Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-07-04
WHY MIR. FRY WENT HOME.
He Secs a Partridge XIII n Blaeksnake
and Is Himself Attacked by Turtle.

He Sees a Partridge XIII n Blaeksnakt
. and h Himself Attacked by a Turtle,
J. 81. Fry, travelling salesman fol
New York house, has been stop
ping for a few days at a farmers in
Presten township, Wayne county,
Pa, across the Delaware river from
this place, says a Stockport, n. Y,
letter to The New York Sun While
trout fishing on Wednesday he heard
a commotion in the bushes near tine
creek, and cries such as are made by
young chickens when they are lost
He peered through the bushes, and
saw hen partridge and large black
snake engaged in a fierce combat.
Huddled together a short distance
away was the partridge's brood, peep.
ing in terror The partridge attacked
the snake with her beak and feet, and
struck also blows with her wings.
She moved with such rapidity about
the snake that, in spite Of the quick,
ness with which this reptile is enabled
to throw its folds about anything it at
tacks. the snake was foiled IN all its
attempts to encircle the bird, which
seemed to be seeking to blind the ser,
pent by striking at its eyes.
In its efforts to get the bird within
| its coil the snake seemed to glide over
and under her like a flash, but, nc
matter which course it took, the par,
fridge never failed to slip away from
it and deliver telling blow upon it.
Once the snake retreated several feel
as If flying from the bird, and the
latter followed it closely. Suddenly
the snake turned and rushed back at
the partridge''with its head raised more
than foot in the air. The bird dash
ed forward to meet the serpent, and
delivered blow with its beak which
struck the snake square in one OF Its
eyes. This was apparent to Fry, vino
stood within ten feet OF the contest
ants. by the snakes instantly drop
ping its head to the ground and roll
ing it from side to side as if in great
pain. The bird did not loose a second
in following up ker advantage. but
bounced on the snake close to Its
head. and, with strokes delivered with
surprising rapidity, inflicted wounds
with her beak which seemed to daze
the snake, and it glided first in one
direction and then in another, max
no further effort to defend itself, and
vet apparently unable to find a way
to escape. The partridge kept up Its
effective striking on the neck of the
snake until the head was almost sep
arated from the body and the reptile
ceased to move.
Fry advanced at this point in the
battle, but the bird continued to teal
at the flesh of the snake until he was
near enough to touch her, when she
became aware of his presence for the
first time. She retreated hurrledly
where her terror stricken brood were
huddled, and, calling them after her
with a few clucks, led them away IN
to the underbrush. Fry examined
the snake. and found that besides the
fatal wounds it had received IN 1t:
neck, both of its eyes had been pu
out by the partridge The snake wa:
nearly five feet in length, and had II
its stomach the partially digested re
mains of large rattlesnake.
The farmhouse where Fry is stop
ping is near Star pond, one of the 25C
mountain lakes of Wayne county. Or
Friday he rowed out to the middle Of
the pond to fish for pickerel. Sudden
ly he felt a strong tug at his line, and
shortly afterwards a large swapping
turtle came slowly to the surface by
the side of the boat. When the turtle
saw the fisherman it turned to dive
down again, and Fry grabbed 1t by
the tail. With great difficulty he
lifted it into the boat. His hook wa:
fastened in under the turtles fore
shoulder, it having accidentally hook
ed itslf. The turtle no sooner founc
itself a prisoner in the boat that Il
turned on Fry. Rising on all fours
it shot out its great head and advanc
ed with open jaws upon the fisher
man. He retreated to the bow of the
boat, and the turtle followed him
Fry then jumped over the turtle ane
ran to the stern. The turtle chased
him, and would not permit him t.
rest a second In any one spot, bu
kept him running and jumping from
one end of the boat to the other. Fry
had nothing to defend himself with
as the paddle with which the boa
was propelled he had used in aiding
him in getting the turtle into tn
boat, and he had thoughtlessly let i
lie in the water, and it had driftet
out of reach. Fry shouted Justify fol
help. The wife of the farmer will
whom he was stopping was the only
one at home, and she heard his erie
and put out in a fiat bottomed boa
to his rescue.
By the time she reached his boa
hers had several inches of water in it
and it was entirely cut of the question
for it to be used in safety to carr,
them to the shore. Fry's boat wa
anchored by large stone tied to tn
end of long rope. The farmer
wife jumped into his boat and bega1
pulling up the anchor with tn
intention of dropping it on the turtle
Before the anchor reached the surface
it slipped from the moose in the rop'
and sank to the bottom. The turtle
had kept up its chase of Fry, but OF
seeing the woman in the boat turned
his attention to her As it approached
her she struck it with the rope. l
caught the rope in its mouth, and as
swapping turtle never releases its hole
on anything it seizes in its mouth
even if the head is severed from thu
body, the farmers wife wound thu
rope taut about the post in the bow
and the turtle was secured. The boa
was padded ashore, and the turtle
dragged out on the land by the rope
Its head was soon atterward chopped
from its body with an AK.
Last evening Fry took train a.
this station for New York. lie car
ried the head of the turtle by piec'
of the rope, which was still held II
the mouth. The head had been sep
arated from the body over thirty hours
but was still alive, the eyes rolling
and glaring fiercely whenever ANYONE
approached it. The turtle was thu
largest one ever seen in the region, it
weight being forty seven pounds, tn
head alone weighing nearly ten.