Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Published in the Waukegan Gazette, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, December 27, 1879
He Captured Two Large Eagles, One Alive and the Other Dead.
Kansas City Journal.
T. W. Wright, the well-known taxidermist, had quite a novel experience, Tuesday, which was not altogether without danger, but he was so fortunate as to escape injury, and his two trophies of his skill and prowess as momentous of the event. Mr. Wright is a skillful hunter, and on Tuesday was seven miles east of the city, and near the bank of the Missouri river, on the lookout for game suitable for preservation. While thus engaged, partly hid from view, a large eagle came hovering in range of his trusty double-barrel shotgun and he discharged one round, which brought the noble bird to the ground. Not wishing to risk braking its wings or legs by another shot, or otherwise disfiguring it for the taxidermist’s use, he refrained from shooting it a second time. Throwing his gun down, he ran to the wounded bird, seized it and was in the act of slitting its throat, when it gave a scream, and immediately he felt something strike him quite forcibly, and he fell to the ground. Great was his surprise when he found that another eagle, a companion bird, attracted by the fall and cries of its mate, had made an attack on him. The eagle remained on the ground for a few moments, fluttering around. He struck at it with a stick, when it flew upward. Mr. Wright felt assured from its movements that it was preparing for a second assault, and seized his gun, but not a moment to soon, for the infuriated bird, with its strong beak and talons, and propelled by its powerful wings, made a sudden sweep at him, when he discharged his gun, a portion of the shot taking effect in the wings, causing it to steer from its course and fall to the ground. The taxidermist ran and seized it when a desperate struggle ensued, lasting some little time, as he was desirous of securing the bird alive. Finally the eagle was worn out and he turned his attention to the first bird, which was dispatched. With his gun and the live and dead eagles all making a heavy weight, Mr. Wright started home, and has trophies of his exciting day’s sport safely cared for. He is not desirous of repeating the experience, as the capture of a slightly wounded eagle is no pleasant task, and attended with some danger.
The live eagle measures seven feet six inches from tip to tip of the wings, and the dead bird seven feet five inches. They are about as large specimens of their species as have ever been seen in this part of the country.
Published in the Waukegan Gazette, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, August 16, 1879
A gentleman at the hotel in Naugatuck, Coon., had a small dog. Its master had but to speak, and whatever evolutions he suggested the creature would go through. Following a series of tricks and antics, the gentleman says, “Its prayer time, say your prayers.” The little brute sprang into a large chair, put his fore paws upon the arm, laid his head between them and assumed a sanctimonious squint, rolling up his eyes most ludicrously. Then attempts were made to call him away from his devotion. He was coaxed, commanded, enticed with choice tid-bits of juicy steak, but to no avail. He was deaf to surroundings. At last his master said “Amend!” and the dog jumped down and looked around to see if “meeting was out.”
Published in the Waukegan Gazette, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, August 23, 1879
A remarkable attachment sprang up between a white camel and an elephant belonging to John Robinson’s circus. When the company started from Texas, considerable beating was required to force the camel on board the steamer, at which the elephant showed great anger, and frightened a crowd badly by rushing to the scene. After they reached Cincinnati, the camel died, and the elephant was inconsolable. She took her stand beside the body, and it was only with great difficulty that she could be driven away. Her moanings, too, were terrible, and after being removed, she refused to eat.
Published in the Waukegan Gazette, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, August 30, 1879
“Jimmy-the-Duck,” of Virginia City, Nev., is dead. He made his living by a queer invention. He used to put a duck in a box with its head sticking out of a hole, and allow the crowd to throw clubs at it for 25 cents a throw, the bird belonging to whoever should hit it. The ducks would of course “duck” their heads just before the sticks whizzed along, and it was not oftener than once in six months that Jimmy would lose. The following is his epitaph; “Old Jimmy’s bones are now resting peacefully under the sagebrush. Let up hope that when the trump of the resurrection shall echo over the rugged peak of Mount Davidson he will be able to pop his head up like that famous duck, and should the devil appear and make a grab for the old man, may he dodge back successfully.”
Published in the Waukegan Gazette, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, September 20, 1879
A sea serpent, or rather river serpent, 100 feet long, with a head like a whale, a flat fantail, crusty fins and dark brown color, is vouched for by about 100 as having been seen repeatedly within a week off the mouth of a big St. Louis sewer.
