The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-05
DATES ON TURTLES BACKS.
Romances Growing out of Them.
Great Age Attained.
From the New York Tribune.

Great Age Attained.
From the New York Tribune
Indianapolis, July 2s.-The great age TO
which the turtle may attain has recently
led to considerable discussion in the In
diana counties lying along the Ohio riv-
er, and the interest has been heightened
and the longevity of the turtle confirmed
by find which has just been reported
from the neighborhood of Vevay Switz-
erland county. j, ID. Froman and T.. r..
kelso. both men OF veracity, were walk
ing along the river one evening and
found turtle which carried on the back
in Inscription &C. f. s., Lamb. 1e65.
They threw the wanderer into the river
and began an investigation, with the
suit that they learned the initials stood
FOR G. T.. Simpson. who remembered cut
ting the letters on the animal when he
was quite young man. 4 few days later
some mowers on the Dugdale farm. near
Nevay, found the same turtle, II having
wandered inland a distance of nearly ten
miles.
Another story which comes from the
same region contains a suggestion of
romance. turtle was captured by Miss
Mary Conn. and had on its shell armnr
the lett r. end figures M A B. 1850"
Miss Conn repor ed The hud o her father
e rse w. Conn. of Char own. and
he recalled the circumstances und which
the teri apin was marked more than forty
years ago He said that he and Mary A
Bryer were walking along the river bank
one night in 1850. He had just proposed
10 her and had been accepted when he
espied the turtle in the sand Picking II
up he cut Miss Buyers initials and the
date upon its back, and turned II loose
Mr.. Conn and Miss Dryer were married
Their dlughter was horn, the mother
died. and the daughter. grown TO woman
hood. found the turtle. The turtle was
found within three miles OF the spot where
II was picked up forty years before, .but
that is the only time that 1t Ia known to
have been seen Mr.. Conn made an effort
to keep The wanderer, but 1t made It's
escape from the pen which he construct
ed, ana II is again carrying the romance
up and down the Ohio.
quite the opposite of this little romance
is story that has received general ere
dence along the river In Switzerland coun-
~ In 1859 little girl named jackson
caught a turtle in the sand and cut her
initials on its back. together with the
date. Time wore on and the Incident
passed entirely out of her mind. She was
a handsome woman, remarka bly, vivacious.
etu not above the weakness of coduettv
But as the years went by and she missed
chance after chance to marry she decided
that her age must remain in the neigh
borhood of thirty. Indeed, she did not
look a day older than that
II was under such conditions that a
young man came to the town and opened
store. He was not over twenty-five,
and IL was not long before he was mani
testify under the influence of the charms of
Miss Jackson's accomplishments. Rumor
mad Ii that they were about to be mar
ried. one evening late In the spring they
were walking along the river bank, and
the turtle with the telltale date and I'M
tials obtruded itself in their way The
lover saw the coincidence between the mi
tails of his affianced and those on the
back of the turtle. but the date was who'll
y out of harmony with what she had
represented. His suspicious were aroused
ana with them came back she old sar-
casm which had long been latent in Miss
Jacksons disposition. She replied with
bitterness when he demanded 10 know
how old she was when she cut her ini-
tlals on the turtles back. Then, there
was quarrel. and then the young mer-
chant ceased his attentions, and the two
became as strangers.
The theory that the turtle lives 10 be
one hundred years old does not appear
20 be unreasona Die In the light of q find
which was made by Lee Carmony.
farmer, of Madison county, a short time
ago. He was ploughing in his field, when
he discovered land turtle that had the
date July 1894" inscribed upon its back.
The marking had been greatly dimmed
by growth, but the figures could be traced
with ease. There are people still living
along the Ohio river VINO declare they
have seen turtles which had been marked
by the soldiers of Gen. George Rodgers
Clarke when he was holding out on old
Corn Island preparatory to marching
against the British at Kaskaskia and Vim
cennesa and at least one OF the terrapin
carried on his back the date of 1887.