The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1903-01-17
SHARK ROBBED HENROOsT.
Rather Tall High-Water Tale from
che south with = Slight Flavor
of Improbabllity.

1t is not often that a shark breaks
into a mans henroost and steals his
chickens Such case, however. is on
record at Pointe-a-la-Hache La. En-
met Hingle told the story as he
showed a visitor around his fathers
back yard, which was full of lively
and intelligent young chickens. Mr..
Hingle has only had a few years ex-
perience as a lawyer, relates the New
Orleans Times-Democrat. His veracity
| is, therefore, unquestioned. He intro
duced the matter by remarking:
1--WE lost a great number of our
| chickens last year by shark.
white or colored?" asked the Wis
itor, incredulously.
"A shark, mana shark from the
gulf, eight feet long
Did he walk all the distance or
/ come in a fish carp"
"The affair is not as impossible as
you are inclined to believe" remarked
Mr. Hingle in an aggrieved tone. You
notice the levee insfront eff the house.
Well, each year during the equinoc-
tial season, a strong southeast wind
blows the waters of the gulf into
Pointe-a-la-Hache and floods the town.
The water is three or four feet deep.
We have to go in skiffs from the
front of the house to the levee. Last
year, as usual when the floods COM
menced, we drove all our chickens
into the big henhouse. Naturally,
when the food became deep they could
not come down to eat. In order to
feed them we rugged up rope par
allel to each roost, and slowly pulled
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 a reclining
position" interjected the visitor.
However, that may have been their
custom during the days of the Ro-
mans"
at was only method of express
sion," continued Mr.. Hingle. 81 meant
that the chickens stood on the roost
and ate the corn as it passed before
them in the basket. Well, we had been
feeding them in this way for a few
days when we noticed that they had
begun to diminish in number. We
then began to count each morning,
and found that four or five disap-
peared each night. We finally de-
cided to watch. 1 rugged myself up
a platform in the chicken house and
went out to spend the night. From
ten o'clock until four nothing hap
pened, and | was becoming pretty
well tired, thinking probably that the
negro who had been robbing our hen
roost had seen me and would not
make another attempt while was
there. As the gray light began to
dawn. however / heard a series OF
splashes, and looking toward the
rear, / saw a large shark jumping
: the fences as il they had been bur
dies. Naturally l was very much
surprised. When the shark bat
jumped our fence he disappeared un
der the water. | was looking al
around for him, when / heard a nois,
, in the henhouse, and looking down.
. saw the shark. He had come in b,
diving through the large hole through
which our chickens had gone into thu
yard when they awoke in the morn
ing. You may imagine my consterna
ton. / was alone in henhouse will
a chicken-eating shark, and hat
no adequate assurance that he wa
, not also a man-eater. The shark di'
t not wait for an introduction, balanc
. ing himself upon his tail. he grabbe'
I chicken from the roost and swal
S lowed it whole. He repeated the fea
| until he had eaten six, and then, div
: ing through the hole, went leapini
5 over the fences again, evidently yer.
I much pleased. He had failed to sc
: me, otherwise he might have bite
$ me in the leg.
e "Well, to make long story short,
s continued Mr.. Hingle, 1--WE waited TO
t him next morning and stopped tn
a hole after he had entered. We the
|. killed him with rife"
o Taking the visitor to the rear ga
!. lery Mr.. Hingle showed the jawbon
n and teeth of the shark. In the teet
;. were a number of chicken feather
"We managed to kill him befor
he had had time to pick his teeth,
r>p,orLad Mr. Hiuple modesf1v