The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-05-19
CAPTURED AN ALLIGATOR.
But the Saurian Gave Mr.. Barbee
Lively Fight.


n Lively Fight.
The angriest and most surly alliga-
tor in Georgia was the recipient of
much attention yesterday at Mr.. Bar
bees pavilion, at Isle of Hope. Only
the day before he was as happy and
free a saurian as ever roamed Cuyler
swamp and Toasted on fat pigs in
spring and summer, and lightwood
knots in the fall to make his winters
sleep the more comfortable. And with
in the short space of a few hours
he was a prisoner, hedged about with
impossible barriers. And, as if to add
insult to injury, in the same pen, but
partitioned off by stout board fence,
there were several of the smoothest,
sleekest little pigs in the world-just
the size to make a good CATER dinner;
but to all intents and purposes as far
away as the moon from the gator next
door. 1t was enough to make even the
sweetest-tempered alligator mad.
The capture of the reptile, which
occurred alongside the railway track
in Cuyler swamp, gave Mr.. Barbee and
two or three passengers about as live
ly a quarter of an hour as they have
experienced in a long while. The car
was coming to the city. Some distance
ahead the motorman noticed commo-
ton in the bushes and a big, black OBJ
ject crossed the track at some speed.
Instantly there was all eagerness in
the car, which was brought to a stop
a short distance away. Investigation
showed that a big gator had been sur
prised on a foraging trip; also that
there was something of a bank on the
side of the road to which he had
crawled. Given time, he might have
scaled the bank, but being in a hurry
he slipped back every time he made
the attempt.
Mr.. Barbee determined at once to
capture the "critter" if possible. With
several volunteers he rushed upon the
gator; then Mr. Barbee and the sew
eral volunteers rushed back again
more quickly than they had gone. Mr..
Gator showed fight. Turning upon the
men he emitted a hiss that was like
steam coming from an open cock, and
started directly for them.
At a safe distance, the men held a
council of war, the conclusion of which
was that Mr.. Barbee was going to get
that alligator, even if it disarranged
the schedule temporarily. But how?
A dozen impossible plans were sug-
gested, followed by one practicable one,
which was Immediately put into exc
cution. Mr.. Barbee took the bell-rope
or the car ana lieu II u Tie llOllSS >,
then took the trolley rope and made
running nose of it. After much care
and several trials, the moose was
thrown over the alligator's head when
he raised it to hiss at his tormentors
and drawn taut And then there was
such a thrashiug and kissing and roar
ing as only a thoroughly aroused alli-
gator is capable of. Mr.. Barbee says
the blows of the fellows tail would
have broken a mans leg like a pipe
stem, and there can be little doubt of
it,
Having captured his game, Mr.. Bar
bee made his lasso fast to one of the
trolley posts along the right-of-way
and brought his car TO town. On the
return trip there were number OF
ladies on the car, but when Mr.. Barbee
informed them that he had a. passenger
to pick up in the swamp, and described
the passenger, everybody was willing
that he should have the rear of the car
all to himself. When the time came
for putting the gator aboard there
was another fight, and quite lively
one. The gator hadn't any use tor
trolley cars, which fact he tried his
best to impress upon his unwelcome
friends and admirers. But they had
him at a disadvantage an he was re-
luctantly given dead-head ride TO the
end of the line. One more night at Isle
of Hope, and then the alligator was
landed in the pen at the pavilion. the
reptile is eight feet long, and 1t takes
five men to handle him.