The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-10-22
killing Aliigators.

K. u. Mcfarland. Charlestown, watch
maker. laid down his instruments,
pushed his eyeglasses up on his fore
head, and: Talk about cunning, |
tell you it's lively sport to shoot alli-
gators. They're saucy critters. and
dangerous ones, too. a number of
years ago l was in Jacksonville. Fla,
on board the schooner Carrie Walker.
my brother, John Mcfarland, being
captain of the craft We were hauled
up at Scott's saw-mil, loading with
lumber. Old Scott, as we used to call
him, could swear the bark off a south
ern pine tree. There were two alliga-
tors under the mill, and we wanted to
shoot them. Old Scott swore we
shouldn't; for, said ne, they've been
under my mill for several years. and
they're my petsn One morning ne
gro boy, whose father worked in the
mill, was fishing from the wharf, when
one of the alligators caught him by the
leg and pulled him under the water.
That was the last of the boy. Some
one told Scott about 1t, but he wouldn't
have the alligators hurt. The next
day Scott's nephew, a young boy whom
the old man dearly loved, was fishing
from the same wharf when he was
caught by one of the alligators and de-
voured. When Scott heard of the fate
of his nephew he was beside himself
with rage. Rushing into the mill he
shouted: Every man stop work and
go and kill them alligators under the
mill. Not stick of timber will be
sawed here till them cussed critters are
dead. I'll pay every man just the
same as though the mill was running.
Them cussed alligators have eat my
boyr
Every man quit work, and, armed
with sticks, axes, shot-guns, and pis-
tok, began war on the alligators. On
the third day the crocodiles were kill
ed. On opening them only few small
pieces of cloth and several buttons
were found. The death of the boy was
q hard blow to Scott, and he never
could forget the sad affair Alligators
are very tricky. For instance q flock
of geese will alight on river, and
soon you will observe an alligator some
distance OFF, stick his nose out of water
and look about him. The next time
YOU see him his head is poked up among
the geese. They can measure distance
to dot.
Il was on board schooner on the
Mississippi one time, when | noticed a
man and woman in a small boat cross
ing the river. | also observed an alli-
gator push his nose out OF water. The
man III the boat saw the crocodile, too,
for he began to increase the number of
strokes with his oars. Again the alli-
gator came to the surface. He was
nearer the boat than when first seen.
The man increased his speed. When
the alligator showed himself again he
had shortened the distance between
himself and the boat. The man now
excrted himself for all he was worth,
for it was race OF life and death. For
tunately the shore was near. The boat
touched land at last, but as it did the
man and woman got up and ran. The
latter had not lett the boat when the
aLligator's nose appeared over the
stern, and a coat, upon which the wo-
man had been sitting, was lifted from
the seat and with the crocodile disap-
peared beneath the surface of the wa
ter. Had the man been half a minute
later in reaching the shore the woman
would have lost her life.
''Alligators when wounded while in
the water viii take to tho land. You
have got to know how to shoot them.
l always fired into the mouth. Stand
IN front OF the critters, for their tails
are powerful, and with them they can
fell an OK or horse. The hides of
these alligators are exceedingly tough"