Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1885-01-10
A FIGHT WITH AN EAGLE.
kEWIS WILLIAMS'S EXPERIENCE
WITH THE BIRD IN THE NOUN
TAINS.
10 Sets n Tran to Catch n Fox bur the
Eagle Carries Ii With the
Crows.

Lewis Williams, who lives IN an
isolated spot on the Preston Mountains,
Pennsylvania, having set a trap to cap
ture a fox which he had reason to
believe was carrying away his chickens,
went out to look at it, and found II gone.
The trap had been chained to a small
stake in the ground, and this mad been
pulled up and was missing with the trap
and chain. Surprising that the fox had
been caught in the trap and had escaped
with it, Williams hunted about IN the
woods for some trace Of it, but could fnd
none. As he was returning home he
heard a sudden and great commotlon
among a flock of crows IN q piece Of
woods a quarter Of a mile or SO from his
house. The rows were cawing furlously
and were c~ircllng around above the tree
tops in one particular spet, aud occa-
s~ionally darted about through the trees.
Williams walked over toward The woods,
and M he approached the crows in
creased their hubbub. When he arrived
within gunshot they withdrew toa more
distant part Of the woods but kept up
their noise. Williams had just entered
the edge Of the woods when he heard the
rafting Of a chain, and simultaneously q
very large bird strutted 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 a bald eagle Of the largest
Size. The eagle flew from the ground
and was rising with difficulty toward tie
top Of q tall dead tree, when Williams
fred at it. The charge took effect in
one of the eagles wings and it fell to
the ground. Thinking to capture the
eagle alive, Williams approached It, bnt,
in spite Of its crippled wing and the
burden Of the trap on lts leg, the bird
flew at him and attacked him with such
fury that he turned and fled from the
woods. Hurrying back home, Williams,
without saying anything to others, pro-,
cured a stout rope and a large feed bag.
On his way back to the woods he noticed
that the crows which had attracted his
attention TO the spot in thb first place
were lowering over the place where
he had left the eagle, and from their
peculiar cry and frantic actions he
inferred that something unusual had
occurred during his absence. The crows,
T.. -, Hlo ,uo,,JorF,1 ,.4;,ok IL
possess that the eagle was wounded, and
hating as they do all large birds, had
swooped down On the eagle and attacked
it in it's crippled condition, This attack
had been disastrous to the crows, for
when Williams again reached the spot
three lay dead near the enraged eagle
and several others were dragging them
selves away out of its reach, utterlng
the sharp, g%utteral cry which they only
utter when wounded or in trouble.
The eagle no soouer saw Williams ap-
preaching than it rushed at him with
all the force at its command, hampered
and crippled MS it was, and forced the
fighting at once. Williams ia: made a
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 its
wings, but it pulled the rope taut in its
efforts to get ut its enemy. As it stood
thus straining at the rope Williams sue
ceeled in slipping the bag down over
its head. He then clasped the bird
around the body. Although o blinded
and crippled and pinionel and doubly
crippled, the eagle WAS still uncorquered.
As Williams stood with his arms around
the great body oE the bird, cndravorine
TO secure the mouth Of the bag around
Its legs, the eagle suddenly sprane
against him and striking him in the
stomach With one free talon, with one
fierce downward stroke ripped his cloth
ing from him and tore the skin from the
flesh in n long strip clear 10 the waist
Williams quickly released the bird, ant
made haste TO reach his house, suppos
ing that he was terribly injured. Tw
men who were thrnshing buckwheat 70
hlm were then informed Of the presenc
ot the eagle III the woods, and they Wen
10 the spot and succeeded III ovc1power
II. 1t was brought TO WillIams's an
tied TO a post in the barn. the trap bein
removed from its leg. The eagle meas
ares eight feet from tip to tip OF il
wings, and stands nearly four feet higl
These birds still nest in the wild All
rocky elevations IN tha. region, where
is barely possible for human beings I
gain access. They frequently visit tn
sheep pastures of the farm neighbol
hoods and the poulry yards. l. defend
ing her chickens against one Of the 10.
.marauders one day last summer. not fl
from the Williams farm. Mrs. Jane t
han was compelled to fight il for NEAR
IN hour, during winch time II tore Ia
clothing from her and lacerated liz
flesh terribly with its beak AMI talon
She finally killed it with a fence rail.
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