Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-09-20
A QUEER FIGHT.
Desperate Battle Between a Turtle
and a Bear.
Bruins Attempt to Overthrow Huge
"Loggerhead" Results in a Prolonged
and Furious Struggle - The Tur-
tie Victorious.

A correspondent of the st. Louis
Globe Democrat, writing from Char
lotte Harbor, South Florida, gives an
account of an unusual contest that was
witnessed by two members of fish
ing schooner's crew. The schooner
Mabel F., Captain Zeke Dickerson,
came in Saturday with load of huge
loggerhead turtles and fish, writes this
correspondent. The turtles were
monsters, several of them measuring
over nine feet from end to end, over
the shell, and five to seven across.
Such ones will weigh from 700 to L.
600 pounds each, and it is no child's
play to capture them. Several of the
crew had severe wounds on their
hands, caused by the sharp claws with
which the turtles flippers are armed,
and one sailor was mourning the loss
OF his thumb, which he lost by fooling
with one of the captives. He wanted
to see the critters neck, and was try
ing to bait it by holding small stick
in front, but the turtle seemed averse
to putting out its head. The sailor
grew careless, his hand approached
too near, and, quick as flash, the
turtles long neck shot out and the
sailors thumb was caught as by vise
He yelled and stormed, but to no pur-
pose, as the turtle meant to stay. As
n last resort another sailor came up
and with his knife severed the logger
heads head. Even then the firmly
fixed jaws had to be pried open before
the thumb could be released. As it
was bitten nearly off amputation fol-
lowed.
The sailors told many yarns of their
exciting experiences in securing the
big turtles, and say that some of them
fought vigorously before they could be
overturned.
The mate, Jim Wheelan, and a
sailor named Dan Bryan had the un.
usual luck of witnessing a fight be.
tween big, black bear and a monster
turtle. 1t occurred at Key Nina. The
schooner was at anchor on the inside
shore, while the men went across the
island, half mile or so, and secured
turtles on the gulf shore. The sec.
ond night, these two, by some chance
wandered down to the end of the isl.
and. While going along, cautiously
they heard a confused sound some
way ahead, as if some kind of figh,
was going on. A deal of thrashinp
about was audible, and sort of roar
or grunt that sounded like bear was
heard.
Pushing forward, they soon rounded
sharp turn that the beach made
and the cause of the rumpus was be-
fore them. At first they could not tel
what it was, but saw that two bie
forms were struggling together ant
fighting furiously. From the grunt.
they knew that bear was one of the
combatants.
Cautiously and silently they came
up nearer, and, to their great surprise
they perceived that the fight was be
tween huge loggerhead turtle ant
o big, shaggy black bear. From theil
positions it would seem that the beai
had sprung on the turtle as it was re
treating toward the water and ha,
tried to overturn it. In some way
had stepped in front Of the turtle, an,
the latter thrusting its head out, ha,
quickly seized one of bruins hind leg
and held it. At this the bear roare,
loudly and paved furiously at tn
turtles back, trying to force him owe
on his back. This the turtle resiste,
with all his strength and weight
settling down close to the ground
Whenever the bear made an extra ei
fort, and then, as the bear relaxed hi
efforts. the turtle would suddenly star
up and endeavor to get nearer th
water, keeping his firm hold on tn
hears leg all the while. This NOV
would arouse bruins ire again, an
the fierce contest would be renewe
with increased fury. The bears diser
gagged hind leg plowed the sand deepl
ms he endeavored to stop the turtle