The Tombstone., 1885-05-30
R" EXC RED HDOSTEH C5' U.iSEOE !-iLLEI.
venty-one Rat S!iHS as Trophic~ or t!!c P:.,chy
 Birds P3'0Wc~>
Dll Sno.tor'S" Nicrory-A sFa' lnr" SaUeI~ Account T ofIijs ENp,oits


 vhl" G,ivjn. past .aris Ssu~rs barn nenr Fran&iown closer biz lor ot 1at skins nailed on the si6c of i. and ~'o. pin, 10 count them found they numtcrei twenty-one The r.,, of the a.o". j. gjy- en in h,s own rccnrd-:
 -'Ha!Io," I shau;-d tn S,rcr, ..ho v:ns at work near tine nar"; "whs,e dia -on get all these ra,-s&in>:'
 ..Them's Sa9ltcr's scalps," sgid he
 "Oh, Shorter iS your do,. ch:"
 No, he amt; Suor;ys's my boss roos fer
 < -yon don't mean to say that you've so; . rccstrr thnt Kills ra:s:" >ail.
 .Thcms his skins. replied Snrer; "ho ksiled every r.t that u.-i to live inside lo them reIi'.'
 as I wanted to sec tha. hirA. so I asl;'a {he ranchcr if he woul show hir to nc. lie said y"-, and jun ped oui of tie buck boar! and went with i;m. He 3ook me around to the other side of ile ban nnl pointed ou; big red oack t,.at 1ooke.l hrlliSerently at u>. H. was ar- round,d by a Int of aim.ring hens ..ui eeemcd strong enough 70 get 2way with a cnyote.
 .s "Dunno wLat lis pedigree is. ' bought an n.d hen ta:cc years ago with u aroad of chickens The Shorter was ane of Them, ana there he is. Dunno how manz nor r4ts he, Killed besides '! em twcu- tS one ,ha; skinned, for ], iS only year n.n tha;I i,uad out tina, !!c was q rq;tcr. was passing hy ,he yard one day .yhcn Fl heard 9 great cacli'iFI a"d tae loud sqValing nt rat that na> ~ .'cn.'y ia trouble. I looked ant SAW tine uir ruos- ter ,uggins away q. rats tai! tl.Ht he had ciugh; with his l;.J a5 thc rat .Tas skipping into hls hole undr. the barn. After two or three ,riis o::t comes Nr. } Rat, apd quicker than win,; the roos;c. swung hiaI over h.s back and S.apped him with all h:s nrght a-aiEs; that Ii" stone a; the end 0: ;!.e barn. After whack;ng him three times he chuckci inc raj away, and there. wasn't DO more life or backbone le:, in that ra,'n there is in We, dish rng. Since then We have Iound twenty more big ratS dead n the yari. Every ums we'd tind one we'd find fresh spatrc:ing of blood on the big stone, and that's the way VIC !:Eev tha, Shorter hsd kii-d il so We rl;: their skins an the barn a= fast as we get them ani they are kuoTl al oyer iLe valley as Snortrr's 1@a!ls."
 Ol looking again 1t the rooster sGw that there was A big patch of feathers missing from his back and ina, they wele a'"p pretty wei th!nncd out on h.s neck a:i one w;ng-
 "8,s cLicken hawk," aliI Sace. in -e- ply 70 a question: That was the ra,tIin; est s:rgp thu ever SC. I: ha?pcgel oaly ls.t week. One oi the biggest olJ hawks tna: ever s,w WIS hal l.ilg aj,ut herr. sIiiiEs aroGni m ,s; ot Iae time with his eye OF Gy barny.rl. Ole diy stood over in ihe: field there, when all of a sudden ' SAW something dropping like big stone oct "flhe sky right into the blrnyard. n [. second kli~w shat 1t was that old chicken thief, and l start cd on the run for the yarl. When | got there the darndest hu "baloo ever heard Was going CD among the chickens. There was Shorter wil!. hIs jtws fastened on iha; hawks neck, and just g lifting him in the ar and sw.,,in hiu. down on ,ha, rock wonder, like an o.d wo.aan hack ing inc dust ont of a do"r m2t. jIst stood back aGd watched the lsi.. That hawk war t far from being as large cs tine rooster, and Shorter found out that he hadn't tackled no durned squcaling T.t. s!asked " ith his claws until the rooster 5 feathers flew around 'ha; yard lIke dead leaves in n gale. Egt Snor;c.' lad lis iron jaw grip on inc hawks guilet, ard after ten nina e oI so The chicken stcaier s0rter let go all. holts, and ther the roos- ter soon pounded the life o.t Of him. I'm having the hawk stuffed and th:,, J be ascalp worth showing.
 "Old Shorter" added ,he farmer, "will have no fighting going on aaound hi. premises Ina: he don't co himself Some :'mes some of the young dude rooste.y