Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Published in the Sangamo Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Saturday, June 15, 1833
The Middletown [Conn.] Gazette, furnishes the following case of remarkable presence of mind of the master of a Whale ship, when in a situation of the most imminent peril:
Captain Chester, of the Whaling ship Ann Maria, of this place, on her late voyage round the East Cape, met with the following adventure. One of the boats having fastened to a whale, as is customary, a second boat, in which was Captain Chester, approached and drove a second dart into the monster. In his rage and agony, the whale rushed with great rapidity through the water, when the rope attached to the harpoon, caught Capt. Chester round the leg above the ankle, and drew him overboard. At this critical moment he seized a knife, sticking in the gunwale of the boat, and thus armed, was drawn under water. The rope soon made a turn round his body. In this situation, moving rapidly down, he first cut that part of the rope round his body, then cut the rope fastened to his leg. Being thus relieved, he rose to the top of the water, and raised his hand grasping the knife, some distance from the boat. He was discovered by the crew, who hastened to his rescue, and took him on board, almost exhausted. He was drawn down about thirty fathoms. The Capt. is now well, and preparing for another voyage, nothing daunted by his adventure.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Published in the Waukegan Daily Sun, Waukegan, Illinois on Thursday, February 9, 1899
Miss Ellen Walker, Near Chamberlain S. D., Captures Big Animal With a Running Noose.
Miss Ellen Walker, who owns a stock ranch a few miles north of Chamberlain, S. D., has brought in the scalp of a large timber wolf which she captured herself.
All fall she has been troubled with this wolf, which was especially bold and vicious. It appeared to make its headquarters in a small ravine filled with timber, about a quarter of a mile from her house, and from this point it sallied forth in quest of food.
Miss Walker, spent all day on horseback rounding up her cattle for the night, when she uncovered the wolf in the act of making an onslaught upon a young calf. Her only weapon of offense was a rope attached to her saddle, and attempted to rope the animal.
This she succeeded in doing at the first attempt. She then started her horse on a run and dragged the animal home.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Published in the Waukegan Daily Sun, Waukegan, Illinois on Friday, July 19, 1918
Carl E. Akeley, Naturalist, Relates Experience of Being Attacked by Massive South African Beast.
The hunter and taxidermist, Carl E. Akeley, who has spent a great deal of painstaking effort in preparing the wonderful animal groups at the American Museum of Natural History, is known throughout South Africa as an elephant hunter. He has had many thrilling experiences, one of which he describes in the New York Sun as follows:
Elephants are no more conspicuous in their own country than jack rabbits are in theirs. They are the color of the shadows in the forest and almost indistinguishable. Intelligence and indictiveness are two of their most prominent characteristics. When one knows he is being hunted he will lie in wait, still as a rock, and looking much as one, and will hunt his hunter as a dog hunts a rat.
I had cut a big bull out from a herd and was following his spoor, knowing well enough that he was lying in wait for me somewhere. The big beast, as it turned out afterwards, got my wind as I was stalking him, and was searching for me.
I must have got within ten or twenty feet of him, because I remembered afterward that I heard a swift rush but did not catch sight of him coming. The first I knew of his presence was a quick vision of his trunk as he knocked me down. Then I caught one glimpse of his little eyes as he curled up his trunk out of the way and tried to impale me with his tusks.
I had just enough time to grasp a tusk with my left hand and twist myself so that my body was between the two shafts of ivory. I felt the impact of his tusks as they dug into the ground on either side of me, and his heavy nose crushed against my chest. That is all I remember.
