The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-01-24
ALLIGATOR NEARLY
CAUGHT THE MAN

was not there, but the man who
told me this was the one the "gator"
almost caught.
Mr.. J. M. Polk was fishing in Light
erlog Lake, in Polk county; not on
the shore, or in boat on the water,
but slap-dab in the lake himself. He
had waded in about so yards. He had
already caught dozen fish and was
holding the end Of the rope on which
they were strung, allowing them to
float in the water; in his other hand
he held fish-pole and the line to
it was in the water with bait on the
hook. Mr. Polk was in waist deep.
Suddenly he saw the head Of an alli-
gator appear above the waves, then
the head went below the water; in
stantly the fisherman knew the ami
NAL would make quick dash for him.
Mr.. Polk dropped the fish-pole, string
of fish and ran as fast as he could for
the shore. "In those days I could
rum" he said to me. He had travelled
but two or three steps before the
water became shallow. The lake
there had a straightup bank a foot
high, and as the fleeing almost fly.
ing) man leaped on top of it the
gators nose went bang against the
bottom of the bank, just foot below
the feet of the man. Thus his life
was saved. Mr.. Polk kept on run
ming. His horses and wagon were in
the road about 40 steps distant, and in
the wagon were his wife and children.
He shouted to them when half way
to bring his gun, and his boy did so in
a hurry.
After the gator struck the bank he
crawled up on to it with his front feet,
made that his landing, and watched
the man. Mr.. Polk waited for the an
imal to do the first move. Then the
gator backed into the water about
100 feet. The gunman fired and the
ball struck the enemy in the head. He
rolled away distance, then jumped
in the air his entire length, 1917 feet.
The gators next gymnastic stunt was
to roll to the shore He did this, per.
haps, to make horrible looking face
at his enemy who had given him the
first dose that would lead to his de.
cease.
The man who had won the race
which was his for life, and the gators
for his death-ran to the wagon, got
a big, powerful club, skipped back to
the wounded man-eater, dealt him a
mighty blow, that busted open his
head, and the gamey beast was a
corpse. Mr.. Polk cut him open, and
in his big inside were three life-sized
coons.
When Mr.. Polk dropped his fish-pole
big fish snapped at the bait got
shared by the hook, and then started
off in wild fright to pull free. He
swan straight to the shore, high up
on the beach in his crazy distress
waltzed round and round big, strong
bunch of grass until the slack of the
line was all wound around the bunch
then he ceased.
The fisherman waded out into the
lake to the spot where he had dropped
the string, BY feeling along the bot
tom his hand soon felt the rope and
he pulled the fish UP and placed with
them the big fellow laying helpless
on the shore,
The alligator is one of the first set
tiers of Florida. He came here at the
time Adam and Eve located in the
first Garden, or sometime since. 1t is
not known exactly what year, be
cause the first citizen of this Cracker
State who was the earliest human be
ing to see him here has left no record
of the date. But it is we'll and gener
ally known Florida has been the ga
tors home for centuries and centuries
The animal was here when Christie
pher Columbus first discovered the
eastern shore of the State and saw
the flowers which suggested the name
he gave it. And there are indications
that the gator lived here in luxur!
and Joy long before Columbus came
There are some common delusion
about alligators. One is entertained
by people who have lived for year
and years in Florida but have not as
ISOLATED much, or at all with gators
1t is, that he is not dangerous unles
hungry. On the other hand peopl
like the hero of this story, who ar
native Crackers and have had nue.
experience with or observation o