The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-09-19
Of the Orient. and Professor Devas.
Then the Matin thought Of an abso-


nsthod Of bunting down the corpse
It decided to employ q hyena In tht
scar Jh, and arranged with the famoul
lion tanner P z)n to obtain the use o1
ais largest and ugliest hyena, named
Carlos. This animal Is the most re.
pulsive and disgusting In existence.
he lives exclusively upon carrion a. d
the dead body OF . man has for him Z
greater attraction than any other
kind of food. The hyena lives In holes
and caves during tho day time ard
only hunts his food by night. BE
then utters bloodourdling shrieks and
Hsndish laughter, which when heard
in tho desert amid scenes Of the Wild
eft description call up In tho imagtns
tion of the traveller the forms Of spec
tral ghouls, searching for their unnat
ural feasts.
The hyena is of hideous appearance
he has coat Of dirty yellow, marked
with spots and usually covered With
sores due to rubbing against rocks and
spattered with remnants Of bis dis
gusting food. He stands very high
at the shoulders and his head hangs
down till his nose touches the ground.
He always sinks along sideways With
his head near the ground and never
comes straight toward any man or
animal. All these peculiarities give
him an indescribably mean, sneaking
and cowardly appearance.
The hyena is furnished with non'
retractile claws of such tremendous
scratching power that he can dig down
Into the deepest grave and rob it OF
it's occupant. In countries whore by
enas abound only the heaviest rocks
will protect the bodies Of the dead
from their clutches. 1t was for this
reason that ancient Egyptian and 9th
or Oriental kings wore buried In rock
tombs.
The hyena also has teeth and jaws
of su,h strength that he can bite
through the bones Of the largest AMI.
mails. His physical powers would
mako him q dangerous foe, II he pos
iesssd the least courage, but he has
not tho spirit to attack any living
animal. he only wars with the dead.
Carlos, the great hyena was brought
to the place where the Abbe's bicycle
vas found. The grewsome work be.
gan at midnight. Carlos will only
work 1T night. As soon as day breaks
10 falls into . state of torpor In which
40 appears to have neither sight nor
scent. He was brought to the scene
in . condition Of semt.starvation In
order to ma 9 him keen for the hunt.
From tho first it Was evident that
the search would be long and tedi-
Gus one. Carlos appeared dszsd and
disinclined to dig. This was because
she climate and surroundings were 81
d Fl rent from those of bis native A.
rican wilds. But gradually bis in
stincts began to assert themselves
The pangs of hunger drove him to
hunt for food. Restlessly and fur
lively he ran over the ground con
stantly shifting 1t in his search for
dead things. From time to time he
dug up he body Of field m )use or
some other small animal, sucn IS ono
may find In civilized Europe. He de
goured the carron, but 1t did nothing
toward satisfying his raVenous appe-
tite.
At night the peasants Of the ooun
try were wakened oy the long, nolan
choly howls and blood. .curdling shrieks
and hysterical fiendish laughter Of the
hyena as he rosmed through tho
woods in search of the dead. They
shuddered with horror and bolted
their doors, some fearing the attack
Of the wild beast about which they
nad heard, and others, more supersti'
tious, thi king that 1t was the spirit
of the dead man wailing for vengeance.
The hyenI7s ghoulish work was him
dered by the fact that he could not DO
left to seek = natural lair by day, but
had to DO followed by trainer and
caught every morning and returned to
his cage.
On the third night Carlos showd
signs Of extreme excitement. 10 ut
tered many loud peals Of unusually
fiendish laughter and ran straight to
a spot where he began to dig into the
earth with tremendous fury. His
trainer felt sure that be had at last
found the body and this impression
ass confirmed when, after digging
:.own some three feet, q quantity OF
oones was unearthed. A sickening
odor, of do; aging Fl ,sh filed tho air.
Carlos buried his nose In tho car.
rion. After he had devoured . few
mouthfuls he was with great difficulty
dragged away from bis meal, for 1t Is
dangei Gus to cheat even this coward
" beast of bis food.
The trainer and the amateur detec
tives gathered over the body. but q
very hasty examination showed 1t to
be that of 4 COW probably ono that
mad died Of disease and been buried
oy q farmer there as the easiest way
Of dispt sing OF 1t. =: |
On tho following night the hunt
With tho hyena was resumed, but
Without result. Night after night 1t
vas kept up systematically. 1t has
now been continued f)r over q week.
The trainer Pez ~ and other persons
who are familiar with the habits OF
hysnas declare positivel that no dead
body within q distance OF . mile can
>oco na his wondarful sCAnt, He Is be