The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-12
THE INDIAN MAN EATER.
A Tiger of the Dangerous Scrt De-
scribed by Carter Harrison.
From the Chicago Mail.

70 he disappearing as rapidly as might be
ovrected under English dominion in India,
ond many thousands of people are annually
-,,oda victims. The tigers even lurk along
The highways and deyour the native post
won OF how the dangerous beasts are
sometimes destroyed is told in the following
oocount bv a late writer, the article having
. +in1eIv interest from the illusions made In
the ex- Mayors letter:
while sitting in the little depot at Jooa
ora afternoon, in conversation with the sta
ION agent. Freight No. 10, from Madras,
came in on to the siding opposite to wait for
the Bombay express to pass. Attached to
the long train of rice cars were several
fats. some with ''daks" on them, others
With palanqulns, and on the hindermost a
very odd-looking object which at once at
+racted our attention-the more that there
seemed to be a man inside of it.
"What have you got on that rear car,
Fales?" my friend, the agent, called out to
the conductor of the freight.
you've got me now" replied the official
with a laugh. That's a nondescript No
name on it. Billed to Yuloodian. Walk
up and see for yourselves, gentlemen. That is
the shipper inside; name, Geeter, Zoom
Joogr. by trade a tiger killer. But you
won't find him laxative"
The ''nondescript'' was a round cage-llke
structure some ~ feet in diameter by 6 orr
in height. The bottom was of black tim
her. and the fat top of the same, but not
unite so massive, while the sides were of
thick. straight, brown bamboo rods or bars,
set upright like stanchions in the black bed
pieces, with PAGES betwiXt them or inches
wide. In short, it was heavy round cage,
made years and years ago, and of curious
workmanship.
But the old native inside it was a still
greater curiosity. He was arrayed in a
dirty blue cotton frock and drawers or
trousers of the same stuff. His feet were
bare-such feet They were shrunken,
bony and of such shiny, wine-brown hue
as to give one the idea that they had been
calcned over slow fire. The man was
bareheaded, too, and what is not common
among Hindoos, his hair, thin and in part
gray, was braided in cue down his back.
The tightness of the skin across his brows
gave to his countenance a strangely mum
mifed expression, hardly relieved by the
deep, dull black eyes and coarse, thin eye
brows, while the lower part of his face was
curiously marked with still coarser, GRIN
kled hairs, too scattering to be termed a
beard.
His general complexion was like an old
withered walnut. From the elbow down his
arms were bare, and they seemed more
parcels of bone and sinew bound tightly I'D
claws, terminated in nails an inch or mere
long. Indeed, in matter of personal appear
pearance Mr. Geeter Zoom Joogr was one
of the very strangest, unhuman human be-
ings | have ever CHANGED to meet in any
country.
Set against the side of the cage were two
short spears or lances or feet in length
with handles of some black wood and their
sharp, slender points of bright steel, which
shone like silver. These blades or points
were of themselves nearly or quite 2 feet
long-altogether very ugly-looking imple-
ments.
A few stolid responses were all that l
could elicit from the man by questions. He
said or rather admitted, that he was going
to Yuloodian to kill tiger, and that kill
ing man-eaters was his business Fifty
rupees was his price for killing a dangerous
tiger.
He had made this his business for twenty
years since the Sepoy war. | felt very
curious to know how the old man hunted
and asked permission to go up to Yuloodian
and participate in the hunt. To this request
he made no reply for awhile, but upon my
urging it several times at length said:
1.-The sahib can suit himself"
Just then the express whistled in and as
soon as it had passed the freight, and with
it old Geeter and his cage, moved on.
Late in the afternoon after my duties on
the section were over for the day, | went
up on the way freight to Yuloodian, taking
my Remington carbine and stock of cart
ridges. 1t was dusk AMI the huts were
closed, but by dint of knocking and shout
ing learned where the tiger hunter had 10
Gated his cage. | found it a short distance
beyond the village. After some little par
ley was admitted through little trapdoor
in the top, which was securely fastened
again, but my reception was a most
ungracious one. He grunbled ominously
in the native tongue Of my disturbing the
night ard breaking the spells.
Besides our two selves in the cage there
was the carcass of a goat to attract the
tiger. Hour after hour of the damp, warm,
dark night we sat crouched motionlesS
there Old Geeter neither spoke nor
moved, but l could hear MIN breathe.
Once we heard a short querulous roar,
which l supposed to be that of tiger at
distance, but no tiger came near that night.
The next night / took a bird-call with me.
| had intended to initiate the bleating of
kid. thinking thus to attract the tiger, but
rejecting after a few trials that this was
tiger with taste for human flesh, | began
to counterfeit the crying of a child, which
| found no difficult matter when once | had
got the right key for it. | said nothing to
Old Geeter of my trick when l reached
Yuloodian that evening, but Joined him as
before.
The night was very still. Several times
the weird cry of devotee in the distant
village of Razotpore came family to our
ears over many miles. The stars shone
down with misty lustre. 1t was damp
yet warm.
Once cloud of green, sparkling, fire.
tles came, and drifting in betwixt the stout
bars of the cage, fairly lighted it with their
glinting fires. Later a dolefully bowling
pack of jackals swept past us, eight or ten
rushing up to sniff the goats blood. There
were other sounds. Like wall from dead,
misguided millions came the melancholy
cry of the devotee in his solitary and pain
full vigil, and not long after we heard the
gruff bark or grunt of prowling tiger
from across the ''sarkee.n
With that softly drew out my "call"
and began sobbing and crying like child
In distress.
Old Geeter started and uttered low ex-
clamation, then, as quickly divining my
motive, he sat down again in his former lis
tenlng posture.
Several times initiated the cry of Hin
doc children - 'maumay, maumay,
maumy"-then sobbed on as some little one
lost in the jungle.
Presently my old confrere whispered
"Beesh" f'Hush'0 Tarku Zoo C'The beast
hears'0.
heard nothing and continued to hear not
sound but the old native was grasping one
OF his speers, crouching on his knees every