The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-09
THAT ENORMOUS TURTLE.
Seen by Many, Caught by None, and
Described by All in Nearly the
Same Words.
From the Philadelphia Ledger.

Same Words.
From the Philadelphia Ledger.
I have Travelled for years up and down
our river and know every nook and cor
ner of our meadows and swamps. There
is not a creek valley that 1 have not
trodden, nor little brook that 1 have
not traced and about no one of these
places, great or small, have I ever been
lucky enough to see an extraordinary tur-
tie, and yet if I CHANGED to meet with
some one of our local hunters or fisher
men, 1 have seldom failed to hear the
legend of King Turtle. l heard it almost
fifty years ago, and heard the same story
within a week. 1t is an account of so
prominent and patriarchial a creature that
it is proper to use capitals. No common
place chelonian this, but a king of che
lonians; l find there is practically no
by the octogenarian who has retired from
the field or by the active hunter of to-
day. AS in the widespread myth of the
hoopsnake, every one of my informants
has seen the King, but nobody has cap
tured him.
The story told me scores of times by as
many men and in the same way has one
feature that makes it possibly of value
to the folklore student. The narrator
has always escaped actual molestation,
being merely robbed of his hooks and
lines, and his father or some acquaintance
older than he has run a greater risk from
a still closer encounter. All this, of
myths 1t will readily be seen to be
too realistic a story not to make a very
vivid impression on the mind of a boy,
and he, firmly believing in the creatures
existence, will certainly renew in his
own experiences, aided by fear and imagi-
nation, all that he has heard from his
elders. King Turtle becomes as much a
fact to the boy who hears it as Santa
Claus is to the average little child, and,
unlike the latter case, the absurdity is
not dispelled by later years, but really in
one sense verified, as in the instance to
Thus runs the legend as last told me
by an old man of the meadows: l found
old Thornbush sitting in a sheltered nook,
dreaming the morning hours away in the
delightfully."- warm winter sunshine. AS
I approached he looked up, nodded, and
then looked away, over the broad ex-
panse of lowlands and the shining river
that sparkled as It hurried by its we'll
wooded shores. Although I was unno-
ticed beyond the most formal recognition
/ sat down near him without breaking
the silence for few moments, and then
ventured to ask of what he was think
ing -
the country wasn't so worn out" he re-
Piled and continuing, after a brief pause
there's nothin much left now but the
after tortles. 1t was as much fun as
work when I was a lad, and no comm
back emty-handed, neither
| was glad the old man mentioned tor
lies" for l thought Immediately of the
old story. and asked him If he had ever
''Ketch himF' he exclaimed. why. lad.
there's only one, and nobody ever
ketched him. I've seen him, though
Then, won't you please tell me when
and where?" I asked.
Old Thornbush looked at me with an
uncomfortably searching glance as If to
determine why I asked, and then re-
marked:
at was well on to forty years ago. I
was down at the big bend o. the creek,
where the elms hang over the water
baitin' snapper hooks, and I heard, all
of n sudden a hissin' and splashin' ahead
o. me, and lookin' up, l see the King
Tortle standin up like in the water, and
starn' right at me. His head was big
germ nv fist and his eyes showed all the
fire that was in EN-. / was moren taken
back for sure, and most fell out O. the
boat. and when l looked again / seen his
Shell big as the bottom of washtub,