The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-02
POSTMEN FACE MANY DANGERS.
THERE ARE TIGERS IN INDIA,
JUNGLES, FOR INSTANCE
One Beast Ate 80 Many Mail Carriers Thu.
He Came to he known az the po.,
South Americas Peculiar Per,ls-.
Hit Of HerOlsm I'm a New York s,

South Americas Peculiar Per,,s
hit OF HerOism I'm a New York Stree,
A big, lean. toothless. NANCY old Bens,,
tiger was restlessly pacing to and fro in
mis- strong cage in the Calcutta Zoo ara
RUBBING his nose violently against III. hara
| now and then, as II he would like to breal
out. "A
An English tourist went close to rho -, -.
| and mockingly offered the growing hsas,
bun. Immediately one Of the keeno~.
hurried up.
Don't go near the Postman, sir,p hs
exclaimed. Hes the worst 7r,n..,-
beast we've got
"Why do you call him the Postman,r
the tourist asked. Its queer name for
a tiger"
ave gave him the name because he ba.
eaten 30 many postmen," the keener 70.
piled. years ago he roamed the iunalo,
Of the interior of Bengal. The mail service
there was carried on. as IL is to-day. by
means Of native carriers, who went from
village to village at gentle jog-trot.
"This old tiger seemed to have made
special study Of the Bengal mail service
When old age overlook him and he was no
longer agile enough to trail the deer and
buffalo, he watched the various mail routes
and devoured the letter carriers.
NO other natives seemed to satisfy his
depraved appetite--only postmen. So he
Toasted, day after day, at the cost Of the
mail service. But l must say to his credit
that he did not disturb the mail itself
That was usually recovered.
Many efforts were made to kill him
but it was not until he had clevoured al
most all Of the local mail department that
he was captured. His victims numbered
over a score
How did they catch him at last2" asked
the tourist.
well It happened in rather curious
way said the keeper. "A letter carrier
was passing one day through thicket of
bamboos which was we'll known to be the
occasional feeding ground of wild ele-
plants.
"As he passed thick clump of canes
az the Postman, leaped out to devour him
But the native was too quick for the aged
beast.
He lodged and the tiger landed on the
covering of an elephant pit on the other
side of the trail and disappeared from
sight.
ran on to the nearest village and reported
his adventure. A large party at once
set out to hunt the beast, but found him
helplessly crippled at the bottom of the pit
He was made captive and transferred
to this big cage. He has never recovered
wholly from the effects of that fall, and Won
can see how he still limps from side to side
of his cage
@We feed him on raw beef and mutton.
but he doesn't seem to like ID so well as his
old diet. He's the worst tempered beast
in the menagerie. A tiger that has once
tasted human flesh never cares for any,
thing else
This story, which is we'll known in Cal
cutta, illustrates the perils of the Indian
postman's life-perils which are shared
in greater or less degree, by postmen ali
over the world
In many parts of India. where the mail
routes lie through forests which are infested
by wild beasts, the postman carries a bell
on the end Of long bamboo rod. As he
goes along at Looping trot he clangs this bell
to Brighten away tigers, cheetahs. jackals.
wolves and other animals.
IL is doubtful W neither the bell Is Of much
use: II certainly does not scare a man-eat-
ing tiger, as many tragedies of the India "a
postal service testify. But it comforts
the postrnan, and is preferred by him to
any weapon.
The authorities on several occasions.
have offered to supply rifles to postmen
on dangerous routes, but the men will not
tigers. IL they can scare them away.
well and good. II not, il is fate; and they,
accept it with Oriental calm
The Indian postal authorities never
have any difficulty in getting carriers.
even for the most dangerous lis. Three
or four men may have been killed within
a few months, along jungle path, but
others are always forthcoming to risk the
same death.
In venezuela, Colombia, Hayti and other
Latin-American republics addicted TO th.
gentle sport of civil war. postmen are often
captured by bands of revolutionists who
desire to intercept dispatches sent by mali
by the Government to its officials at out :
lying points. The treatment of the post
man on these occasions is apt to be none,
too kind.
When 1 saw them running down the
mountain side to cut me off ;" "A id Juan da
Silva, an old Venezuelan pos,man. re-
counting one of these adventures TO an
American the other day. Il lashed nv
mule and galloped along the mountain
path as II the devil We're at my heels IL
was rocky, dangerous rOad. running along
the eige OF steep precipice: but | had
heard much of their cruelties, Senior. and
| preferred TO risk my neck rather than fall
into their hands
But they fired at me and shot my mule,
so / was captured. Their commandants
was furious because had torn I'D an i'm :
portant letter of tie Presidents and throw n
the pieces over the precipice just before
they laid hands on me. Ee threatened
to shoot me, but contented himself with
having me logged with cowhide whips
until ] was unconscious
When l recovered my senses il was
night. The revolutioniSts had camped
and fallen asleep around their fire. There
was no sentry, and most of them seemed to
be dead drunk, for several empty agliar =
diente TASKS were scattered around.
Il was dizzy and sick. and my back
smarted horribly, but managed to crawl
up to the commandante who had ordered
me TO be logged. After had finished with
MN. l took up my mail bag. and led
away and hid myself in the forest There
found some friendly Indians who helped
me to get to my destination and deliver
the letters
But what did you do with the COM
mandante?" asked the American.
What should l do, Senior? He had
ordered me to be fiogged--me, whose grand
father was n caballero of Spainl | cut hia
throat with his Ow n machete Of course
The postr en- who carry the mails.
in small boats between the thousand islets
that. stud the coast of Greece, are often
carried away to sea by the sudden squalls
which have given the Mediterranean an
evil name a"cng sailors. Often they arc
never seen again.
In some parts of the West Indies and the
archipel agoes of the Pacific, the island
postman is exposed TO the same perils and
often meets the same fate,
Perilous adventures and hairbreadtl
escapes fall to the lot of the American
postman as well as to his colleagues in
India, Venezuela and other remote coun-
tIN vza.. l..I.k