The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1901-08-30
The Tnrtle's Revenge.


A restaurant keeper in Elizabeth,
New Jersey, recently bought large
sea turtle, for ture use in his business,
and allowed it to crawl over the floor of
the restaurant until he was ready to
kill it. The principle may have been
somewhat the same as that which in
duced the proprietors of certain French
restaurants to have the cat in plain ev-
idence when they had rabbit Stew on
the bill of fare, so that the customers
might see that pussy was safe. In this
case. however, it was the object Of the
proprietor to convince his patrons that
the soup he served was not going to
be made Of mock turtle.
One of his customers, having moth
ing better to do, began to tease the tur-
tie, kicking 1t on the head and other
wise tormenting it. The creature en-
dured for season, but not through
Christian fOrbearance, as the sequel
shows. He was merely waiting for
his chance, and that is possibly the
secret of some forbearance labeled
Christian on the part OF human be
ings. When the chance came the tur-
tie seized his tormentor by the calf Of
the leg, and held on as if he intended
to wait until it thundered before he let
20. The man was not nearly as silent
under punishment as his hard-shelled
victim. He set up a vigorous howl,
and the proprietor came running IN
Excited bystanders beat the turtle
with sticks and canes, trying to make
him let 20, but the turtles shell was
expressly constructed for that sort Of
thing. and he held on. Finally the
restaurant keeper struck him in the
neck with an ice pick, and the situa-
ton was relieved.
The occurrence might have been used
by some old fashioned theologian as an
Illustration in a sermon on the total
depravity of all nature, due to the curse
of Adam for it was once currently be
lieved that in the days before the Fall
every animal lived IN peace and har-
mony with its neighbor, and none were
carniverous or vicious in any way.
Geology has upset this pretty theory
by showing that there were carnlverous
animals on earth before the appear
ance Of man, but the fact is that the
curse Of Adam or any other supernat-
ural factor is quite unnecessary 10 in
yoke i'm this connection. The turtle
was merely defending himself in the
only way he knew, and if the man had
let well enough alone he would not
have been bothered.
There is i'm human nature altogether
too much Of the spirit which in this
case led to such summary punishment.
1t exists especially among boys and
Young men, though some men old
enough to know better indulge in II.
They will tease and worry dog until
the animals patience gives out, and
then call the dog vicious beast If they
happen to get bitten. They will tor
ment a horse till the creature IL all
a.ouiver with nervousness, under pre-
text Of training it, and if they can set
a dog on some stray cat and see the cat
chased up a miserably inadequate little
tree. they are happy. There are few
animals, especially among domesticaied
species. which will attack human be
ings if they are let alone; and there are
perhaps few which will not resent con-
tinual teasing and maItreating More
than one dog has been spoilt for decent
society by just this sort Of thing. In
pursuance Of sport" the boys who had
him in charge when a puppy have en-
couraged him to pounce and bite until
he is terror to every timid child IN
the neighborhood and a nuisance t.
nervous adults. Then, some hot sum
mer day, the iun goes little too iar,
and the dog bites IN earnest, aud some
body has hydrophobia scare. Onfor-
tuualely, the person bitten is not al
WAYS the one who was responsible ioI
the dogs irritable temper. In the case
Of the turtle vengeance overlook the
right person, aud nobody il likely to
he particularly sorry for him, even u
his victim was a somewhat uhatlia'-
tive member Of the animal Kingdom