The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-11-21
"A Fight With an Eagle.

Lewis Williams, who lives in an iso-
lated spot in the Preston mountains,
few miles from Stockport, Pa, having
set n trap to capture fox, which hc
had reason to believe was carrying
away his chickens, went out one morn
ing TO look at it, and found 1t gone.
The trap had been chained to small
stake in the ground, and this had been
pulled up aud was missing with the
trap and chain Ga his way home
from q search for the animal, Mr.. Will
liams saw flock of crows in q piece
Of woods a quarter of mile or so from
his house. They were cawing furious
ly and circling around above the tree
tops in one particular spot. MIR. Will
liams proceeded thither and had just
entered the edge of the woods when he
heard the rafting of chain and
simultaneously an enormous bird strut
ted out from behind a tree, dragging
the missing trap, chain and stake. The
Jaws of the trap were fastened to one
leg of the bird. which was bald eagle
of the largest size.
The eagle flew from the ground and
was rising with difficulty toward the
top of tall dead tree. Williams fred
at it, manning one of its wings, and 1t
fell to the ground. Thinking to cap
ture the bird alive, Williams approach
ed it, but in spite of its crippled wing
and the burden of the trap on its leg,
the bird flew at him and attacked him
with such fury that he turned and
fed from the woods.
Hurrying back home, Williams,
without saying anything to others, pro
cured stout rope and large feed
bag. On his way back to the woods
he noticed that the crowds, which had
attracted his attention to the spot IN
the first place, were lowering over ne
place where he had left the eagle, and
from their peculiar cries and frantic
actions he inferred that something TN.
usual had occurred during his absence.
The crows, knowing by the wonderful
instinct they possess that the eagle
was wounded, and hating as they do
all large birds, had swooped down on
the eagle and attacked it in its crippled
condition The attack had been disSs.
trous TO the crows, for when Williams
again reached the spot there lay dead
near the enraged eagle, and several
others were dragging themselves away
out of its reach, uttering the sharp, gjt-
tural cry which they only utter when
wounded or in trouble.
The eagle no sooner saw Williams
oI Of
him. Williams had made moose in
one end of the rope he carried, and
when the eagle flew at him he waited
until it was almost upon him, and then
quickly threw the moose over the birds
head and it slipped down around the
wings. He then threw the bag over
the bird. As Williams stood with his
arms around the great body of the
bird, endeavoring to secure the mouth
of the bag around its legs, the eagle
suddenly sprang against him, and
striking him in the stomach with its
one fore talon, with ole fierce down
ward stroke, ripped the clothing from
him, and tore the skin from the
flesh in long strip clear to the
waist.
Williams quickly released the bird,
and made haste to reach his house, sup
posing that he was terribly injured.
Two men who were thrashing buck
wheat for him were then informed of
the presence of the eagle in the woods,
and they went to the spot and succeed
ed in overpowering it. The eagle will
measure at least eight feet from tip to
tip of its wings, and stands nearly four
feet high. These birds still nest in the
wild and rocky elevations in that re-
uipn