The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-29
A MODERN ROC.
West Virginia MOuntaIneers Terror
fzed by "A Gigantic Bird.

lied by Gigantic bird.
West Virginia Cor. Globe-Democrat.
Not since the treacherous Cauley river
rose suddenly in the night and swept
scores of the mountaineers living along
its banks to death in its icy waters has
Webster county been 50 excited as It Is al
present. From away down on Cherry
river to the remotest settlements on su-
gar run, in the upper part ofshe county.
the mountaineers are talking of the gi-
gantic bird which has been terrorizing this
section for the past week or ten days
About two weeks ago a child of Dan
Junkins, who lives over on BergOo, some
fifteen miles from this place suddenly
disappeared in a manner which for a
time puzzled the oldest hunters and
woodmen of the county. 1t is now regarded
as an absolute certainty that the child, a
little girl OF ten years, fell a prey to the
winged monstrosity which for want Of a
better name the mountaineers call an ca
Little Landy was sent by her mother
one Friday afternoon TO the cabin Of Joe
Warwick, a mile and half south OF that
who had been sick. The girl started soon
after noon for the Warwick cabin, but
never reached there, and vanished as
completely as If she had been spirited
away by supernatural power. As Landy
did not return by or o'clock Mrs. Jun
kins grew uneasy and sent her husband
TO look for her. He thought perhaps she
had remained with the Warnicks, and
went straight TO the cabin. There he
learned that the child had not been there.
BY that time Il had become dark and as
sisted by the Warnicks, Junkins started
to hunt his daughter. Nothing could be
seen of her, and the whole party returned
to the Junkins cabin. AS there were sew
eral inches Of snow on the ground the
tracks of Landy could be plainly fol-
lowed. They were followed TO a point
within half mile of the Warwick cabin,
when they suddenly disappeared and. could
not be seen any further. The point where
they STOPPED was IN a cleared field where
buckwheat had been grown last season.
The child must evidently have been
frightened at something, for the tracks
left he path, and where they stopped were
some fifteen or twenty feet away from II.
There were number of her tracks to-
gether, as II she had turned around and
around while trying to avoid something.
Beyond this point the footprints disap-
peared. The search was continued far
into tho night, and the surrounding forest
was secured as far as possible. as II
was thought the child might have wander
ca from the path. The searchers were
compelled to return TO the almost distract
ed mother with the news that the missing
child had not been found.
The next day the search was continued
by number of others, who had heard
the story. and come TO volunteer their
services. Search as closely as they could.
beyond the footprints in the snow at the
point near the path, they could not be fol-
lowed further How the child could have
vanished and left no farther trace puz-
zled every one, III she had been seized by
a wild animal its tracks would surely have
been left in the snow, but there was moth
ing of the kind. There was no explana-
ton to be offered. and the mystery OF the
Disappearance was not revealed until
several days later.
Peter Swadley, a noted bear hunter OF
Webster, is now In the village being
treated for the wounds he received from
the huge bird over on Laurel creek day
before yesterday. He Is still in "a precarious
condition from the encounter Swadicy
was brought TO Addison by Abe Kitsmiller
on the afternoon of the day IL happened
Swadley was hunting a bear over on Piney
ridge, and had his dog Gunner with him
The two were tracking a bear, whose
haunts Swadley had known for some
days, through the laurel on the mountain
side, when he came into a little clearing,
and suddenly without other warning than
a scream louder than that of a panthe
which Swadley thought at FIRST had jumped
on him, the immense feathered creature
swooped own with the evident intention
of bearing him off The bird dug its fall
ons in his back, tearing his coal into
shreds and for some minutes there was a
fierce fight in the snow. Swadley lost his
rifle, and did not get a chance to use his
hunting knife.
Though he is a large, powerfully built
man he had no chance with his bare
hands. and his wounds show what a tight
worst wounds the hunter received was
over the left eye, where the scalp was
torn away for al least three inches maxi
ing terrible wound. Swadley still man
aged to retain his footing i'm the snow.
thoush-.nearly unconscious and strove
to ward off the blows of the eagles talons,
which nearly tore him to pieces, Swadley's
dog Gunner was probably the only thing
that saved him from being killed.
The dog was off from its master when
the bird attacked him, but when Swad-
ley shouted 1t returned and made for
the eagle. The latter turned from the
man to the dog and Swadley SAYS with
open its stomach and flew away with
the poor creature whining in its talons
Almost blinded by the blood which
flowed from the wound over his eye the
hunter contrived to find his way down
the mountain side to the cabin of Abe
or more from the place of conflict. He
stumbled into the cabin nearly dead from
loss of blood Kitsmiller was at home
and after he had bound up Swadiey's
wounds as well as he could, he put him
on a horse and brought him to Addison
on him so suddenly, and nearly blinded
him at the outset by the blow on the
head, Swadley is not able to give much
of a description of it, Its strength, how
ever, he declares, was prodigious, and
twice he was lifted off his feet, by its
onslaughts. Its body, he says. is as large
ez ter how / should have ter pick atwixt
a painter and the varmint in fair hand
tO-hand fight, l should take the painter
every time" ne said in telling OF the
affair.
what is you name, little boy?'
Peter, ma. am, said Willis.