The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-23
THE WO0OPECKER'S FEAT.
His Persistent Picking Broke a rele'
graph Pole.

! II you have read and doubted the story
| Of he prisoner centuries ago who, ac-
cordlng % a comic opera liorett0, cut his
way through a stone wall with PEN
knife, read this story, one Of iact and
I believe. This IS an achievement OF the
ued- headed woodpeckor.
on Hartford avenue. just south OF the
Belt Line tunnel there was tail, Well
rounded and apparently sound telegraph
pole. To passers-by 10 was just a tele-
graph pole, doing lts duty Ike any Of the
army Of timbers stretched along the thor
/ our are. Probably this pole would never
have b-en heard OF had T. not been FOR am
unusual occurrence Sunday morning. And
lxhis Is what happened. AT 10 o'clock, with
out any warning like "a great strong man
strr elk down by some slow but sure dis
ease. the pole suddenly groaned. ana
then with o. swapping, tearing, grinding
sound. the upper portion fell t0 tne street,
leaving about twenty-five feet standing
The people looked on and wondered. Inerf
was no hurricane. not even Dflsk
breeze. and surely not enough 20 sever
such pole as that which had Weathered
$50 many storms. And stiu they wondered
Explanations followed thick a-li fast
and the argument over the cause became
AN the more heated. The Oldest inhao-
itant was sought. and after much going
over the past he remembered that some
time ago hc had been disturbed whiie
quietly reading his paper and smoking
his pipe by a sound as II boys were tap
ting on the DOOR After o. while he no.
tcei a bird. a real. livo wood-pocker
working theoretically with its sharp
pointed bin against the telegraph pole.
This be said. was fully 1--WE years ago.
Then somebody else remembered having
seen bird Deckng away 90 The pole But
even this they thought. could not have
caused such a great timber 20 fall Then
small boy volunteered the testimony
that he had seen bird light on the pole
and was about - shoot ct IL with ais
slungshot. the policeman on the beat be-
ing at dinner. when the bird disappeared
In a hole g. The poll.
Then the Oldest iuhaOltant took the
stand again. in reLdtIal as &c were ana
me corr0borated the boy s. statement in
fact he had seen two birds so 20 the
Role. Then resident who had at one
time worked DO saw m.ll until a certain
buzz saw. while on .he buzz. had chang
ed his occupation 90 something suitable
for a 1nc-armet MAJ, openly declared
that lao wood ecker in the world could
have ever cut through wood Ike that II
sc had started before horse GAYS ran out
Cay street.
Tho Oldest inhabitant scratched hia
head. ana another resident who had lived
In The country hlry c.,radic,cd the
man who had worried in tho s.auilu. and
while they Fought 90 OUT s0 20 SPEAK,
the small boy investigated.
Sure enough. there ighf where the
pole had broken was the hollow where
tAe woodDc-kers had cut out .heir nest
ana. what was more and really unan-
,werabo and convincing testimony be-
vond p-r8dVolture. vas o. poor Hide
wooIpecker haif frightened to death.
The snail hos took possession OF H. ana
tho Oldest inhabitant walked back ana Pc
marked lriumphatniy "I toid you So"
while the one-armed man went b HIS
home and the man who lad spent his
boyhood days or the farm gave him tLe
glseful gursle.
All OF which goes 70 show that the pris-
oner who clipped his way through n
stone wall Hltn a penknlfe and the sDi-
der that built a s.lken suspension bridge
have been outdone by the industrious
woodpecker
II you don't believe This 90 over 20
Hartford avenue just south % the Heit
line tunnel. and be convinced.-Bairmofe
Herald.