The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-02-01
Terrific Encounter.

For an island twelve miles long and two
wide. and inhabited by some seven hum
drcd people, Roanoke Island, Virginia, has
been US loud spot as any of the same num-
Der OF square inches on the globe. 1t has
been full of sensation from the Jump; and
from the birthday of Virginia Dare, in 1886,
to the bully fight on the 3D. of December,
Ill which birds, beasts and women bore
hand, a period near unto three hundred
years, it has seldom been without an eve
opener in the shape OF q sensation. 1t has
been the scene of bloody fights between
hostile Indian tribes, and between
civilized armies in hostile array Savage
and civilized relics of remote ages and mod
ern convulsions are hidden beneath, or
wave washed upon the surface of its gol-
den sands. Indian forts and cairns and
tumuli attest its hoary history. Abel's pet
dog that sings in church meetings and the
canary that praises itself in parrot English
attest the attainments of Its beasts and birds
i'll polite accomplishments. Lewis Mann's
sixty alligators, hatched and reared in u
potato house, attest the fecundity of It's
soil-or the fecundity of Lewis imagina-
ton Two miles from the shore, at the
point at the gateway to Oregon, lie luscious
bivalvcs. Wild fowl of every name feed
apon its grasses. Its men arc the best spec
linens OF manhood; its women of feminine
lovcliness.
But to our tale.
On the Sd of December, at Roanoke ls-
land, soaring eagle, towering in its pride
of might, turned his proud eyes from gaz-
ing At the sun upon the quiet yard OF Wal
ter Dough. A flock Of fat geese invited
his eye and tempted his tnste. The glance
was father to the thought, and down he
pounccd, The feathers flew, the geese
squawkcd, and there was a sensation in the
farm yard, and there was dog there, too.
goose Is put down as fool, but it Is a
vulgar error. A goose is a particularly
smart fellow. And 80 was the one the
eagle slrack in Walter Dough's yard. AS
soon as struck, the goose ran under the
house (Which was some feet above the
ground) with the eagle fastened to her back,
and the rest Of the flock in hot pursuit.
And there the fight grew fast and furious
Forty biting and Hopping geese on one side
and the king of birds Oh the other. Al
though ontnumbcred, the eagle maintained
the fight and clung to his victim.
But soon another enemy presented him
of geesc-a bullterrier dog-little, but full
VA "fie' ~ W"oh Aoii1 Ahu oiiC uOE llh(l
no natural, belligercnt rights IN combat
between birds, but he came with bound
and the eagle had no time to settle ques-
tions of military ethics; SO he threw him.
self on hs back (eagle fashion) to do his
best in this hard fight between tooth and
toenaIl. The dog mala II lunge at the
englc's breast, and the eagle struck Ills claws
dccD into the dogs fore-shoulder.
The blow was simultaneous on either
sidc Both blows told. But terrier never,
and an eagle haldly ever says die. The
only witnesses of the dread combat were
the geese, who now stood off and looked
on, and Miss Martha Brothers, who was
singing to her spinning jenny in tho house
alone when tho fight began, and WHO III the
end was to be the conquoring hero, CROWN
ell with tho laurels of victory. The battle
ragged. Teeth gnashed, claws STAYED, eyes
flashed. But eagles, like men, Contend
against odds when fighting against fate,
and so this eagles great heart sank within
him, and turning tail upon his foe, he
sought safely IN flight. But his retreat
was slow and full of difficulty for lie had
fifteen pounds of bull.terrier swinging be-
hind him. He reached the yard fence.
With one desperate effort he sought to seal,