The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-07-09
A FIGHTING ROOSTER.
The New York Travelling Man Gets His
Record and Goes Home Amazed.

Record and Goes Home Amazed.
II was making trip through sulli-
van county last week." said John Gil
bert, the travelling man, and, driving
by barn on farm near Sackett pond.
I saw lot of big rat skins nailed on
the side of it. Istopped and counted
'em. There were 81.
:" .Hello?' I shouted to the farmer,
who was at work near the barn. What
do you do with these rat skins?'
g :Nothin',' said he, 'Them's Snort
er's scalps.'
6 'Oh!' said. .Snorter's your doga'
No, he amt replied the farmer.
'Snorter's my boss rooster.
You don't mean to say you've got
a chicken that kills rats?' | said.
" EThem's his SKINS said the farmer.
'.Well, if there was rat-killing
rooster in the country wanted to see
it, so asked the farmer if he would
show him to me. He said he would.
and jumped out of my wagon and
went with him. He took me around to
another barnyard aud pointed out the
rooster among a flock of hens and 9th
er roosters. The ratter was a big red
rooster. standing at least two feet high,
and looking as if he might be strong
enough to get away with fox.
:" Dunno what is pedigree is,' said
the farmer. I bought an old hen three
years ago, with brood of three-weeks
old chickens. The Shorter was one of
'em, and there he is. / dunno how
many more rats he's killed than them
twenty-one ON the barn. for it's only q
year ago that found out that he was
!. ratter. was walkin' along by the
yard here one day, when heard a great
eacklin' 'mongst the chickens, and the
loud squealin' of rat that there wasn't
no doubt was in trouble. l looked. an
see that the big rooster was tuggin'
away like mad at rats tail, which he
had ketched as the rat was skippin' in
to hole under the barn. After two or
three steady jerks, out come MIR. Rat,
an quicker than | kin tell ye, the roos-
ter swung it up over his head and
slapped it with all his might agin' that
big stone by the side O the barn. He
whacked it three times. an then chuck
ed the rat away. There wasn't no more
| life nor backbone left in it than there
| is in a wet dish-rag. Since then we We
found twenty more big rats in the yard.
| Every time we found one we'd find q
fresh spatterin' O. blood ON the big
| stone, and so we know'd that Shorter
| had done it. So we nailed their skins
| ON the barn as We got en-, an they re
known all over the country as Shorter :
| scalps.'
II noticed that there was big patch
/ of feathers missing from the rooster S
back, and that they we're pretty well
| thinned out on his neck and one wing.
/ asked the farmer what had caused
the damage.
Big chicken hawk said the farm
er. That was the incest little tussle
| ever see. Last week one of the biggest
! hawks that ever lived was hangin'
round here, sailin' about most o the
time with his eye on my barnyard. One
| day | stood over in that field there,
| when all of student / see sumthin
| droppin' down out o. the sky like big
stone square in the direction of the
BARNARD. In a second / know'd il
was that old hawk, and started on .
run for the yard. When got there
the all-firedest hullabaloo was goin' on
among the chickens that | ever listen
ell to, and there was Shorter with his
Jaws fastened on the hawks neck, anC
iist liftin' him in the air and swattin
him down on that rock yonder, like my
old woman might whack the dust out q
a door mat That hawk wa mt fur from
bein' as big as the rooster, and the
Shorter found out that he hadn't tack
led no durn squeakin' rat. The hawk
thrashed his wings about, and claweC
with his toes till the ROSTERS feather:
flew around that yard like dead leaves
| lo p,,4 hah ha n
that iron Jaw O. his on the hawks gull
let. and after ten minutes or SO thu
chicken-stealer's calorc give out, and
then the rooster soon pounded the life
OUT n him. I'm hayin' the hawk skin
stuffed. and that'l II be q scalp worth
showin'.
old Shorter won't have no fight
in goin' on round his premises tina
he don't do hisself. Sometimes som.
O. the young roosters tries to settle
some grudge by little sparrin' mattel
'twixt themselves. but if the old boss i;
around he breaks that fight up. HI
just slides over to where the young fel
lows is whackin' away at one another
and swats one this way, and t'othel
one that way. and jaws and swears al
'em as good as if he spoke English
The other day he broke up fight, bu
he hadn't no sooner walked away wher
the two youngsters was at ag'in, tooth
and spur. Then Shorter walked over
and ketched one o. the roosters by the
back o. the neck and carried him ou
o the yard. flynn on the fence with
him and droppin' him on t'other side
He KEEP that rooster outside all day
and the next day everything was a:
peaceable as a Sunday-school picnic.
g He's queer old cuss about family
matters, too When hen matches out
her brood she's got to pass the whole
lot of 'em right over into Shorter 5
charge, and he looks after 'em like I
mother. This rather breaks the hen;
all up, and so we have to take all the
old hens with chickens and put 'en
away by themselves. That rooster
hain't got his match ON the American
continent said the farmer, and the
man that can buy him don't live
"A great many curious things hap.
pen up in Sullivan county," concluded
John Gilbert. according to the ma
+ tiVes. ."-NeaO York San.
|