The age-herald., 1898-02-15
TURNING TURTLES OVER A Night. With a Couch in the
 Gulf of Mexico. RARE LAND EXCITING SPORT Riding the Green FellOwd and Pegging Log gerheads Experience Suggestive
 of Prize Fight.
From the New York Post.

Dye see that old wreck over yander?' said the Conch pointing to some timbers which were visible in the moonlight. That's curious thing, now; there's the hull of big ship in water so shoal that yo kin walk round it in dead low tide. They tell curious thing, now; there's the hull of a big ship in water so shoal that yo' kin walk round it in dead low tide. They tell curious story how old John a pilot back yander-tried to take her through the fiye-foot channel an missed it. Some say he wracked her on purpose; any, how, there was doggoned curious things about it. I-'
 The Conch stopped in his recital as though paralyzed; then, grasping my arm, he pulled me down fiat upon the sand and whispered the mysterious word "Turkle!' We lay quiet, not moving a. hand, hardly breathing, a few moments, then peered over little ridge of sand. Directly in the pathway of the moon, as 1t joined the sands, was a round object, which glistened in the light-the head of tur- tie.
 The animal had come in almost opposite to us, and was resting it's fore fiippers on the sand, and, its long, deep signing hiss had at once caught the ear of the Conch. The turtle rested in this way for live min utes, then, satisfied that the coast was clear, 1t clambered heavily and clumsily outof the water and moved slowly up the sand, occasionally stopping and raising US bullet-shaped head, then letting 1t drop upon the sand. The higher it crawled the more cautious it became, Its huge black shape being easily seen on the sand It finally halted on a line with our position, about ten feet from the bushes, which the sea never reached except in the heaviest gales, and whre tn sand was soft and GOV cred with sponges, sea-fans and other re- jectamenta of the sea. Here the turtle began to dig, evidently using its hind flip pers in throwing out the sand.
 When the digging ceased the Conch whispered, She's 1ayin' now's our time, and he began to wriggle upon his hands and knees toward the water, and bade me do as he did. We had moved perhaps half way down to the water, when he sprang to his feet, and we both rushed at the turtle. Being between 1t and the water, it caught. sight of on the instant and evidently had not begun to lay, as 1t turned and made so vigorous Tapping to reach the water that fell completely over it in my eagerness and lack of skill.
 "This side, this side Quick! Now then, all togetheri" cried the Conch.
 He had seized the side of the shell, and, recovering my feet, almost blinded by the sand which the animal scattered with her l lifted. It was easier said than done as, being next to the head a location which learned later was given to green hands, I received a telling blow over the neck the moment the animal was lifted, which threw me against the Conch who. in turn, lost his hold and went down. The turtle lost no time, but kept her powerful fore flip pers pounding the sand at a terrific rate, and when tuched turned her head in my direction in a way that did not encourage any undue familiarity. Again we rushed to the attack and again the flying fore flipper, that went through the air like the arm of Dutch windmill, drove me from the position.
 "Yo' mus hop on, sah!' cried Buddy, breathing hard and settling back on the sand, with both hands graspng a hind flipper. 'sYo' mus hoP on, or she'll tote us right over yander.'
 In point of fact, the turtle had been towing us from the first, and every mo- ment she was diminishing the distance be- tween us and the water. l had never re- alized that there is so much sport and va riety in turtle turning, and had always imagined it a prosaic work. This engage ment had been short, but I had already been pounded and hammered in a manner which suggested the rounds of a prize fight from the standpoint of the second-best man. efa
 The turtle was so heavy that she would have been good weight under the most favorable circumstances, and l was be- coming discouraged when the Conch sud- denly let go and seized a plank lying in the driftwood, which he thrust beneath the crawling animal. While I held back, with a powerful effort, he lifted her on edge, and we literally bowled her over upon her back where she beat her breast and ground her flippers into the sand in her rage.
 "She was sorter heavy and lively" re- marked Buddy. wiping his face on his sleeve and shaking the sand from his ears. I quite agreed with him; and, in all the various turns and experiences had since then, never went through harder bat tle
 north suggested that the party were mak- ing g. turn, and in the course of an hour Buddy and I had another experience-this time with a big loggerhead, which bit the plank and snapped at us vicfously as we rushed to the attack In all, five turtles were turned that night. Their fippers were slit at once and tied AStogether with rope yarn, and the following day they were taken to Garden Key and released in a big "crawl"
 Here they had swimming pen of a quarter of a mile In length, and whenever 1t became necessary to catch one, a scene was nacted that, for excitement defes adequate description. The turtles spent most of their time lying on the sandy bot tom, asleep, occasionally rising to the sur face to utter a long sigh or inhalation, and 1t was at this time that they were cap tured.