Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-19
THE KING OF THE SKY.
AN EAGLE THAT MADE A DESPERATE
FIGHT FOR LIBERTY.

Trapped, Shot, Bound and Blinded, tn,
Farmer Williams, and He Was Glad Il
! Turn His Share Of It Over to Others.
IF any person who doubted that's wounded
| eagle was desperate customer for man K
tacke," said Lewis Williams, Of Berks eoun
ty, Pa, could have witnessed an encounter
that had with one once on the Blue Noun
tain, IN Tulpehocken township, he woulG
have had his doubts removed in short order
had been losing a good many chickens one
fall, and supposing that they were being car
ried off by foxes SET trap for Reynard
The morning after setting the trap l went
out to look for it, and it was nowhere to b.
SEEN It had been chained to small stake
in the ground, and the stake was also missing.
FIRST ROUND EoR THE Bird
As was returning home heard great
commotion among big fook of crows in
the woods quarter of a mile up the noun
tain The crows were cawing in such furi-
Gus chorus that their cries could have been
heard for a mile The birds were circling
round the tree tops In one particular spot,
and frequently a number of them would
dart viciously down through the trees toward
the ground l was curious to know what
could be causing this unusual proceeding
among the crows, for they are birds that do
not fool their time away for nothing I
walked up the mountain, and as approached
the spot where the crows circus was going
on, the tumult among the crows increased
When arrived within easy gunshot of the
spot the flock withdrew to q more distant
part of the woods but kept up their hubbub
and jawed and chartered in way that left
no doubt of their having been intensely dis
turbed by some unpleasant experience.
II walked on, and had taken but few
steps when heard sound as of a chain be-
ing dragged along On the ground, and in
stantly concluded that it was the chain Of my
missing trap. l momentarily expected to see
the fox, hampered by the trap on his leg,
come into sight, believing that he had been
attacked by the crows who had discovered
him in his crippled condition. Imagine my
surprise then when, instead of the fox making
his appearance, an enormous bald eagle strut
ted out from behind big tree, dragging the
trap, chain and stake. The jaws Of the trap
were fastened on one leg of the great bird
Il had with me an ordinary shotgun, with
which had expected to kill the fox if found
IL In my trap. W hen the eagle saw me it rose
with great difficulty from the ground, owing
to the burden on the leg, and flew toward the
top of tall, dead tree. I fired at it. The
charge hit the eagle in one Of its wings and
brought the bird to the ground. The eagle
was such splendid specimen that resolved
to capture it alive. approached it with no
thought of having any difficulty in accom-.
plishing my purpose in the handicapped and
crippled condition of the bird, but found
that didn't know as much about bald eagles
as l thought did, for in spite of the crippled
wing and the burden of the trap and chain,
the eagle rushed upon me and attacked me
with such fury that turned and fed from
the woods.
''At the edge of the woods stopped, and at
first thought I would go back and shoot the
eagle, but my desire to have it alive was SO
strong that determined to make every effort
to capture it. hurried home and got stout
rope and on empty feed bag.