The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-17
A FLORIDA FAaLs.
Two Men Slaughter Nearly 200 Mon
strous Brutes.
from the Neto York Recorder.

from the Neto York Recorder.
BUSHNELL, FLA, Sept. 1O.-Jaok Com
nell. who owns a fine farm just outside this
village, got terrible fright on a recent
morning while walking about his property,
but he would be willing to have one just
like ii every day in the week, for it uetted
him over $4,000, even though he had TO
"divvy."
Jack had almost reached his line fence.
following the cattle path across the prairie
when be suddenly heard q low growing or
believing like the noise made by alligators.
He pricked up his ears aud looked nervouslY
from side TO side as he took the next half
dozen steps forward. At that moment he
found himself at the tail end of
what appeared to be mammoth drove of
gators, which were moving slowly across
the prairie in a northerly direction. Some
Of those nearest him were fully ten feet long
and very ferooious looking. The drove lay
right across bis path, and he could not pick
his way forward among them without
danger Of being attacked. He was dis
armed-didn't have so much as a cane in
his hand. So he decided to turn back and
get help. Before he started, however he
studied out the reason for this peculiar per-
formance on the part of the alligators
just south Of the spath were several
"prairie ponds''-shallow sheets Of muddy
WhscEy Bulls Ok bn6Il boNtEdl hCF6b IN area,
and generally connected with one another
by narrow, sluggish streams. But when
Connell looked In this direction he saw that
these ponds were completely dry-the result
of a 4months' drought. The alligators had
been obliged to leave them, and were nav
igating northward, where water could be
found In abundance. The only strange
thing about it was that so many should
have started at once-for the drove ap-
T1aarad In MANLY ON
stretched out over the prairie In O line
about quarter mile long, and appeared
to have leaders in front and guides of the
line in the rear. The smaller ones were in
the center.
1t required only second on Jacks part
to take in the situation. for he is an old
gator hunter, having turned many an
honest dollar by the sale of the saurians'
skins. just before he turned back he picked
up half burned pine knot and flung 10 into
the middle OF the drove.
Such believing as followedi The grsat.
hungry beasts opened wide their Jaws and
fairly barked. Nearly all Of them turned
Bquarely about to learn the cause of the In
trusion and Jack took to his heels.
He went straight to the home OF Jim
Knight about q mile oil. Jim was get
ting ready for church, for 1t was Sunday
morning,
"Ill show you something worth a thousand
sermons" was the way that Jack made a
break at his neighbor. Come with me,
and bring both your rifles.
Jim objected. 1t was Sunday. He didn't
like to 10 hunting. But" pleaded Jack,
"the thing amt likely TO happen again In a
thousand years" So Knight took off his
Sunday clothes and jumped into his old
weekday rig.
The two men, in addition to their rifles
and plenty of ammunition, armed them
selves with heavy clubs. When Jim saw
the novel spectacle he drawle6 out, oval
/ would ha' kicked myself clean to Kissi-
NEE II I'd a missed this thing. It's a
picnic, Jack"
The pair started into the slaughter with
their clubs, dispatohing some of the smaller
gators at a single blow. The larger ones
showed fight, aud then the rifles had to be
brought into play. The hunters had the
advantage. They were quick of foot and
could easily get out of the way when
one of the monsters turned on
them. Both men are expert shots with
a rifle, too. When they took aim at q gators
eye, they rarely missed it at the first shot.
For over an hour they kept up the stabbing
and shooting, and when they counted their
dead on the field Of battle, there were 178
Of them. In size they we're from II inches
to IL feet inches in length. The skinning
process took nearly a week, the carcasses
being burned as fast as the hides were
stripped Off carefully. These skins will
bring over $500 in Jacksonville just as they
are. Tanned and dressed they will be worth
$4,000.