Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-11-14
RAzoRBAcKs AND GATORS.


RAzoRBAcKs AND GATORS.
A FIoridian Tells How His Hogs Killed q Sau
The fame Of the fine porkers raised In
this section is only equaled by the
equally well-known fact that some OF
the biggest and fiercest alligators In
the state inhabit the bayous and mo-
rasses around this place, says Kis-
sammee, Fla, letter to tn Atlanta Daily
News. The owners Of porkers know by
sad experience that alligators like fat
hogs, but they begrudge fattening al.
| ligators on Euch food. {.
F. S. Murtens, who lives four miles
west Of here, has had considerable ex-
perience in such losses. and the first
question he Is asked when he comes tc
town is, "Well, how many hogs have
you lost this week, Fred?" Usually he
has tale Of woe to tell; but on his Wis.
it this week he had different story.
When asked about it today he laugh.
ed little and said that he felt so good
that he didn't begrude the few hogs al
ready lost, as he had so much fur
watching big fight between two alli-
gators and some Of his fierce razor.
backs" that he felt almost even
Murtens, besides his fine bred hogs has
some regular Florida razorbacks that
lived in the pine fiat woods and are sci.
dom seen by him.
1T was hot fight and no mistake, u
said he with a smile, at the recollection
"It occurred last Sunday. was out al
Snake river collecting some Of the
young Berkshire pigs that had strayed
that way. In the afternoon suddenly
heard squealing and believing off to
one side and knew at once that some
gators were getting in their work.,
ran up with all haste; but before get
ting into sight Of the creek where II
came from, heard another sound, q
kind Of fierce snarling and snorting
like, that couldn't place.
Suddenly coming out on a little
clearing where 1t shelved off down to
the water, I saw most exciting con-
test going on. Two big gators had
seized young yearling pig and were
drawing it into the water. Fiercely en-
gaging them were three big razorbacks
These latter looked so fierce that was
glad that. they were not after me-
Their hair stood on end on their backs
and their eyes cleaned with rage
&I,atr ,olr he
foam frothed out in a bloody stream
Two Of them had charged the gator
that held the pig while the other was
fighting his companion.
Zone Of the raZorbacks charged at
the head of the gator that had the
pig, while the other swerved to one side
and plunged his bloody tusks into the
gators side, where the soft skin Is
The saurian beloved loudly as he felt
the blow, and releasing the pig swung
his tail around with resounding
whack, like huge fail, and tried to
hit his assailant. The nimble hog
danced back out Of reach Of this dan
gerous weapon, and as the tail went
back darted forward. and gave the
huge saurian another bloody cash
along his unprotected side. His mate
at the same time ran at the gators
mouth, and gave him a most vicious
cash in the throat as the gator raised
his head, exposing this vulnerable
part. The gator roared with rage
and pain and whirled round and round
trying to hit his antagonist; but to no
purpose. For ten minutes this fight
went on, till finally the boars ran in
and gave the finish by ripping up the
old gator along his stomach, turning
him upon his back, almost by the vio-
lence Of the blow. The dying gator
tried to crawl back into the creek, but
was unable to move. He died in a
short time.
I'm the meantime the other boar was
having a hard time and needed help.
He had missed his aim after giving his
antagonist several bad wounds, and
the gator by a quick movement had
seized him by the hind legs and was
trying to drag him into the water.
This the boar resisted with all his
strength, squealing shrilly and ripping
up the gator whenever he got chance.
Slowly the gator dragged him along
until he was almost on the brink OF the
water. The old boar suddenly uttered
another kind of cry. His companions
hearing tan appeal for help, 1t seemed
to me-left their dying prey and rush
ed to the aid Of the imperiled hog.
They fiercely attacked the gator on all
sides, darting in, burying their huge
tusks in his soft flesh and then rum
ming out again, to escape his heavy
tail that he kept thrashing about In
the vain endeavor to hit them.
This was kept up for a few mo-
ments, when the gator thinking he had
enough, suddenly released the hog he
had caught and tried to escape into
the creek. But the razorbacks were
mad now and plunged at him with re-
newed activity, 80 that I could hardly
keee watch of them. All three Joined
in the fight, and they soon had the
gator over on his side, while they
gashed his body time and again. 1t
was but the work of few minutes to
disable him and their ferociousness
knew no bounds. They gashed The
body and soon had it nothing but n
mass of broken flesh and bones. They
kept this up till they had torn his
carcass into small pieces. Then going
back to the first one they served his
still breathing body the same way.
1T did me good to see that fight, sir,
and I thought that it was worth the
loss of several shoats to see it. The
old raznrhacks knew their business.