The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-06-10
@luck and @ O
o O Rdventure.
EAGLE CARRIES OFF CHILD.

While little girl about eighteen
/ months old, the only daughter OF a
\ young Suther,andshir crOfter, living
about a mile from Invershin Station.
| on the Highland Railway, was playing
| at her fathers cottage door on Satur-
day evening, an eagle swooped down.
gripped her in its claws, and carried
her of 10 the mountains, where some
hours later her dead and mutilated
body was found by a gamekeeper.
At first there was no clue 10 the
mystery Of her sudden disappearance.
The little one had been playing in
the sunshine while her mother was
baking bread and her father was still
at work in the fields
Her baking finished. .le mother pre-
pared tea and called the child. AS
there was no response, she went out
TO look for her. and, not seeing her
anywhere, became alarmed, and went
In search OF her husband
Together they searched the country
road, the fields and the hillside. calling
the little ones name, and waiting in
vain for an answer.
Crofters and gamekecpers and all
their neighbOrs soon joined In the
search in the gathering dusk, and
under the supposItion that the baby
had been KIDNAPPED by gYpsies or
ira yelling thinkers Of whom several had
been seen in the neighborhOOd earlier
IN the week search parties were
formed 10 scour the countryside.
No trace Of any strangers was found,
however. and not the faintest clue 10
the little ones fate. In despair the
father headed a party to search the
river, though it was felt TO be i'm
possible that the child could have
Straycd so far
Meanwhile. gamckecpcr's party
was hunting through the dense broom
which covered 4 neighbOring hill and
while this investigation was in pro
CrcsS one Cf the gamckeapers, recall
ing stories OF lambs being carried
away by eagles, made his way toward
the rocky cragS near the crest Of the
hill.
In crcvic in the rocks he saw n
tiny shoe. and i'm a deeper cleft
little higher up, he found the body OF
the missing girl
The sight was a pitiful one. Both
eyes were missing, and the child's
face was covered with blood From
her right cheek piece Of flesh had
been torn away, and on her arms,
hands and neck were other wounds
which told their own terrible story
On the clothing were found. out
lined in the little ones blood the cruel
marks Of an eagles claw, and clutched
in the baby's tiny hand was "A bunch
of eagles feathers
The gamekceperc shouted for his
fellow scarchcrs when he discovered
the Child's body. Swiftly they gathered
around the cleft in the rocks. There
they stood silent with horror and sor-
row when they saw the child Some
u them, rough. strong. sturdy men,
wcpt
The little ones mother was brought
to the spot by the Commotion and
before the news could be broken to
her had caught sight OF her baby's
tldHpltu DDuy.
With hcart.brokcn cry. she claspcd
the little one in her arms. She tainted.
and had to be carried unconscious
down the hillside To her cottage
The news sSon spread through all
the countryside, and the gamckecpers
took their guns and spread themselves
cut to search for the eagle. This has
been unsuccessful so far
Two years ago an eagle attacked
and killed a deer in Sutherlandshirc.
and fed on its body until the keepers
drove il of. Lambs are sometimes
missed and their skeletons afterward
found on the hlltOps
II is fifty years, however. since such
n tragedy as that Of Saturday o.
Cured. London Express.