Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1890-06-20
PLUcKY ROOSTER.
He Pounded the Life Out of Big
Rats-V a Hawk.

At no me, no matter what season Of
the year it might have been, says letter
from Sackett Pond, n. Y, 10 the New
York Sun, has any one pissed John Car
ley's barn, on the Sackett Pond road, dur
ing the past two year, without seeing
from half dozen to do. en- big rat skins
nailed on the side Of il next to the road.
These skins are all taken from rats kille
by a rooster that bosses the poultry harem
on the Carley farm The breed of this
rooster is not known, as he was one of
brood Of threc-weeks-ol chickens that
Carley bought three years ago from a
neighboring farmer.
How long the rooster had been a ratter
before his owner discovered the fact is
not known, but one day, when the roos-
ter was lbout year old, Carley was
walking along by the barnyard and heard
great cackling among his hens, with
which noise the loud squealing of a rat
was mixed up. Carley stepped to the
fence to see what the trouble was all about,
and saw the rooster Juggling away like
mad at a rats tail, which he had evidently
caught in his strong bill as tie rat was
scurrying into hole under the barn. The
rooster gave two or three strong jerks at
the tail, and succeeded in pulling the rat
out of the hole. Quick as a flash the
rooster swung the rat above his head aud
brought it down with all his might against
a stone in the foundation of the barn.
lie gave the rat three whacks like that
ami then tossed il among the bdTnydrd
litter, as dead as a stone and as limp as a
dshrag. Within short time after that
twenty-three dead rats, evidently killed
in the same way that this one had been
that Carney saw dispatched by the roos-
ter, were picked up at intervals in the
barnyard. Then whenever any one on the
farm went near the barnyard they got to
looking at the projecting stone in the
barn foundation. If there was a fresh
spattcr of blood on it they knew the roos-
ter had killed another rat. Then they
took to skinning the dead rats and nail
ing the pelts on the barn to display the
prowess and skill of the big rooster to the
public, and from that day he has always
had fresh scalp or two to add to the
collection every day or so.
If any one should pay a visit to this
famous chicken just now he wontd find
the great rattcr somewhat bare of feathers
about the mock, back, and wings, one Of
the latter being also badly crippled This
rather disfgured condition Of the rooster
is the result Of what Farmer Carley calls
@ the incest tussle he ever see. " 1t seems
that during the past week a very large
chicken hawk had been lowering over the
farm, with an eye continually on Cariey's
barnyard. One day last week Carlev saw
the hawk drop down from great height
directly into the barnyard The farmer
started on a run for the yard, and when
he reached it he found that his rooster,
believing himself equal to any occasion,
hadn't hesitated to pitchin and attempt
the same tactics on the hawk that had
stood him in such excellent service as a
aratter He had the hawks neck firmly
enclosed by his powerful bill, and as Car
ley declares che was swattin' the hawk
down ag'inst the stone like my old woman
might whack the dust out of door
mat"
The hawk was nearly as big in body rs
the rooster, and had an immense spread
of wing, and the rooster soon found that
he hadn't tackled light-waisted squeak
ing rat. The hawk threshed its wings
about and clawed with its talons, and the
ROSTERS feathers flew around like leaves
off tree. But the big chicken had the
grip of his iron jaw on the hawks throat,
and he kept it there in spite of the pun
ishment he was receiving, and by and
by the hawk, being unable to breathe,
.grew weaker and weaker, and the roos-
- --tss Z li.-s.s I; & - ls.
i'm.
Carley is having the dead hawk noun
III and will boon n nc fhc greatest scaln