The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-30
SHOT TURKEY UP TOWN
SMALL BOY RAGGED A FINE
 BLACK GoBBLER.
The Bird Had Escaped from a Coop and There Was Fun for Awhile
 as the Young Sports
 Shot at the Game.

Several hundred small boys. whites and blacks, went turkey hunting on Dexter Avenue yesterday afternoon and bagged, with a parlor rifle, a fine black gobbler. The gobbler was the prize bird of a Monroe Street produce merchant and he was left over from the Thanksgiving sale. When the coop was left open yesterday he saw a chance for liberty and he took the chance. Dexter Avenue being the most populous street of the city the gob- yler flew in that direction. He lit on the big cable that spans Dexter Avenue near the intersection of the avenue and Law renee Street.
 The produce merchant followed the flight of the bird and reached Dexter Avenue soon after the turkey had rested himself on the cable, fifty feet above the pavement.
 'Shoo." said Produce Merchant. waving his arms and In a subdued voice as though fearing to attract too much atten- ton.
 The bird did not hear Produce Merchant because he paid no attention.
 "Shoo" repeated Produce Merchant in higher tones and waving his arms.
 The gobbler actually ogled Produce Merchant and the fast increasing crowd. but refused to "shoo."
 Within ten minutes a crowd of three hundred persons, mostly small boys. had gathered, and the vanquished Produce Merchant retired from the scene
 Then the small boys began to have fun with the turkey.
 Rocks, sticks and other debris were hurled at the bird, but he had fastened his eye on the Statehouse clock at the east end of the avenue and paid little heed to the crowd.
 The turkey was immediately over the tracks of the car company and when a motor car came along the bird moved away from this position.
 Look at him; look at him, fellers!' shrieked a small white boy ''he's walking the high wire.''
 And 1t proved that the turkey did know something about doing stunts on high wires. As carefully as Grant, the wire walker the turkey placed one foot in front of the other and capered up and down the cable while the small boys yelled with delight.
 He sho' am outer reach sadly said a small black pickaninny, giving voice to the ruling passion of his race.
 A fat man came along. He looked up at the turkey roasting fifty feet from the ground, nudged his lean friend in the ribs and remarked "Ain't he a bird" The lean friend looked tired.
 The free open air performance by the tralneo turkey threatened to DlOCKaQe the street and two patrolmen. attracted to the scene by the big crowd, appeared and undertook to preserve order.
 "We must get that turkey away from here," sternly declared Patrolman No. 1.
 How will we do it?" asked Patrolman No. 2.
 Do it? Why we'll make him get up and get, if we have to call out the Fire Department and turn the hose on him ["
 At this juncture a small boy trained a slung shot on the turkey and ruffled his feathers.
 "Ah. ha! I have it," exclaimed Patrol man No. 1. Have any of you boys a parlor rifie?''
 Did any one in that crowd have a parlor rife? The idea appealed to about one hundred youngsters. There were few boys present who didn't have parlor | rifles and Hobson-like nearly every | youngster there volunteered to run home and get his rifle
 l tow-headed boy was the first to re- turn with rife and when he had secured the necessary permission from the patrol men he got the bead on the turkey with | the rifle.
 Rap" sounded the rifle. Women in the crowd shuddered, ex- pecting to see the body of the turkey fall | into the street.
 But the body of the turkey did nothing of the kind. Gobbler ogled the crowd some more as the bullet sped past his