The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-10-21
.hibo0aux 5eatiucl.
A DESOLATE SCENE.
an INDIAN VILLAGE DEPoPuLATED BY
A MAN EATING TIGER.
The Inhabitants of a Native Village Driven
From Their Homes by the Ferocious Oar
ing of a Bold and BIoodthirsty Ruler OF
the Jungles

ing of a Bold and Bloodthirsty Ruler OF
the Jungles
AS the party OF a sahib one Indian even
ing came down the hillside by the widen
ing path TO the jungle village. no sound
whatever arose from its few and humble
habitatlons. Nobody came out to make
salutation or to offer supplies. No cat
tie Were perceived wandering about. nc
children. nc birds, except indeed many
yultures upon the tree in the square and
upon the temple roof. The pots iii the
grain dealers shop We're empty ANA over
turned; u piece Of cloth Just began WAS
left With broken threads upon the loom
IN the next hat. On the other side of The
way The cl'attics 1T Z ~pptter's were tam-
bled and broken. and IL sheet of copper
lay at the blacksInith'* forge half bent to
make some vessel. but prccir:tHtaly Adam
doned Wherever one gazel there We're
signs of a hasty fight on the part Of the
inhabitants. who did not seem IL have
lef; anybody to represent them.
Yes. there was one silent and nirlan-
choiy representative, and the sudden ap-
pearance Of her would have startled the
party very much more tran 1t did but
for q discovery made By tn salt:b's
Observation-Disclosures yrponi-c!oSe br the
silent and empty temple. There WIS 4
muddy patch t.,cre In the suu:.re. from
which the last OF the ralnwater i!..d Int
recently dried up. and i'll the blac:, slime
SO left were'.eeI'ly imprinted the "pnds
OF aI evidently immense iiJer. 1t was
Of coarse evilcn, now 10 the English
man and thust. with hiEi that The striped
terror which, left those flotiHar.s had
given the villagers notice To quit anl
was somewhere or other near at ianl
in practical possession of the ice Simple
Of the village.
Desolate beyond expression wa: the
little unreopled place 81 the hamlet.
and the look of the helpless red god
staring from his portico ,;on tie hats
that be could not protect, ami tne cx-
element of the horrible vu!!::re.s p..,lcd
Oh the cotton trees, aware. no ,iMti,t. OF
the deadly secret of the l!se.. ;pr rn1ni
the corner. by the Divers s:.:3:,, WHERE.
W or three newly stained i"r;aiu cla:n:
still hung nIon walls 10 dry. the came
upon that secret. Across ne i'lr.~,i..!.i
Of a mud hut. evidently ,i,a"gt+, nf
from the broken charrny OH In. e4r;heu
floor, lay the body of ID wnnt.i:i. ,nrn OF
the delicate brown neck AID along ne
shoulders and breast wi;h lomy rsl claw
marks. A dead infant. also n,auyir,I i;v
a savage bite, lay half concerned nn.ior
the corpse. the appea:t.ce "f the h.,i:eS
showing that they hal only ir.'h i.:,ir
killed. No one could innl.i w.Iai had
killed them. The sign manuel rilon
their bodies was surc!: thai Il! i:..:xn..i
beast who often in this Why eil<lnts,s tae
rlghtof his huiIa! riv;:l IL i,a!t.:!!i ttrite
to scorn the illusion that lni,n j, nl.i,ta-
Of created things.
The sahib's party was baalt eDni1yai
for tiger shooting and passed no w..:.-
out anxiety AMI the c~ln,.i:s M, of lit
three Or fourservants AMI northumberland,
the outskirts OF the excited village. AT
any moment her iadys.iin :ie ~I!.,f,Ss II
his lof!shlp the tiger. ,;!,n trrd taken
possession Of the place. mi',iif r.prgr
from a grain storc or II COW pen. o. vvrn
from some milk bush or juwari imi..l.i. /.
ask the travellers what business .,,,y liz;
upon the royal property. in, i.a-.i:i,.
man hastily pnt bullets i,tu /. ,sb i~rl-r,i+
of his shotgun and walled his il,rN,. ~
quickly as his men rGald follow ont af
the III fated gau,n.
AT its outskirts they were ..sronisilel
fA hn2r q y-pyoo hI,rl, ,1,,,.n ,I-,, 49,.
which came, as they a~fterward found.
from a young Hindoo low caste man sit
ting concealed in the branches Of Il large
mango tree from which could he seen
both entrances of tie village. He had
made a rude platform in Il fork Of The
tree n watched on it witt. the long
barrel of a matchbox protruding and bv
his side an earthen jar of water. tfiley
invited him to come down and TO tell
them the meaning Of the extraordinary
spectacle they had witnessed. He he.
scended and informed them that for
months past his village had been infested
and prosecuted by a tigress which. after
killing cattle and goats, had slain and
partly eaten three or four children out
side the hamlet and had taken during
the past eight II nine days to entering
b village at night and carrying off
somebody or other sleeping, as the Hin
zoos do, outside their huts under the
verandas. The woman slain that morn
ing with her baby was the wife of the
poor matchbox man, and he had perched
himself in the tree hoping to avenge her
death when the sahib's party passed.
1t was too serious a case not to be re-
ported in the proper quarters, and an
expedition of practiced tiger shooters
was equipped among the officers at the
nearest station. The beast was tracked