The Irish standard., 1895-11-23

A BATTLE IN A JERSEY BARNARD.
The famous Sourland mountain is only
a mile from here. writes a. HopeweH. N: j.
correspondent of the st. Louis Globe
Democrat. One of the most important
events tahat have TRANSFERRED for many
years occurred recently on the farm of
Edward Paxton, at the top Of the noun
tain. It was undoubtedly the fiercest
and strangest battle ever fought between
fowl, beast and bird.
The participants were a gray eagle, a
land turtle dog, two cats and rooster,
and the result Of the battle is two dead,
two dying and one a cripple for life. The
land turtle alone came out Of the fray
unscathed. 1t Is a So FOUNDER, and is
kept chained to a stake just inside the
wire-circled summer yard set apart for
new broo1s of incubator chickens. Its
presence there is supposed to protect the
chickens from weasels The turtle has
developed something of the temper of i2is
snapper brother since being chained.
Just out OF the reach Of Mr.. Turtle one
of Paxton's black cats was lying with
litter Of kittens around her Beside the
mother cat old Tom lay summing himself.
Tom. had killed eight chicken hawks In
his time, Farmer Paxton says.
Suddenly there was a Tapping Of wings,
and over the wire screen flew big gray
eagle The bird ives evidently after an
OLD rooster that was in the yard; but,
miscalculating his distance, he lit on the
ground in the smaller coop-like YARD.
When the bird lit he struck the mother.
cats tail, and instinctively closed his
talons down on it.
In the twinkling of an eye a light was
on. The cat screamed and then jumped
for the eagles throat, which she couldn q
reach. The feathers flew, strong wings
beat the plucky cat, and the screaming
mad screeching was deafening. Paxton
T~a Iov1i fljE u,
rushed to the. coop. The big tom cat, the
killer, Jumped into the fray and
attempted to seize the eagle by the throat
For his pains he received a dig from the
eagles beak which tore off two lncnes
of skin. The eagle released the motnef
cat and attempted to get out OF the pen
like COOP but the half roof prevented ms
escape, and as it again lit on the ground
both cats made for it. Nearly all the
feat hers We're scratched from the Dlru
noble breast and he Wfas bleeding freely,
Old Tom was torn in several PAGES ana
SO was the mother cat.
Suddenly the eagle caught old Tom In
his ta]ons, and as he did SO again at
tempted to make off. Just at this point
the old rooster was struck by the tip OF
the eagle wings, and. like game-cock'
he rushed at the eagle. who pecKeo MN
lust back of the neck, tearing open the
flesh, and nearly severing the neck. Inen
the mother cat almost covered Will '1ls .
own blood and that Of Tom, was nght-
ing the eagle. single handed. With
isis 'ern Peter!' Clendening succeeded
in inducing the old cur dog to enter the
coop. The dog joined the battle against
the eagle. .sr
During the melee, the innocent turtle
chained to the stake, had several times
been tackled. but apparently took no
offnse. When Pete, the dog, Joined the
fight he forced the eagle again to the
turtles side of the coop, and still mold
ing to the tom cat, the birds Tree leg
several times struck the turtles heao.
Suddenly the head shot forth. ana the
next instant the eagles leg was selz 1
between the bony jaws Of the turtle;
with a, scream the bird released Tom and
turned his attention to the turtle. HIS
,heak made no impression on the turtle
shell and the latter retained his hold
on the eagles leg. Once the eagle rose
a couple of feet in the air ana Hfteo the
turtle clear Of the ground.
The bird returned to his attack on 'ilt'
dog, with the result that the cur Went
humping into a. far corner. Then, making
a supreme effort, the eagle broke from the
ner and scared slowly and laboriously
over the mountain.
The fight lasted perhaps five minutes
all told, Paxton says: On ehterlhg lns
coon he found the old rooster dead and
81 was the tom cat The mother cat was
almost skinned alive, and is dying. Pete,
the dog, has apparently lost an eye, ana
he is horribly lacerated. Paxton says ne
cannot live.
The coop was strewn With eagles feath-
ers and blood and on going near to where
the hig land turtle was chained Paxton
Wicked up what can be nothing else than
the foot and about an inch and a half
of the leg Of the eagle, which had oeen
bitten off by the turtle. '@"