The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-06-02
TURTLES THAT FOUGHT.
Two Fishermen Interfere With q
Novel and Desperate Battle.

1t Is no uncommon thlng f0r snap
ping turtles to be brought into any
Of the towns of Pennsylvania. On the
contrary, snapper" fishing or hunt
ing is a sport peculiar to the region,
hundreds of the big turtles being cap
tured in various ways every week of
the season. But it is uncommon for
swapping turtles to be brought in
Just the way that two were brought
into Fishers Eddy few days ago.
The two turtles were very large ones,
and one had its jaws closed tightly on
the left foreleg Of the other, and in
that position they were captured by
John and James Skelly under the
following circumstances
The two Skelly boys were fishing
in the eddy from IL flat-bottomed
boat when they saw great commo-
ton in the water few rods distant.
They padded toward the spot and
saw that the commotion was being
made by two big swapping turtles
which were engaged in desperate
fight. They rushed at one another,
and came together with n shock that
made them both rebound yard or
more and threw the water about in
showers. AS they darted around
each other-these animals being ex-
ceedingly agile and quick in the water,
although so clumsy and slow on land
they made savage lunges with their
heads at one another's legs, the evil
| dent effort of each being to seize the
| other at vulnerable point. The col
! lsions and manGuvres lasted sew
! eral minutes without either turtle
! obtaining any advantage, when sud-
! denly one of them dashed through
! the water toward his antagonist, who
waited the onslaught his yellow eyes
| glaring and his massive head thrust
| forward to seize his assailant if pos
| sible.
When the latter was within n foot
or so of the waiting turtle he dived
| like flash and came up under his
foe, and, before the latter could
ward off the unexpected attack,
closed his jaws on one of his fore
legs, near the shell. The struggles
Of the turtle thus caught foul to free
itself were so desperate that the
water was lashed into foam, and in a
short time became colored with
| blood.
A swapping turtle never releases
its hold on anything it may close its
jaws on until that object is dead, and
! the efforts of this turtle TO release it
self from his foe were not only una
vailing. but tended to place him at
still greater disadvantage by wearing
out his strength. When the specta-
tors OF this novel battle saw that
there could be no question as to its
result they set about capturing both
| duellists. They padded close to
where the turtles were struggling,
and. watching their opportunity,
each man seized turtle by it's tail
and lifted both into the boat before
the turtles knew what was going on.
The fishermen were by no means
pleased with what they had done,
though, for the fight went right
/ on, and the boys were compelled to
take hand in it TO maintain a place
for themselves i'm the boat. With
the boat paddle and one of the seats
they pounded the turtles on their
heads until both were stretched on
the bottom of the boat. The jaws of
the one were still tightly closed on
the leg Of the other, and remained so
! for ten hours after the head was cut
off.-INew York sun.