The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-09-21
WANTED A PEACOCK.
LITTLE CHARLEY GOT ONE, TOO,
AFTER A HARD STRUGGLE.
The Central Park Birds Were Very Wise,
but He Outsenersled Them Eventually.
Then He Was Surrounded and had to
Yield the Prize After All.

but he Outsenersled Them Eventually.
Then He Was Surrounded and had to
Yield the Prize After All.
Chaxley Schelinsky, who is s years
old, cried for an elephant two years ago
when he first saw one By degrees his
ambition wore away until he felt, that
be would be satisfied with one of the
Central park peacocks He set his heart
on peacock. He was bound to have
one some day. and while he was wait
ing for the day to come he built a cage
for it at his home.
For weeks Charley went peacock
hunting in the park. He took bread
crumbs out there and scattered them on
the grass, but whenever he grabbed for
one of the birds it got away from him.
Then he br ought fshhooks and baited
them with worms. He would tie one Of
the hooks to fence and conceal him
self behind a tree for hours, but the
peacocks swept haughtily past the snare,
their proud noses held high and their
fan tails spread out for the sun to shine
on. Charley often went home crying
and looked sadly at his empty peacock
cage.
"I'll have one Of them birds yet, he
said. setting his teeth firmly together,
and next day he broke open his bank
and bought cents worth of birdlime
at the corner drug store. But the bird
lime didn't work, and the peacocks
which had learned to know Charley by
sight, seemed to sneer at him whenever
he went out on one of his peacock hunts
A few days ago Charley found a very
aged but wise looking peacock sitting
under a tree intently listening. The
peacock was blind or shortsighted and
had to make up for defects in vision by
the use of his ears. The boy hunter
crept on his hands and knees toward the
bird. but a breaking twig gave the
alarm, and the sagacious bird wenv off
with loud cluck. Charley traced him
to his favorite roosting place and then
chuckled knowingly.
I'm 60 home and get blanket to
wrap him in, " said Charley, and then
come out here and have another try"
This he did. He found the peacock
sleeping calmly under bush, with no
peacock lookout to give him the alarm.
The peacock hunter crawled on his
hands and knees and got the bird.
He fought like soldier and almost
thrashed Charley, but after he had been
punched about bit he was subdued
and tame,
IF you say single word" said
Charley to the bird, "I'll wiring your
neck" and the captive lay quiet in the
blanket. 1t took some clever packing to
prevent his tail from sticking out. but
this was accomplished, and in triumph
the boy began to lug the bundle home.
He had just got out Of the park when
the bird began to struggle again. De-
tectives Sweeney and Cahill, who were
doing on bench near the gate, woke
up at the sound of the ssuffle and sur
rounded the boy and his prize.
What have you got there. sonny?"
they asked.
Its me baby brudder," answered
the boy. He's been sick with headache,
and 1 have to wrap him up like this
when l take him out. "
Just then the peacock, hearing the
commotion, put his head out to see what
was up.
You're Bird" said the detective.
IF that's your little BROTHER
They yanked the boy to the police
station and took the peacock back to the
park.
In the Harlem court Charley had
several defenses.
THE peacock was blind" said he,
land / believed he'd get into trouble
out there in the park, so me and another
boy thought we'd sell him to some kind
man who'd give him good home.'
1T was a wild peacock, " was the
second defense, land not one of those
tame ones at all. It followed me half q