The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-11-17
A MAN EATER.
A Mans Head and Two Sailors
Hats Found in
A SHARKS STOMACH.
How the Horrible Evidence Shocked the
Grew and Passengers OF an Ocean
Liner When the Shark that
Followed the Ship Was
Captured.

Followed the Ship Was
Captured.
Do sharks thirst for human blood
aud thus deserve the name Of man
CATERS" All who know the sea, from
books or from experience, are familiar
with this indictment against the
most savage and rapacious of the
oceans creatufes-that when be has
orce tasted human flesh no other
food satisfies him, and that he will
follow ships day after day, growing
lean in the chase, with his little gray
eyes glued on the moving figures on
their decks.
Lately there has been the most
CHASTITY demonstration Of the truth of
this charge that can be conceived.
The man, eating shark which gave
this horrible testimony against him
self suffered capital punishment for
his crimes, while giving the crew and
passengers Of the p. and 0. liner
Syria sLcl a shock that they vent
alb ut pale and trembling for hours
afterWaId.
This man eater had followed the
Syria hundred OF miles in the Indian
Ocean, into the Red Sea and to Sucz
where he WAS recognized as an old
lie; dor. When a shark Is see fol.
lowing a snip %Jireiessly day after day,
0his, as all sailors know, means that
he has acquired a taste for human
II sh, which is to enSlave him throug.
out the remainder Of his career-he
is q man, eater" All other food
pals on his palate.
While the ship vas anchored at
Suez tho man. eater prowled about
her constan tly, his sharp fin cutting
the Isu face, of the harbor and his
head lifted now aud then for a sight
Of the prey he SO coveted.
Seafaring men about the docks
we're sure they recognized him as the
same shark that had followed many
another vessel from the Indian Ocean
through the Rod Sea. They charged
" o him more than one sailor snap
: from rudder chains, or, having
n overheard, seized before q boat
d reach him.
.embess Of the crew OF the Syria
s,areo this belief. The passengers
heard the stories and shuddered as
they watched tile man eater Gircling
0~ungrily about the ship. They re
membered how he had not lot, the
snip out Of his sight f)r many days
Now they were eager for his capture
and just punishment.
81 the officers gave the crew per-
mission to hait a nook for the mon
sCer. They were not enthusiastic
about the result, for man eating
sharks are nearly always ScOrnful of
other than the living food they most
crave. But the passengers were Gag.
er for the attempt.
SO group of sailors prepared a
strong line armed with q hook nearly
4 foot across from barbed point to
shank, baited IT tomptingly with q
whole leg Of fresh pork and heaved
the morsel cut In front OF the man
eaters nose as he rose to again inspect
Uhe prey he coveted.
Possible the say So monster imag
incd chat n OF the sailors handling
the line had fallen overheard and
made that splash. at any rate he
6urned IN a flash, showing his yellow W
white belly, and with a snap tha5
could be heard Oh deck, c'osed his
jaws on the baited hook.
With a prompt heaye on the line,
Ute sailors pulled the sharp point Of
the hook through the creatures under
jaW-and then rare sport began. The
surprised and argsred man aater laBh.
ed himself about frantically, but with
u htJhf. ne fhn ltnn Dh,. $1,000
Stanchion his cap5ors hauled away
until the creatures nose bumped
against the ships side and then rails.
N It's head enough to enable o boats
crew to slip the moose OF a cable over
It's head and tighten it just back OF
the front fins,
By thia means, while the passengers
crowded up to the rail, the m~an.eater
With all the fight choked out OF him,
was raised up to the level OF the main
deck In this position he was photo
graphed from the deck OF q neighbor-
ing ship.
At It's greatest glrth the nan. eater
had the circumference ef a large
horse. It's stomach seemed much
distcnded "a fact that had not been
noticed while 1T swan about the ship.
The sailors whispered among them
selves, shaking their heads ominously;
out the passengers thought Of moth
ing but the pleasure OF witnessing the
ocean %assassln's execution. They did
not know OF the sailors's suspicious
that the man eater had not gone hun.
cry during all the days that he had
been following the Syria, that no food
taken merely to STAY the pangs of
hunger would have so distended It's
stomach.
But sailors arc not %squeamish, even
when harboring such grewsome sus-
picions as these. First they killed
the monster by smashing his skull
Then they lowered the carcass to the
deck, while the passengers huddled
back In fright, and oneof them, with