Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 June 1894 — TURTLES THAT FOUGHT. [ARTICLE]

TURTLES THAT FOUGHT.

Two Fishermen Interfere With ■ Novel and Desperate Battle. It is no uncommon thing for snapping turtles to be brought into any cf the towns of Pennsylvania. On the contrary, “snapper" fishing or hunting is a sport peculiar to the region, hundreds of the big turtles being captured in various ways every week of the season. But it is uncommon for snapping turtles to be brought in just the way that two were brought into Fisher’s Eddy a few days ago. The two turtles were very large ones, and one had its jaws closed tightly on the left 'foreleg of the other, and in that position they were captured by John and James Skelly under th© following circumstances: The two Skelly boys were fishing in the eddy from a flat-bottomed boat when they saw a great commo? tion in the water a few rods distant. They paddled toward the spot and saw that the commotion was being made by two big snapping turtles which were engaged in a desperate fight. They rushed at one another, and came together with a shock that made them both rebound a yayd or more and threw the water about in showers. As they darted around each other—these animals being exceedingly agile and quick in the water, although so clumsy and slow on land —they made savage lunges with their heads at one another’s legs, the evident effort of each being to seize the other at a vulnerable point. Th# collisions and manoeuvres lasted several minutes without either turtle obtaining any advantage, when suddenly one of them dashed through the water toward his antagonist, who waited the onslaught, his yellow eyes glaring and his massive head thrust forward to seize his assailant if possible. When the latter was within «, foot or so of the waiting turtle he dived like a flash and came up under his foe, and, before the latter could ward off the unexpected attack, closed his jaws on one of his fore legs, near the shell. The struggles of the turtle thus caught foul to free itself were so desperate that the water was lashed into foam, and in a short time became colored with blood.

A snapping turtle never releases its hold on anything it may close its jaws on until that object is dead, and the efforts of this turtle to release itself from his foe were not only unavailing, but tended to place him at still greater disadvantage by wearing out his strength. When the spectators of this novel battle saw that there could be no question as to its result they set about capturing both duellists. They paddled close to where the turtles were struggling, and, watching their opportunity, each man seized a turtle by its tail and lifted both into the boat before the turtles knew what was going on. The fishermen were by no means pleased with what they had done, though, for the fight went right on, and the boys were compelled to take a hand in it to maintain a place for themselves in the boat. With the boat paddle and one of the seats they pounded the turtles on their heads until both were stretched on the bottom of the boat. The jaws of the one were still tightly closed on the leg of the other, and remained so for ten hours after the head was cut off.—[New York Sun.