St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-10-21
SOMEWHAT STRANGE.
ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF
EVERYDAY LIFE.
Queer Facts and Thrilling Adven-
lures Which Show That Truth is
Stranger Than Fiction.

Queer Facts and Thrilling Adven
lures Which Show That Truth i
Stranger Than Fiction.
On a recent evening large hawk was
noticed at Seaberry Settlement, N. Y.
circling high above flock of young an(
old crows, which were feeding near tn,
creek bank, thirty rods away. TIL,
hawk was SO far above that it was no
noticed by the crows until, with a noist
heard by the spectators on the store
steps, the hawk swooped down and sank
its talous through young crows back
killing it instantly. Rising from thu
grouL. the hawk sought to fly away
with Its prey, but before it had gone
dozen yards five of the old crows, with
screams and shrieks, began fight to the
death with the hawk. One after another
they would rise above the hawk and then
dive to strike the hawk. One struck it
on the neck and took the feathers of,
another took tail feather, another struck
a wing, turning the hawk completely
over and causing it to drop twenty feet
and lose its hold ON the dead crows
back. But the crows, instead Of leaving
the hawk to fee in peace and pain,
seemed maddened by the inanimate
bunch of dead crow which the
hawk had dropped, and pounded
the hawk till its gray and white feathers
filled the air below. The hawk nipped
with its hooked beak from side to side
as the crows dived by, and even grasped
with its talons in vain endeavor to
catch its quicker antagonists. After
little it tried to fly away, but lodged
here and there, sometimes a foot above
the daisy tops, sometimes so high that
the crows seemed as small as swallows.
Then large crow rose from below and
struck the hawk on the leg with heavy
bill, but, quick as mules kick, the
talons flew down and the crow was
caught with its head between the curved
nails. One penetrated its eye and thence
the brain. The talons opened and the
crow fell dead hardly thirty yards from
the store steps. However, the fight was
not ended. There were still four crows,
ana they seemed to gather renewed vieor
as the dead crow fell with outspread
wings to the ground. The hawk was
rapidly getting tired 1t no longer
lodged, but with a logged determine
ton tried once more to fly away. At
that one Of the crows, with wings flap
ping to give it a strong impetus, struck
the hawk on the back of its neck. At
that its wings stopped their movement
and slowly, as it had done many times
before, it circled around and around,
approaching the ground. Then
mother crow struck its wing, and the
1awk fell as the two crows had fallen
lead in the air. The crows bill had
penetrated the neck bone and killed the
lawk.
In spite of improved modern methods
II communication, the southern extrem-
sy OF South America still retains its fla
or OF alosfness and romance. The trip
round the Horn, still necessarily made
y sailing vessels because they cannot so
aslly tread the mazes of the Straits of
lagellan, is no easier than it was to the
arly navigators, save that perhaps mod |
rn sailing ships are safer and more !
than those of the sixteenth L
entury. Even yet, however, sailing
hips may hover vainIy off the Horn for s
lie better part of month, and that curl 5
Us international mail box kept at the ;
Torn still has its uses. Landsmen who L
ave heard of this singular survival are d
'mpted to doubt its existence, but sail !.
rs persistently affirm that it is still there. Il
ape Horn Is a great mass Of rocks rising
,r@pty from the sea and forming
nall island. Upon one of the lodges of p
lis rock stands a covered barrel, the in {
post office of region more
IAN 500 miles from anything that re-
mbles civilization. 1t is the custom of b
ptains passing round the Horn to send II
boat ashore at this point if possible, e
Ike out whatever mail is going in the "
rection of the vessel, and drop in what P
er it is desired shall go in the other di- W
ction. international comfy would pro- os
ct the mail box if need be, but no pi. sc
ties Turk about that region, and what ia
er natives may be there would have h'
lall use for the contents of the mail IN
K. 1t is the worlds most southern in
st office, more than twenty degrees bl
lth of Cape Town, and more than ten di
grees south of any post-town in Gee er
lea. N
5EoRGE WILEY, son of a we'll known
ored man living in Pearl River swamp, 10
aes county, Miss, left home on re- a
1t morning to go on a fishing excur- eey
n, taking with him Il long, stout rope lie
e, such as il generally used among the co
ives for catching large catfish. A ey
pherd dog accompanied him. Early w We
same evening the dog came back to IL
house alone md whined and jumped co.
nut the old man in such an unusual nv
nner as to attract his attention. The Pc
man went out into the yard and the IN
, sprang out in front of him, running OF
a few yards and then coming back trc
pulling at his clothes. Convinced =,
t something was amiss, Wiley followed !, 1hi
dog and was led to a point on the lu
II about five miles from the house, 10
ere he found the lifeless body of his inc
suspended by one leg from an over pos
ging limb by a line which ran over I'M
bougl and extending far out into the spl
r. I''sestigation showed that the l
had thrown his line over the bough occ
i've his catch better play, and then, SUI
greater security, had tied the end sPe
md his leg. A $50 pound catfish the
seized the bait and hauled the lad ono
o the bough and wrapped the line MIA
around the willows in its struggles
scape.
R. KNOX, of Danbury, Conn, has
eSsed for n Year two hip fricsn IT