Sierra County advocate., 1885-06-13
1 Sullivan County Rooster.
The New York Travelling Man Gets Its
Record and Comes Home Amazed.

The New York Travelling Man Gets Its
Record and Comes Home Amazed.
al was making trip through
Sullivan county last week." said
John Gilbert, the travelling man
land, driving by a l,arn on farm
near Sackett Pond, l saw a lot Of
big rat skins nailed or the aide Of
it. / stopped and counted 'em.
There were 2l.
"'Hallo ! shouted to the farm
er, who was at work near the barn.
What do you do with those rat
skins p
'Nothin," said he them's Snort
er's scalps.
"Oh 7 'Snorter's your dog ?
".No, he amt replied the farm
er. 'Snorter's my boss rooster
You don't mean to say that
you've got a chicken that kills
rats P l said.
"rrhem's his skins said the
farmer.
well, it there was any rat-kill-
ing rooster in the country l wanted
to see 1t, so / asked the farmer If l
could, and l jumped out Of my
wagon and went with him. He
took me around to another barn
yard ana pointed out the rooster
among flock Of hens and other
roosters. The ratter was 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 his 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. l dunno how many more
rats he's killed than them twsn-
|ty-One on the barn. for it's only a
year ago that l found out that be
vas a ratter. I was walkin' along
by the yard here one day, when l
heard great cacklin' 'mongst the
chickens, and the loud squealin' of
a rat that there wasn't no doubt
was in trouble. / looked an see
that big rooster was tuggin' away
like mad at rats tail, which he
had ketched as the rat was skip
pin into a hole under the barn.
After two or three steady jerks out
come Mr.. Rat, an quicker than !
can tell ye, the rooster swings it up
over lis head and slapped it with
all his might agin' that big stone
by the side O the barn. He whack-
cd it three times an then chucked
the rat away. There want no more
life nor backbone left in it than
there is in wet dish rag. Since
then we've found twenty more big
lats in the yard. Every time we
found one we'd find fresh spatterin'
O blood on the big stone and 80
we knowed that Shorter had done
it. SO we nailed their skins ON the
barn as we got 'em an they're
known all over the country as
scalps.'
II noticed that there was a big
patch of feather missing from the
back, and that they were
pretty well thinned out on his neck
and one wing. ! asked the farmer
what had caused the damage.
Big chicken hawk" said the
farmer. That Was the incest lit
sle tussel / ever zee. Last week |
,ne of the biggest hawks that ever
ieved was hangin' round mere,
,ailin' about most o. the time with |
ais eve ON my bsrnyard.
One day / stood over in the field |
hare. when all o suddent 1 see
,umpin' drappin' down out o the
ky like big stone square in the
direction of the barnyard. When
got there the all-fredest hullaba- |,
90 was goin' on among the chick
ms that / ever listened to, and
here was the Shorter with his
Avs fastened on that hawks neck,
md Just liftin' him in the air and
wattin' him down on that rock
,onder, like my old woman might
a