My hunter fortunately shot him dead as he was preparing for another thrust. I was unconscious as they carried me to the camp, where I lay for three months, with my chest so smashed that it was doubtful whether or not I would live.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Published in the Waukegan Daily Sun, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, August 23, 1919
A cat belonging to a young lady residing in North street, St. Andrews, Scotland, went missing. A search was made, and the loss was advertised, and all hope of the return of puss was given up. After the cat had been absent for 24 days a maid, on cleaning the drawing room of the house in Greyfriars Garden, heard the mewing of a cat. Her mistress at once procured men to remove the built-in grate, behind which the cat was discovered in a very emaciated condition. Its owner was surprised of the find, and quickly attended to her cat which has since made a wonderful recovery. It is surmised that the cat had been hunting for birds and fallen down the chimney.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Published in the Waukegan Daily Sun, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, August 23, 1919
In nearly every army race meeting held in France during the war there was provision for a mule race. Some mules, a London Times correspondent says, were remarkably fast and handy, while others were satisfactory so long as it was a straight course. At one meeting of the Picquigny course the distance was four furlongs, with a very sharp right-handed turn at the half distance. If the turn was not taken there was no alternative but to go into the woods which surrounded the course. Fully 25 of the mules refused to take the bend and plunged straight into the wood, which is thick and very dark. After a while the whole woods were reverberating with the agonizing cries which only mules can make. Strange to relate there were no serious casualties to men or mules.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Published in the Sangamo Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Thursday, April 6, 1843
A few days ago, a valuable carriage horse of mine, took suddenly ill on a journey. A professed farrier of the village in which I was compelled to stop, advised bleeding in the mouth, which was done accordingly. But unfortunately, after the animal bled more than a gallon, it was found impossible to stop the bleeding. We thought the horse would bleed to death. At this crisis, a farmer happened to pass by, and directed an application of fresh excrement of swine. A small portion of this was immediately held to the wound made by the farrier’s instrument, and in two minutes was completely stopped. I have tried this simple, though not very pleasant remedy, several times since, in similar cases, and with the most remarkable success.
Published in the Sangamo Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Saturday, May 11, 1833
From the Galenian.
I was bit by a snake and in fifteen minutes my foot swelled to double its size, and in fifteen minutes more, my foot was entirely cured, by putting it into a large bucket of new milk. If the orifices are not well opened by the snake’s teeth, open them with an instrument; make the blood run middling freely.
Please give this a circulation abroad.
Daniel Dillon, sen’r.
Tazewell county, Ill. April 15, 1833.
Published in the Sangamo Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Saturday, May 4, 1833
A hawk confined in a cage and placed in the garden or field is found to be much more service to frighten away birds than other scare crows, including a sleepy boy.
Published in the Sangamo Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Saturday, September 20, 1834
Howes’ New York Menagerie was in town last week. The keeper’s familiarity with the Lions and Tigers when enclosed with them in their cages, is hardly a safe business after all. Few men have the nerve deliberately to “beard the lion in his den,” and rarely, since the days of Sampson, do we find one possessing hardihood to wrestle single handed with him. Week before last, when this Menagerie was at Chickopee Factory, one of the lions escaped from his cage. The pavilion had been erected and every thing was in readiness for the exhibition to commence. At this moment, when only the attendants were present, they were terrified at the sight of one of the lions among them. The bars of his cage had incautiously been left loose and he had liberated himself. Without a moments hesitation, the keeper, Mr. Whiting, approached him in a fearless and resolute manner, seized him by the throat, struck him violently with his whip and literally dragged this ferocious beast of the forest back into his cage! The other keepers looked on with terror and dismay, admiring the fearless and undaunted courage of that man, who dared wrestle with a lion.-Northampton Courier.
Published in the Sangamo Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Saturday, June 7, 1834
An extraordinary story is told by Captain Wallace, of a lover and his mistress, who were saved in a singular manner from the jaws of a shark.-A transport, with part of a regiment on board, was sailing with a gentle breeze along the coast of Colney; one of the officers was leaning over the poop railing, conversing with a young lady who had inspired him with tender passion. The fair was in the cabin in the act of handing a paper to her lover, when, over reaching herself she fell into the sea, and, supported by her clothes, drifted astern; the officer lost no time in plunging in after her, and upheld her with one arm. The sails were quickly backed, the ship lay to, and preparations were made to lower the boat, when, to the dismay of all on board, a shark appeared under the keel of the vessel, and gliding toward its victims: a shout of terror from the agonized spectators called the attention of the officer to the approaching danger; he saw the monster’s fearful length nearing him; he made a desperate effort, plunged and splashed the water so as to frighten the shark, who turned and dived out of sight. The current had now carried the officer and the lady close to the vessel, when the shark appeared a second time, and was in the act of turning on his back to seize one of the hapless pair, when a private of the officer’s company, who was standing in the hammock nettings, jumped fearlessly overboard, with a bayonet in his hand, which he plunged into the back of the shark, which instantly disappearing, the three were released from their perilous situation.