Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1902-09-19
qeNRoosT ROBBED BY A SHARK
Tho Robbcr Caught in the Act, With
Chicken Feathers Between His Teeth.


II 10 not often That q shark breaks
nto a mans hsnroost and steals his
chickens. Such case. however, Is on
.ecord at Points-a-la-Hache. Emmett
Hingle told the story az he showed
visitor around his fathers back yard.
which was full Of lively and intelligent
young chickens. Mr.. Hingle has only
had a few years experience ss a law
yer. His veraeity Is therefore unques-
toned. He introduces the matter by
remarkipg:
eve lost 4 great number Of our
chickens last year by a shark"
white or colored?" asked the visitor
iscredulously.
"a shark, msn-a shark frem the
Gulf--eisht feet long
IBID he walk all the distance or
come in hsh carr
"The affair is net as Impossible as
you are inclined to believe" remarked
Mr. Hingle In an aggreived tone. You
notice the levee in front Of the house.
We'll. each year during the equinoctisl
season, a strong southeast wind blows
the waters of the Gulf into Pointe-a-ia-
Haohe and floods the town. The water
is three or four feet deep. We have 10
20 IN skiffs from the front Of the house
to the levee. Last year, as usual, when
the floods commenced, we drove all our
chickens into the big henhouse. Nat
urally, when the food became deep
they could not come down to eat. In
order to feed them we rugged UP rope
parallel to each roost. and slowly
pulled a basket of corn from one end
to the other. In this way the chickens
had to eat standing up
IL did not know that chickens ever
ate sitting down or in reclining posi-
tien," intefjected the visitor. Now
ever. that may have been their custom
during the days of the Romans"
"It asonly method of expression"
continued Mr. Hingle. II meant that
the chickens stood on the rDost and ate
the corn a. it passed before them in the
basket Well, we had been feeding
them in this way for few days when
We noticed that they had begun to dl-
minish ia number. We then began TO
count each morning, and found that
four or five disappeared each night.
We finally decided to watch. l rugged
myself up a platform in the chicken.
house and went cut to spend the night.
From 10 o'clock until nothing hap
pened, and was becoming pretty well
tired, thinking probably that the negro
whe had been robbing orr henreost
had seen me and would not make an.
other attempt while l was there. Az
the gray light began to dawn, how
ever, l heard series Of splashes, and
looking toward the rear 1 saw large
shark jumping the fences as II they
had been hurdles. Naturally | was
very much surprised. When the shark
had Jumped our fence he disappeared
under the water. / was looking all
around for him when heard noise in
the hsnhouse, and looking down saw
the shark. He had come in by diving
through the large hole through which
our chickens had gone into the yard
when they awOke in the morning. You
may imagine my CONSERVATION. was
alone in a henhouse with a chicken
eating shark, and I had no adequate as
suranee that he was not also man
eater. The shark did not wait for an
introduction, balancing himself upon
hfs tan, he grabbed chicken from the
roort and swallowed it whole. He re.
peated the feat until he had eaten six,
and then. diving through the hole. went
lsaping over the fences again, evidently
very much pleased. He had failed to
see me, otherwise he might have bitten
me in the leg.
well, to make long story short"
continued Mr. Hingle, I'VE waited for
him next morning and stopped the hole
after he had entered. We then killed
him with a rife"
Taking the visitor to the rear gallery
Mr.. Hingle showed the jawbone and
teeth of the shark. In the teeth We're a
number Of chicken feathers.
I'VE managed to kill him before he
had time to pick his teeth" remarked
Mr.. Hingle modestly. New Orleans
Times Democrat