The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-05-23
FLORIDA TWENTY YEARS AGO.
The Melancholy End Of . Naturalist's
somi-Tame Alligator. I

1 7 Z JIt 5
! II was in the winter Of 1870 that I
made my first visit to Florida, says g
writer in Forest and Stream. At that
| time railroads were not; the northern
tourists were few in number and st.
Augustine was sleepy old town. The
alligator basked quietly on the bank Of
the st. John, and the white plume Of the
egret CLEANED from every swamp.
Bears, deer and turkey were abundant.
At Lords comfortable cottage at New
Smyrna were five c,s>six anglers who
filled their boats daily with channel
bass, sheepshead and spotted sea trout.
Almost all those worthless have joined
the great and silent majority. New
SMYRNA then contained three houses
and a store, and from the head Of the
Halifax to the inlet there were hardly
one hundred people. Daytona, I think,
was laid out in that year.
A mile below that hamlet lived kind
of naturalist named Cham berlain, who
had cottage on the river bank filed
with skins of beasts and birds, and cop
per jars of alcohol containing fishes and
reptiles, which he had collected for
northern museums. Like that of most
men who live close to nature, his con-
versation was interesting and often
visited him. One day he said: II think
you have not seen my alligator. Come
with me and l will show you my pet.
We went to small creek about a hum
dred yards from the river, winding
through hamak. At one place there
was a hole under high bank, into
which Chamberlain thrust a pole. The
reply was loud and ugly growl. "He
is at home, but he won't come out to-
day.
The pet was a good-sized alligator,
seven or eight feet long, which G.. had
partially tanned by feeding it with fish
and snakes, the gator being particu-
larly fond Of the latter, c. punched it
with the pole to make it come ont, but
it seized the pole in it's teeth and shook
it. II think if I was alone he would
come out, but he is little bashful be-
fore strangers: said the naturalist, and
we left.
The next year when / visited the re-
gion Mr.. G.. had moved away to some
wilder and more congenial spot, where
he would have fewer neighbors, and my
host at the Inlet told me of the fate Of
the alligator.
After C. left some mischievous boys
at Daytona borrowed a mule with plow
harness and took him to the creek
where the alligator lived. They
punched him till he got angry and then
dropped, the plow chain on his nose.
The gator seized it at once, as is the
habit of the beast, and held on to it,
bulldog fashion, while the boys started
5he mule, a powerful animal, which
dragged the alligator from the hole.
Now, there is nothing which a mule
fears more than alligator, whose mus]ky
odor will set him crazy.
When the mule smelled this he looked
round, and seeing the beast at his heels
he tore away homeward at full speed,
dragging the gator after him-and, of
course, the faster he ran the faster he
was pursued. Up the narrow road he
dashed, the gator bounding behind
him, striking against trees and stumps
at every jump, so that before the mule
got to his stable the poor alligator was
dead enough. AS to the mule, his
nerves were so shaken that he never
could be got down the river road again.
He smelled alligators in every breeze
and was ruined mule.