The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-05-25
4 HOMER PIGEON
TAKES The MEDAL
Bird Last Evening While
Speeding Along, Smashes
Into Headlight.
IS CARRIED BY THE ENGINE
WHILE A WIPER WAS At WORK
THIS MORNING IN THE LOCAL
YARDS HE DISCOVERED THE
STUNNED BIRD.

Another story of bird lore has been
produced by the local branch of the
Panhandle lines. This bids well to
outrank the robin episode of a recent
date and as matter of fact. seems
really more remarkable. How does
the story of a robin sitting on her
nest on the journal box of freight
car and riding from New York to Rich
mond to become the mother OF three
little birds, be murdered and have her
young ones stolen. compare to the tale
of the homing pigeon that flew
through the glass on the front Of
locomotive engines headlight?
Bird is Captive.
But did a bird ever fly through the
front of a headlight Yes, and lived
ito tell the tale" And the bird now
is in the custody of Pietro Tarrara, a
hostler at the P. c. C. & st. L. rail-
way company's roundhouse on North
Twelfth street. 1t is a pretty blue
homer with green stripe across its
head and neck Or the left leg of the
bird is silver band bearing the mark
ing e 10000" and on the right leg is
a copper band marked "R. B. o. 1t
is evident the pigeon is valued by its
owner and probably was on a mission
last night. And this leads to the
story.
g Ia nh Nd ~
40 was bowling along on it's way to
Richmond last evening with Lon Smy-
! ser at the throttle. there was a brief
| impact as from a stone against the
glass on the headlight The light was
not in use at the time. SO no attention
| was paid to the matter except the
trainmen reported the glass as brok-
| en-. ~..
| Heard a Noise.
When Pietro, the hostler, was climb
ing around wiping off the engine
some hours later he heard a peculiar
noise. He could not locate it. although
it seemed in the vicinity of the smoke
stack. He kept on with his work. in.
terrupting his labors occasionally to
listen to the scratching noise But all
kinds of noises are heard about a
roundhouse, SO Pietro thought little OF
the matter.
| Finally his labors brought him tc
the headlight and he began removing
the pieces of shattered glass. The
chimney of the lamp had been broken
and he reached into the opening to
| gather up the fragments. He heard
the same peculiar noise and looking
carefully he saw something behind the
reflector. He reached his hand in and
pulled out beautifully marked HON
ing pigeon.
| Mystery Is Solved.
| The mystery OF the broken glass
was solved. Trainmen say the bird
must have been flying straight ahead
at high speed and struck the glass
when the train was going rapidly also
The compact Of the two was sufficient
to break the glass and the bird fell in
side. 1t had suffered severe cut or
| the left shoulder and had been stunned
by the blow. 1t was aroused after
Pietro pulled 1t from the darkness and
fluttered about, but unable to escape
Tarrara called the attention of 9th
} er employees at the roundhouse to hi:
captive bird and told where he found
1t. This morning the pigeon was turn
ed over to Gus Pfafflin, the foreman
He took 1t to veterinarian and hat
the injury dressed. A box has beer
converted into a cage and the train
men will care for their pet until pub
licity of the numbers on its band!
brings word from its owner or it re
gains strength enough to fly again.
/ The experience of the bird is be
lieved to be one of the strangest OF
record. The mother robin brought nc
tice to the employees at the Panhandle
freight depot but the roundhouse boy
expect their feathered friend to prov
a greater freak in the life of the wing
ed creatures.