The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-12-03

Pennsylvania Man Was Obliged ia
Fight for HE Life.

Fight for Hts Life.
Jacob Bricker of Rauohtown had
quite unique as well as thrilling ex'
perience the other day, which he Is al
a loss to account for, but has no desire
to again repeat, says the Philadelphia
Times. Mr.. Bricker is a laborer, and
on the day in question, feeling some-
what indisposed. did not 60 to work.
He was lounging in his house when ne
heard a peculiar noise In the third
story or attic. Supposing at first that
the noise was created by mice and rats
frolicking about, he paid little atten-
tion to 1t. but the continued and In
creasing discordant screeching. COM
bined with the swish Of wings and an
everlasting pit-pat, as made by birds
flying against something, aroused
Bricker sufficiently to institute an In.
vestigation. Alone he went to the at
tic and was at once nonplused and as.
founded to see the small room literally
black with bats, flying helter-skelter
and attacking every inanimate object
In sight. When Bricker first saw the
bats he had no thought of self-protec-
ton from danger, but imagined they
would brighten at his approach and
leave. But in this he was mistaken.
Hardly had he gotten fairly into the
room until the bats, in perfect swarms.
flew at him. Their sharp claws and
stiff wings as they few In his face and
alighted on his hands made many pain
full abrasions, and 1t was with difficulty
the man was enabled to secure short
stick. luckily lying near, with which
to defend himself. Striking right and
left, Bricker went for the mou like
birds, and with every stroke dull
thud on the floor told of one less bat.
But the birds were in for fight, and
the more killed the more 1t appeared
came at the man. Just how long the
struggle continued Bricker has no idea
OF reckoning. 1t could not have been
more than i've minutes, but to him 1t
seemed like an hour or more Finally,
when the swarm of bats began to grow
manifestly smaller under the sure
stroke of Brokers club, they began to
scatter, and with one parting screech
took hasty leave. Covered with blood
on face and hands, and suffering no
little pain, Bricker took a survey Of
the room, and for the first time real
ICED the execution he had been able to
do. The floor was covered with dead
and disabled bats, the latter still
screeching, Hopping about and endeav-
oring to get away. These were dis
patched as soon as possible and with
out any mercy, and then the man made
a count of the dead birds. He found
fifty-three in all, and he is positive that
fully twice that many escaped. The
bats entered the attic through an open
window, but where they all came from
is q mystery. There are a number Of
caves in the immediate vicinity, but
they have mostly been explored and
very few bats ever noticed. And then
the time of their visit being made in
daytime Is another strange occurrence,
as bats habitually fly at night, or after
twilight begins to fall. However that
may be, and come from where they did,
Bricker had fifty-tbree bats to show
for his fight and prove the strange oc-
currence, and to anyone who may think
it small thing to be attacked by these
small birds he is ready to bring assur-
ance that 1t Is not. and can prove It
by his badly scratched face and hands.