In an instant the
room was all abazc with electric light, and
whenever the rats came in contact with the
wire they were hurled to an almost instant
death. The appearance Of daylight, made
such by the coruscatioh of the heavily char
ged WIRE, caused them to take refuge among
the crcviccs and cavcrns of the mountain,
by way Of the bedroom window, through
which they had forced their way. But the
saddcst part Of this night attack upon the
Peak is the destroying Of their infant child
which Mrs. O'Keef thought she had made
secure by heavy covering of bed clothing
but the rats had found their way to the in.
fant (only two months DID, and had left
nothing of it but the peeled and mumblcd
| skull. Drs Thorn and Anderson thought
at first that the left arm Of Sergeant o eel
would have to be amputated, but succeeded
in saving it,
| DIDN'T WANT HIS HAIR CUT.-The