Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1850-11-29
From the Boston Post.
A Sell'' as was a 6 SELL,

to Sam Kicker, of Quamphegan to do as he liked /
with Sam is cosy and ingenious wag, of quiet de-
radcle he sat himself down upon the nave of one
of his wagon wheels--Sam is a wheelrignt-lit his
plple, and cogltated thus -
!" There has been nothing turned up here of late
wherewith to arouse the natives true the village
architect has bought snuff box, Parker Abbott 8
new pipe; the postmaster has had a new chimney to
his domcil, Walker Bell has just finished the laying
OF ten new shingles on Jenkins barn-he works by
the daya foot in height has been added to the new
dam and window has been cut in Dea. Foot's
needed to stir the sluggish blood of the Quamphega
ners so I'll cen try my hand at getting up new
wonderment.n
No sooner thought than done--Sam, with the aid
OF his ackknife carved the head of snake upon the
large end of the roo-a half of shoepegs from
Donty Tuttle's kit did the teeth--two china beads
from the toy shop represented the optics, and bit
of red baize formed the tongue. The snake was fin
lshed-nothng of the serpent kind ever looked more
formidable
ssNot those that in Illyra changed
Hermione and Cadmus, or the god
In Epdaurus to which TRANSFORMED
Ammonium Jove, or Capitoline, was seen.'
The " critter" was transported to Sans brothers
store, and placed in awful state" upon round ia
BILE in tie centre of the back shopthe shutters
closed, save small aperture and dim religious
light pervaded the apartment. notice was forth
with written out in a round, bold hand and placed
IN a conspicuous place, running somewhat thus:
A NATURAL CURIOSITY!
4 young specimen Of the Ichthyosaurus, or Water
Lizard!! Found in the Salmon Falls river, by Chas
futile, Esq This is the only one of this class of
reptiles to have long ceased to exist-that
has been for the last century This very pc
culiar species of the aquatic snake, is very young
member of the lehthyosaurian family, being only
bout four feet in length,t has the snout of por-
poise, the teeth of crocodile, the head of lizard
the vertebr of eel the tongue of an ornthorhyn-
chus uniting within itself combination of parts of
the three animal kingdoms. The eye, rolling in
liquid circles, is somewhat large, being q third of
an inch in diameter,-and
''Robed in flames of crimson lightr'
The animal is covered with smooth skim which
in different lights, looks
Starved striped and spotted yellow green and blue :"
This fshlike serpent originally inhabitant of
the ocean--it fed upon its own speces-hence, very
like, the Of its determination. Milton makes
mention of this monster:
s'With head uplift above the waves and eyes
That sparkling, bazed!'
This curiosity may be seen at No l, brick block,
rear room, Quamphegan square, for this day only,
previous to its departure south and west Admit
lance 81 cents--women and children half price.
1t took-the village was all agog. The villagers
thronged in by dozens The circuit judge was there
the preacher men were present-the schoolmaster
was on hand-the village doctors not behind
the call the Oldest inhabtant'' hobbed in-the
learned pundts all came to see the show-tbe bump
of wonder stuck out "a feet'' the Uranium of a
transcendentalist he beheld the sight the elite
and the plebeians of the village rushed with
cord, and mingled with the motley and wondering
crowd around the curious g varmint.' A deputa-
ton from Tacn1c came to see the snaik" and ere
nightfall people rushed in from Witchtrott Sligo,
| Agamentcus, Tearshirt, and Bonny big-yea verify,
even Darlington plains sent down delegation of
| three.
rail was put up few feet from the table, encir-
cling it, on which reclned this
g Monster of the bubbng deep''
SANS brother stood within the railing and thus
| harangued the crowd -" Gentlemen and was
about to say ladies--this nondescript this aquatic
lizard this remnant of other days. was taken alive
at Salmon Falls river this very morning at sunrise
but he has about given up the ghost, you see he
scarcely moves" Here one of the audience gave the
"pesky sarpent" poke with stick, which made
the elastic pulpous counterfeit :snaik tremblc arG
seem to Writhe, and the over-curious auditor
| Back to the crowd did sink'
"This reptile, gentlemen continued the speaker
" being native of old Neptunes domains
| sNow sporting the yesty crested wave,
! Anon, waving the Shiny bottom of the deepn
is great wonder in these parts he must have
come hither by the Piseataqua and Quamphegan riv
ers-and generally taken up his abode and settled
down among the winding of the romantic
Salmon Falls-along the wild, sedgy banks, b,
| Cults neck
/ Where the raven fappes his wynge,
/ In the briard dell belowe;
| Where the dethe owle loude dothe synge
10 the nghte-mares as heie goe;
i Ale underre We wilowe tree = "
i ssCre-a- ton! what mouth - calculated Zeruba
bel Mulikn, from Witchtrott. " Ah-r-r-r-that's
comploot snake--a com ploot snake ~ outspoke tn,
village architect, as he took bouncing big pinch O
maccaboy from his new box. "By zucks p exclaim
ed a Baptist deacon, 1--WE won't have any more hap
tisms in that river !" {" Will he bite, Thommuth g
lisped out village miss who had just entered tn,
room with young sprig from the academy. e
should be rather fearful of the reptile" replied thu
gallant, ''he looks decidedly wicked-and
Il "See the sparkles that fash from his eyesr'
/ "By -, he's one on 'em !" roared out gondol.
captain. 81 s-w-e-o-u-w!" drawed out Peleg Jen
kins, in semi-tone. Very probable this reptile il
infant of the mighty leviathan of the vastly deep
that the scriptures tell off, suggested of TIL
parsons. 1" Ill probe this matter" whispered :
young ''sawbones of the village; and, suiting tn.
action to the word, he lodged under the railing ane
inserting the point of his pen-knfe into the ':pesk,
varmint' Immediately withdrew it and placed it t
his nose remarking at the time that it cut and smell
very like vegetable. The audience began to smell
uneovered-the game up-and
i "Such a shout was there
it made the windows rattle, nearly unhuug the pom
derous shutters and actually shook the plasterins
that it cracked from wainscot to celing As soor
as the tumult had little subsided Sam started fo,
Toms and quickly returned, loaded down with bis
demi ohnthe proprietor of the store where this ex
hibition took place furnished the "prncipes" ant
wandering Jews''-the fastidous ones vanished
and the rest had time" on the proceeds of thu
show" Punch concocted and swalIowed--c
gars were used up with gusto-jokes were cracked
and finally this gathering wound up with song
sung by Ct Donky,' entitled " The Great Sea Snake ;
h CYMoN.
L urR~o