Published in the Waukegan Gazette, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, November 19, 1881
Not long since, a lady in London owned a remarkable parrot. Any one hearing the bird laugh could not help laughing too, especially when in the midst of it she would cry out: “Don’t make me laugh so, I shall die, I shall!” and would then continue laughing more violently than before.
Her crying and sobbing were very curious, and if her owner said: “Poor Polly, what is the matter? she replied: “So bad, so bad; got such a cold!” and after crying for some time, she would gradually cease, and, making a noise like drawing a long breath, say: “Better now,” and begin to laugh. If anyone happened to cough or sneeze, she would say: “What a cold!”
One day, when the children were playing with her, the maid came into the room, and on their repeating to her several things which the parrot had said, Polly looked up, and said quite plainly: “No, I did not!”
She could call the cat very plainly, saying: “Puss!” and then answer, “Mew;” but the most amusing part was that whenever we wanted to make her call it, and to that purpose said: “Pus!” she always answered: “Mew,” till the person began mewing, then she would begin calling puss as quickly as possible.
She imitated every kind of noise, and barked so naturally that she often set all the dogs on the parade near by barking; and the consternation caused in a party of cocks and hens by her crowing and clucking was the most ludicrous thing possible.
She could sing quite like a child, and people more than once thought it was a human being. And it was most ludicrous to hear her make what we should call a false note, and then say: “Oh, la!” and burst out laughing at herself, beginning again in quite another key.
She often performed a kind of exercise which her owner described as the lance exhibition. She would put one claw behind her, first on one side, and then the other, then in front, and round over her head, and while doing so, kept saying: “Come on! come on! and when finished, said: “Bravo! beautiful!” and then drew herself up.
Once when asked where the servants had gone, to the astonishment and almost dismay of her owner, she replied: “Down-stairs.”-Youths’ Companion.
Published in the Waukegan Gazette, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, June 26, 1880
English land-owners who cannot obtain a satisfactory rental for their farms are turning them into great rabbit warrens. About 10,000 rabbits, recently killed on an estate in Essex, brought thirty-seven cents each in the market.
Published in the Waukegan Gazette, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, August 21, 1869
From the Omaha Republican.
Over two thousand people gathered on the banks above the pond, and along the lower end of Farnham street, on yesterday afternoon, to witness Bob Hart and Sully in their great wash-tub-goose feat. Promptly at the advertised time, Hart made his appearance, followed by his competitor for the golden peanut offered by Col. Hanford. Each sat in an ordinary washtub, to which was attached six pairs of geese, driven and guided with an ordinary carriage whip. The most deafening applause, shouts and yells greeted the contestants as they were towed into the pond. Striking the Farnham street bank, both started side by side, talking to and urging on the feathered racers the same as a jockey would do in a trial of speed, amongst fast horses.
Half way across the pond Sully’s team switched off and bolted for the weeds, giving Bob the lead by three and a half lengths. Recovering his course, Sully made splendid headway, gaining rapidly on the Hart outfit. One of his geese, however, attempting to dive, kicked a rear goose in the eye. The kicked bird at once cackled his defiance, and soon demoralized the entire team to such an extent that victory was impossible.
Hart would have come in “O. K.” only for his “wheel geese” baulking badly and upsetting the tub. Sully began laughing at his opponent’s disaster, when his team made a sudden flank movement, which left the driver floundering in the mud. The assembled multitude yelled the louder at the accidents. Righting their crafts, both parties made for shore, leading their teams.
Bob took the prize.
Published in the Waukegan Gazette, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, September 16, 1871
The Mount Vernon Free Press “Is informed that a few nights since, in Horse Prairie, a child but a few weeks old was terribly bitten and mutilated by rats while in bed with its parents. One of its fingers was eaten off, and the flesh torn from its forehead and one cheek. It is also stated that the father and mother did not wake up while the rats were at their horrible work, notwithstanding the screams of the child.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Published in the Waukegan Daily Sun, Waukegan, Illinois on Friday, March 3, 1899
Dashes Madly Through Streets of an Ohio Town with Burden.
The citizens of Mononcue, Ohio, were out the other day hunting for a big panther that has terrorized the residents of that locality. For weeks past the farmers have missed fowl and young animals. In the snow, tracks of a strange animal had been seen, but no one had any idea what was committing the depredations. A small child of Samuel Hunt was carried off bodily from its parents’ door. The panther marched boldly down the main street of the village. The animal spied the child, closed its jaws on it and went galloping out of town. Citizens started in pursuit and so frightened the beast that its human burden was dropped. The child suffered no injuries other than abrasions of the skin.