Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-05-05
Noos,eA EAGLES.
Tales ~ Aqu'Ilns Struggles and Die.
oOmfltuses In Indiana,

OOtVuNt0EOO w uV0uWV0s
"The Indiana eagles are on the
rampage again." said George Blosh
field Of Wayne County, "and they
seem to have taken a particular fancy
this time to small boys. It isn't Sc
long ago since the Sun printed tn,
story about the big Vermilion Coun
ty eagle that swOoped down on Q
flock Of geese in a farmers door-yard
confidently expecting that IL woult
be no job ut all to soar back with
fat goose for dinner, and was almost
knocked silly with surprise when the
whole flock pitched into him with
vim that compelled him to do som,
of the livelicst fighting he had eve
run up against; and even then, afte,
licking every one of the geese, the
eagle failed to get one of them for hi:
dinner because the farmers daughte
came out and went ut him with
fence rail and dog and laid him sc
low that he never got any higher thar
the farmers mantelpiece, and then
only as a stuffed eagle.
That story was all right, but indt
rectly 1t gave out the idea, somehow
that oil the eagles In Indiana were In
vermilion County. Not by q lonl
shot! Old SCOTS all right when II
comes to eagles! Vermilion County
may have a few more eagles than
Scott County, but IL takes two Of
three Vermilion County eagles te
size up with one of SCOTS. Mrs.
Farmer Richards can tell you that.
She lived In Vermilion County when
she was girl, and once killed ar
eagle there that came down and
tackled \ turkey gobbler in her ia.
TIERS barnyard. She killed It with
flail with which she was threshinf
out oats In the barn. That eagle
measured six feet and q little over
from tip to tip. II was considered a
fair average Vermilion County eagle.
Mrs. Farmer Richards now lives in
Scott County. Some time ago, when
the weather was warm, Mrs. Richards
vas out in the yard boiling soap. Her
B-year.old boy was playing about the
yard. Suddenly shadow like that
Of a passing cloud came over che
yard, and Mrs. Richards heard q
scream. She looked up and saw q
heap Of feathers as big as II one Of
her biggest feather beds had been
dumped down there, but from the
cop Of 1t rose the head, and from the
bottom Of It were thrust the feet Of
nm eagle. The feet were clutchcd In
che clothes Of Mrs. Richards 3-year.
old boy, who was kicking and squirm.
Ing and yelling to beat the band. Mrs.
Richards had large lndle in her
hand. She dipped It in the kettle OF
soap, filled 1t with the boiling stuff,
ind sprintcd across the yard only toe
quick. The eagle had got his Looks
In on the boy all right by this time,
and was rising easily with the young
ster. But he had tarried too long.
Mrs. Richards dumped the ladle OF
boiling soap on the top Of his head,
and the hot stuff ran down and filled
his eyes and nostrils jam full. The
eagle dropped that boy as II he had
been hotter than the soap, and began
doing some Of the livclicst ground and
lofty tumbling around that yard that
was ever seen. The soap hadn't only
blinded him; 1t was getting in itl
little alkali work on those sensitive
organs in way that simply crazcd.
Mrs. Richards grabbed her boy
and ran with him into the house.
Then she got her husbands old army
muskct and ran back to use 1t on the
eagle, which was still pirouetting
around the yard like a rooster with
its head of. The gun wouldn't 60 of,
so Mrs. Richards dubbed 1t and
pounded that blinded and crazed
eagle over the head until he was glad
to die. He was undoubtedly q
patriarch OF the sky, for every feather
on him was rs gray US the lichen on
glacial rocks and he measured seven
feet from tip to tip!
''Thesc are all the returns that
were In when ! left home, but I ex.
pect later news OF Indiana eagles
when get back; for they IRE on one
Of their periodical sampages. "-(New
/