The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-17
A ROYAL TURTLE.
Giant Tortoise Acts As Watch Dog
For Family In Honolulu.

For FAMILY In Honolulu.
Honolulu, Aug. 1S.-Stray turtles,
measuring four or five feet in length,
DO not often wander unmolested
through the streets of thickly popu-
lated city. But not long since a well
known family in Honolulu, Hawaiian
islands, received visitor of this kind.
Nobody knows where the great beast
came from; he simply appeared one
DAY at the garden gate and forcing an
entrance, proceeded to make himself at
nome on the premises. He was prompt
~ expelled by the astonished family. to
wander once more on the city streets
Tor they did not know what else to do
with him. The turtle had different
ideas, however; he had found a COM
portable home and meant to stay in it.
lie had very likely led a life of hard
snip and intended to end his days in
peace and security, so he returned but
was again turned out upon the cruel
world. The turtle had win of his own
and was determined to live in that par
leu1ar spot, so he crawled in again the
next time the gate was open. The fam
lily gave up in despair and allowed the
unlnvited guest to remain few days
before they turned him out again. But
he returned once more. This perform
ance was repeated a number of times;
If they shut the gate on him he would
rear UP on his hind legs and put his two
fore feet on the top, like a great dog.
1t was necessary to accept the in
eVltable. The people to whom he wished
to attach himself began to feel a GER
tam superstition, and allowed him to
take possession of the garden which
he had so, long coveted as his abode
There he crawls about in the daytime
and sleeps at night and is given his
three good meals a day of bran and
water, and scraps from the table He is
perfectly harmless old fellow, and
the children have great sport with him,
two or three at time riding on his
back. 1t is only dangerous to place
hand on the side of his neck, for as
he contracts his neck quickly within
his she'll, it is likely to be drawn in
and injured. But his funniest eharac-
teristic developed after he had been
fairly accepted into the family circle;
in return for the kindness lavished upon
him he took upon himself the func-
lions of a watchdog. The poor beast
is not able to bark, but when a stran-
ger enters the gate he gives forth such
loud and formidable Kisses as to fright
en- the most ageous until they dis
cover that his hiss is worse than his
bite.
1t is estimated that this great tur-
tie is very old. While not of a rare
Species he has grown to an unusual
size His neck is beginning to shrivdl
and take upon itself the drawn look
of extreme age. 1t is thought by some
that he is the famous turtle that be-
/ longed to Kamehaneha I. He was the
greatest conqueror and king of the Ha-
waiian islands, and lived over 100 years
ago. The animal remained for genera
| tions in the custody of the royal fam
! ily and last belonged to the queen
! dowager, Kapiolani who died on June
| "a Some time before the queens death
the turtle disappeared. But whether
this queer old beast, with it's almost
human intelligence. has such a roman
tic history or no, it is today one of the
most interesting sights of Honolulu,
| though few visitors know of its exist
! ence.
ANNA NORTHEAD BENJAMIN.