Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1884-11-15
A FIGHT WITH AN EAGLE.


Lewis Williams, who lives in an
isolated spot in the Preston noun
tains, q few miles from Stockport,
Pa, having set q trap to capture a
fox, which he had reason to believe
was carrying away his chickens,
went out Wednesday morning to
look at, and found it gone. The
trap had been chained to a small
stake in the ground, aud this had
been pulled up, and was missing
with the trap aud chain. On his
way home from search for the ami
NAL, Mr.. Williams saw a flock of
crows in piece of woods quarter
Of mile or so from his house. They
were cawing furiously and circling
around above the tree tops in one
particular spot. Mr.. Williams pro.
ceeded thither and had Just entered
the edge of the woods when he heard
the rafting Off chain; aud slmulta
neously an enormous bird strut
ted out from behind tree, dragging
the missing trap, chain and stake.
The jaws of the trap were fastened
to one leg of the bird, which was a
I
bald eagle of the largest size.
The eagle few from the ground
and was rising with difficulty to-
wards the top OF tall dead tree.
Williams fired at it, manning one of
its wings, and it fell to the ground.
Thinking to capture the bird alive.
Williams approached it, but in spite
of Its crippled wing and the burden
of the trap on its leg, the bird few
at him aud attacked him with such
fury that he turned and fed from
the woods.
Hurrying back home, Williams,
without saying anything to others,
procured stout rope and a large
feed,bag. On his way back to the
woods he noticed that the crows,
which had attactcd his attention to
the spot in the first place, were how.
ering over the place where he had
left the eagle, and from their pecu.
liar cries and frantic actions he in
ferred that something unusual 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 swoopcd down
on the eagle attacked it in its Grip
pied condition. This attack had
been disastrous to the crows, for
when Williams again reached the
spot many lay dead near the enraged
eagle, and several others were drag
ging themselves away out of reach.
uttering the sharp, cultural cry
which they only utter when wounded
OF in trouble.
The eagle no sooner saw Williams
approaching again than it rushed
at him. Williams had made moose
in one end of the rope be 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, endeayor-
ing to secure the mouth of the bag
around it's legs, the eagle suddenly
sprang against him, and striking
him in the stomach with its one
free talon, with one fierce downward
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,
supposing that he was terribly injur-
ed. Two men who we're thrashing
buckwheat for him were then inform
ed of the presence ofthe eagle in the
woods, and they went to the spot
and succeeded 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 ia the wild and rocky
elevations in that region.