The morning call., 1890-12-15
A MAN-EATER,
The Almost sucoessfuI Assault OF an
Enormous AllIgator

The Almost Successful Assault Of an
Enormous Alligator.
James Shaughnessy of Canton (Miss.) had
narrow escape a few days ago from
horrible death while crossing the Blue
water, which is branch of the Pearl
River. His assailant was an enormous
gator, which attacked him with the ferocity
displayed. it is said, only by such Of these
creatures as have once tasted human flesh.
and are consequently known as "man-
eaters"
ShauGhnessy, 1t appears, was crossing the
creek in small skiff or dug-out manipu-
lated with single oar, when the alligator
rose suddenly just under the little craft.
and, rushing to the surface, upset it, thus
throwing Sbaughnessy out. The dug-out
sunk at once and the gentleman struck out
for shore, when the saurian. which had
missed him, caught sight of him and rushed
at him furiously. Fortunately for Shaugh-
messy the creature missed him and hurled
Itself high up on the bank of the stream.
He hoped 1t would climb on up, at least
until he was able to swim to land. but,
finding that it had missed its prey. the gator
returned to the water and to tho attack.
Shaughnesse had by this time touched
bottom with his feet, and was walking out,
when he tripped and fell forward on his
face. The gator, as he did SO, shot over
bliuy duu iICi. Scclti9 bilds uc Udu SuUk,
prepared to do battle in his own element
Shaughnessy, however, managed to regain
his feet, but found that the spur on one of
his boots had become entangled IN a root OF
something on the bottom, and il was while
endeavoring to disengage himself that his
foe seized his other foot in its jaw.
Luckily this was encased in a rubber
boot, through which the great teeth of the
alligator could not cut, and after worrying
this for while. relinquished it and snapped
o. In hi lao
who had been brought to sitting posture
by the seizure of his free foot, aud with diff
fculty kept his head above the water, here
caught the paddle of the boat, which had
fioated within his reach, and dealt the alliga-
tor as hard a blow as he could or the nose
and while he broke the oar, succeeded in
driving off the brute. 1t returned, however,
III few moments, only tn receive a tre-
mendous poke with the SHARP end of the
broken paddle, to which Shaughnessy clung
desperately as the only means of defense
within his reach. The creature, enraged.
caught the oar in its jaw and snapped
in in two, and, dropping the frag-
ments rushed at Shaughnessy, who gave
himself up for lost but before the
gator reached him teamster called Buck
RoSenthal, who was driving past, seeing his
peril, jumped down from his wagon, and.
wadng into the water with only pocket
pistol in his hand, placed the weapon close
10 the creatures head and succeeded in
III S6NtIcly. hDoeubHdl Cdiitu tO
Shaughnessy to get out of the way, and
lodged himself as the punging, maddened
creature flung itself about with swapping
jaws, but Shaughnessy, held fast sill by his
spur, was only able TO escape it by lying
fiat on the bottom as long as possible, and
only raising up for breath Of air. This
exhausted him, and several times he barely
avoided the furious onslaught of the gator.
Rosenthal perceived that Shaughnessy
could not dsengage himself, and daring the
fury of the brute met it at close quarters.
and thrustlng his arm almost in the gaping
jaws fired down its throat. 1t flung itself to
one side, the blood pouring from it in a
stream, dyeing the water, and, with final
firt Of its huge body, sank to rise no more.
Rosenthal succeeded in freeing Shaugh.
messy from the root of water lily which
held his spur, and then supported b i'm to
land, for the latter was so weakened by his
struggles that it was with difficulty he could
move at all. The alligator measured ten
feet and some inches in length .-Globo-
Democrat