A Burglar Caught by a Skeleton & Other Singular Tales from the Victorian Press (4 page)

A Child Stolen by a Monkey

A local paper reports a somewhat remarkable case of purloining a child, which occurred in the small village of Manxbridge, in Somersetshire, on Monday last.

It appears that Mr Judcote, a gentleman of independent means, has for a long time past kept a large monkey, who has been accustomed to range over his master’s garden and grounds, as the creature was esteemed harmless, and, to use a sporting phrase, ‘was warranted to be free from vice.’

On Monday last, Mrs Hemmingway, near neighbour of Mr Judcote’s, while walking in her garden, was surprised and horrified at beholding ‘Hulch,’ Mr Judcote’s monkey, suddenly snatch her baby from the arms of her youngest sister Clara, who, as a special favour, had been permitted to take charge of the infant.

The monkey, gibbering and chattering, rushed off with its prize, and gained the roof of an outhouse with very little difficulty. Mrs Hemmingway was driven to the uttermost extremity of despair, and she vainly strove to repossess herself of her last born.

She beheld, to her infinite horror, the monkey pass over the roof of the outhouse, until he and his burden were both lost to sight. The anxious mother at once hastened to the house of her neighbour, Mr Judcote, who appeared to be as much troubled as herself at the unlooked-for disaster.

His man-servants were despatched in every direction in search of ‘Hulch,’ who was however, too wary to allow his hiding place to be discovered. In the meantime the parents of the child were kept in a constant state of anxiety and trepidation. It was impossible to say what had befallen the child.

The day passed over without any news of either ‘Hulch’ or the infant, and it was by merest chance that both the fugitives were discovered by some farm labourers in an adjacent wood towards eight o’clock in the evening.

At this time ‘Hulch’ seemed to be tired of his companion, whom he purposely resigned to the farm servants. The delight of the parents upon regaining their child may be more readily imagined than described.

The Illustrated Police News
, July 9, 1870

An Alligator in a Bedroom

A correspondent at Ajmere sends the
Times of India
particulars of a curious adventure with an alligator.

At the sacred city of Pokur, near Ajmere, one of the numerous alligators which abound in the lake there, and which are looked upon with the greatest reverence by the Brahmins, managed to crawl from the water up a flight of high stone steps into the courtyard of a house used by the European officials and visitors as a dak bungalow. It is supposed that the reptile was frightened by some noise.

Turning, it missed the steps which would have led it back to the safety of the water and entered the room in which the servants were sleeping.

The astonishment of the men at finding themselves lashed by the tail of the monster in the dark may be imagined. Their master, coming with a light, found the alligator, which was ten feet long, hard up against the wall on one of the servants’ beds.

The Brahmins are highly incensed at this gentleman for shooting the alligator even under these circumstances and have preferred a complaint to the Commissioner of the district.

It is doubtless very necessary to respect the feelings, especially the religious feelings, of our fellow men; but it does seem rather hard to object to one’s shooting an alligator when he gets into your servant’s bed in the middle of the night.

The Edinburgh Evening News
, December 1, 1876

Fight Between a Wolf and a Baboon

A remarkable fight was witnessed at Chicago the other night in the window of a shop occupied by a dealer in animals.

It took place after the premises had been closed for the night. An immense cage filled the window, and contained ‘a happy family,’ among which were a grey wolf and two baboons.

The wolf snapped at the female baboon, and the male, resenting it, attacked the wolf, which was a large specimen and considerably larger than himself. The battle, which was a desperate one, lasted for half an hour, the wolf giving evidence of being considerably stronger, but the baboon was decidedly cleverer and quicker in his mode of attack.

The fight was, however, a very unequal one, and the monkey got rapidly tired, becoming at last too weak to defend himself from the wolf, which throttled him to death. The female baboon tried to help her mate, but she was too small and weak to be of any service against the superior strength of her antagonist.

The occurrence created a great deal of excitement, and a crowd of fully a thousand people gathered to witness it. Several tried to interfere, and distract the attention of the animals by beating on the window-pane, but could not succeed, and it was impossible to get into the shop.

When the wolf was examined next morning he was found to have been very badly bitten and scratched.

The Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald
, January 12, 1895

Fearful Attack on a Steamer by Alligators – Three Seamen Devoured

The
Palatka
(Florida)
Herald
publishes an account of a desperate attack on a river steamer by alligators. The steamer whilst going up the Ocklawaha river, and on rounding Sockett’s Point, where the stream widens and deepens, suddenly encountered a sea of alligators, floundering and splashing water in all directions.

The captain of the vessel says he never saw such a scene, and never wishes to do so again. Before the speed of the little vessel could be checked she was in the midst of the monsters. To go back or to go ahead was impossible. The passengers endeavoured to drive them away by shooting, and the hands on board beat them with band-spikes, yet they were determined to obstruct the passage of the boat.

The situation became more critical, and the crew and passengers more and more exhausted, and the destruction of the boat seemed inevitable. Already three of the crew had been destroyed and several others wounded. Several of the planks were torn from the hull, and the vessel was with difficulty kept from sinking. Just at this period a source of relief came.

A huge serpent appeared making his way from the lakes, the same, it is supposed, that was seen at ‘Devil’s Elbow’ last year. The alligators soon disappeared, following the sea devil, and such fighting never was witnessed. A point below where the river suddenly narrows, soon became blocked with dead alligators, and the river was red with blood.

It is difficult to account for the number and sudden appearance of these animals, but the latest theory may throw some light upon the subject. It is believed by many that there is a large subterranean passage of water between the head waters of the Ocklawaha and the waters of the Ocklawaha lake, and these monsters have found their way here in great numbers, and if not soon exterminated will obstruct the navigation of the Ocklawaha.

The Illustrated Police News
, August 26, 1871

Curious Adventure Near Ilfracombe

An Ilfracombe correspondent states that a party of visitors sailing in a pleasure yacht off Lee yesterday afternoon met with an extraordinary adventure.

A large fish suddenly jumped on board and with its tail smashed all the vessel’s gear and broke the main boom. A gentleman received a blow in the face which blacked his eye. The fish then thrust its nose in the cabin, and remained quiet, and the party made for the shore.

The unwelcome visitor proved to be a whale thrasher, fifteen feet long and weighing half a ton. The fish is now exhibited in Ilfracombe.

The Western Times
, Exeter, September 5, 1899