The Lamar register., 1890-09-13
HEROIC ROOSTER.
Ne 10 Death on Rats and . Terror a.
Hawks.

AT no time, no matter what season
OF the year it might have been. has
any one passed John Carley's barn. on
the sackett Pond road. during the past
Two years. says letter to the New
!ork sun, without seeing from half n
dozen to dozen big rat skins nailed
on the side of it next TO the road.
these SKINS are all taken from rats
Killed by q rooster that bosses tho
poultry harem on the Carley farm.
The breed of this rooster is not known,
as he was one of a brood of S-weeks-
old chickens that Carley bought three
years ago from a neighboring farmer.
flow long the rooster had been n
RATHER before his owner discovered the
iaet is not known. but one day. when
the rooster was about a year old.
Cariey was walking along by the barn
yard and heard great cackling
among his hens. with which noise the
loud squealing of rat was mixed up.
Carley stepped to the fence to see what
the trouble was all abont, and saw the
rooster tugging away like mad at
rats tail. which he had evidently
caught In his strong bill MS the rat was
scurryinS iuto hole under the barn.
jerks at the tail. and succeeded in pull
Ing the rat out OF the hole. Quick as
Hash the rooster swung the rat above
his head and brought it down with ali
MS might against j stoae in the fouu-
dation Of the barn He gave the rat
three whacks like that and then tossed
it among the baru-yard litter. as dead
as stone and limp as a dish-rag
Within a short TINA Ffn,. Ia,
three dead rats. evidently Killed in the
same way that this one had been that
Carley saw dispatched BY the rooster.
were picked up at intervals in tho
barn-yard. Then when any one on
the farm went near the barn-vard they
got 10 looking at the projecting stone
on the barn foundation. II there was
fresh SCATTERING of blood on it they
knew the rooster had killed another
rat Taeu they took to skinning the
dead rats and mailing the pelts on the
barn to display the proves and skill
OF the big rooster to the public. aud
from that day he has always had fresh
scalp or two 10 add To tho collection
every day or so.
II any one should pay visit to this
famous chicken just now he would
ind the great ratter somewhat bare of
feathers about the neck. back,
and wings. one of the latter being
also badly crippled. This rather dis
figured condition of the rooster is the
result of what Farmer Carlev calls
the incest tussle he ever see Il
seems that during the last week a very
I large chicken-hawk had been towering
over the farm. with su eye continually
on Carley's baru-yard. One day last
week Carley saw the hawk drop down
from a great height directly into the
barn-yari. The farmer started on the
run for the yard. and when he reached
IL he found that the rooster. believing
himself equal TO any occasion hadn't
hesitatcd TO pitch ia and attempt the
same tactcis on the hawk that had
stood him 10 such excellent service
rs rItteF. He had the hawks neck
firmly inclosed BY his powerful bill
and. a. Carley declares. The was swat
tin the hawk down ag'iust the stone
like an old woman might whack tho
dust out OF door mat"
The hawk was nearly AS big in BODY
a. the rooster and had an immense
spread of wing. and th, rooster soon
found that he hadn't tackled the light
WASTED. ,lueakius lai- The hawk
thrashed its wings about and clawed
with his talons. aud the ROSTERS feath-
ers dew around like dead leaves of a
tree. But the big chicken had the grip
OF his irou jaw on the hawks throat
and he kept it there in spite of the
punishment he was receiving. and by
aud By the hawk. being unable to
breath grew weaker and weaker and
the rooster whackcd out what life there
was in him.
Carley is having the dead hawk
mounted and will keep it as the great
est scalp his rooster has taken up to
date.