The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-05
a TORTOISE FIGHTS RATS.
One Of ParkersburR's Unique Form of
Sports Will Recommends.
From the Philadelphia Press.

From the Philadelphia Press.
Parkersburg, w. Va, Sept. 30.-A tor
toise which was a most unique attraction
years ago has returned after nearly three
years absence. It is about six inches in
length and almost perfect ellipse in
shape. day or two ago the tortoise was
picked up uptown and was identified by
series of dates-the latest one 1891-carved
into his shell. The tortoise has proven
one of the greatest local attractions for
the sports.
The tortoise was presented to a local
merchant four or five years ago by some
one who picked him up in the forest
His new owner set him down in the yard
in the rear of the store and he was for
gotten until one day, few days after his
arrival, when one of the clerks heard a
terrific squealing in the yard, and looking
through the window saw strange sight
A big rat had attacked the tortoise and
was biting and scratching at him, but
with all his attempts the rat failed to
make even an indentation in the armor of
his enemy. The unique sight soon at
tracted the clerks and customers until
standing room was at a premium. The
big rat climbed all over the tortoise and
tried all points of vantage, but his sharp
| teeth merely slipped from the smooth
shell. While all this was going on the
tortoise lay with feet closely gripped to
the ground, while his head had been
drawn in out of sight Presently in climb
ing over his antagonist the rat stood with
his hind feet in front of the place where
the tortoises head ought to have been,
and it was there yet, for in a second the
head and neck shot out and the horny
| mandrils closed with snap on the rats
hind legs. When the rat felt the grip
it twisted about with a squeak of pain
and rage and tried it's best to get at his
/ loo hit CHI .4y.4s,o
had Withdrawn not only its head but the
rats hind leg between the upper and I'M
der shells out of its enemy's reach. Fight
| and struggle as it would, the rat failed
to move the tortoise an atom. 1t then
turned and tried to break loose, but that
was equally as Intellectual for a minute,
when it broke away, but with one leg
as clearly amputated as if cut with a
knife. The rat bled to death. After this
battle almost every day similar one
occurred. Sometimes the rats double
teamed on the scaly gladiator but the re-
suit was always the samoa leg amputa-
ton, tail abbreviated, a disk of hide
and flesh Clearly cleft or an almost sew
cred neck always ended the battle.
The clerks and young fellows enjoyed
the unique departure in sport, and when
ever a battle was on they filed the win
dows and doors and excitedly made their
bets on points. The tortoise never paid
any attention to the spectators, and the
rats after getting fairly excited paid all
of their attention to their enemy. This
sort of things continued for months until
it appeared as If the rats had caught
on and quit for good, as they entirely
disappeared from that locality, Some
time after the rats ceased to appear, the
tortoise, probably ennuied from lack of
sport and exercise, disappeared, until he
was found a day or two ago.