The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-07-31
SHE MASTERED THE GATOR.
Texas Waman's Plueky Battle With
a Saurian in the River.

Texas waman's Plueky Battle with
Saurian in the River.
During the HIGH water throughout
Texas huge alligator was killed under
what were probably the most curious
circumstances that such thing ever
took place. A woman named Lucinda
Burns, living about half mile on the
other side of the Brazos river, found
herself cut off from the town and her
neighbors by the water, though her own
house, standing as it did on an elevated
point, was out Of danger. She lived
quite alone, and her provisions giving
out one day there was no one to fetch
more but herself; so, getting in an old
''dugout," or home manufactured boat
she possessed, she rowed herself to town,
and after purchasing what she needed,
which included sack of flour, she
started home again.
She had crossed about quarter of q
mile Of the shee. IF water, which, at this
point, was over light miles wide, the
river being spread all over its bottom,
and was within half mile of home
when the boat struck what seemed to be
a floating log. But the inert mass
wheeled suddenly about and displayed
the horrid, gasping mouth and scaly
head of an alligator. The creature,
which had apparently been floating
asleep on the water, seemed to regard
the blow of the boat as direct insult,
and made for it fuIiously. The woman,
who is of powerful build, rowed with all
her might, but seeing that it was impos-
sible to outstrip the saurian, turned and
made for the side she had just left, the
gator following. He caught her easily,
and thrusting his long, black snout over
the side of the boat, narrowly missed
upsetting it,
Mrs. Burns struck him with all her
might across the nose with an oar and
caused him to fall back for moment,
but he returned to the attack and again
came near turning over the boat. This
was repeated several times, the woman
making the most of her opportunities,
rowing with all her might and now and
then striking at the alligator, first with
one oar and then with the other, as he
would approach either side of the boat.
A current caught her and lent its aid in
sending her toward the shore, where
crowd had assembled and was watching
her movements in breathless interest.
1t was evident, if she could succeed in
warding off the attacks of her enemy
little longer she would reach the shore
in safety; but to do this was becoming
more and more difficult, for the alligator
was growing more vicious and bold as
he saw his prey was escaping him.
The ugly brute drew back for mo-
ment and gathered himself for a rush,
that the woman succeeded in avoiding
by a sweep of the oars, but the saurian
turned instantly to repeat the rush. The
spectators gave her up for lost, for the
boat was still rocking violently from the
agitation caused by the last rush, and
there being no other boat at hand, as
sistance from the land was impossible.
Mrs. Burns here dropped her oars as if
in despair, but it was soon apparent that
her woman's ingenuity had hit on plan
for outwitting her foe. She ripped open
one end of the flour sack, and filling a
tin dipper used for bailing the boat
with the contents, waited until the alli-
gator reached the side of the dugout and
then flung the -four straight in his gap
ing throat and before he could dive
filed his eyes with it. The brute gasped
and floundered for q moment, then sank.
and for several moments she rowed on
undisturbed But presently the black
shape rose close to the boat and made
another rush at it only to receive an
other dipperful of the flour in his eyes.
Maddened and blinded, the alligator did
not pause, however, but hurled himself
at the frail little vessel with distended
jaws and tried to climb in.
The boat dipped with his weight and
began to fill and sink, but Mrs Burns
caught up the sack of -four and emptied
it into his capacious mouth just as the
dugout capsized. Down went the alli-
gator, raising mimic storm by the flu
rious flashing of his tail and his rolling
and tumbling but the woman struck
out for land, and, catching a rope that
had been thrown to her, was soon in
safety. The alligator, still gasping and
twisting, rose presently to the surface of
the water, and was easily dispatched by
shotguns which had been sent for from
town, and only arrived in time to end
his 'gatorship's career.-Atlanta Consti-
tuition.