The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-08-01
Snake Fascifrae5ena.


sons having been fascinated or speli.b"und by
| snakes, but never knew of an instance occur.
ring in our vicinity until a day or two since,
and one that we know to be fact. A man
BY the name of O'Mara,. had small child, a
| little girl about thirteen years of age, who
came to her death through the influence of a
snake, one day last week, under the following
circumstances O'Mara resides on Copperas
creek, in FRANKLIN county, and but a short dis
tance from the Pacific Railroad depot. Some
nine months ago. carly last fall, his family no.
ticed the little girl to be pining away, and be-
came very weak and pale, although she had
been very feshy and hearty, and apparently
without any cause or complaint of sickness
By the time winter had fairly set in, she was
wasted away to mere skeleton, but as soon
as the weather became cold she again seemed
to revive. She never complained of being un-
well, and in reply to all their inquiries in re
gard to her health, she invariably said she felt
we'll, only little weak. AS soon as spring ar
rived, she could not be prevailed upon to eat
any victuals in her fathers house, but would
take piece of bread and butter, or piece of
| meat, and 90 out to the edge of the creek to
eat it, The family noticed her regularity, al.
ways going precisely to the same place, and in.
variabIy complaining of being hungry after her
return, when if more victuals would be given
her. she would again return to the creek, as
they thought, to cat
Finally, some of the neighbors having heard
of the circumstances oithe chlds extraordina.
ry conduct, and also of her wasted appearance,
suggested to her father to watch her move
ments, which he did last Friday. The child
had been sitting on the bank of the creek near.
ly all the forenoon, until near dinner time,
when she got up and went to her fathers house,
asked for piece bread and butter, and again
returned to the same place she had been. Her
father kept behind her without making any
noise. As soon as the child was seated, the
father saw huge black snake slowly raise lis
head into her lap and receive the bread and
butter from her hand; and when she would at.
tempt to take q bite of the bread, the snake
would commence kissing aud become appa.
rently very angry, when the child, trembling
like leaf would promptly return the bread to
the monster. The father was completely par.
| alyzed, not being able to move hand or foot;
entertaining, as most persons do, great dread
for snakes, he felt alarmed for the safety of his
| child, not knowing the nature of the snake or
the extent of the influence on the child. His
blood became almost clogged in his veins, and
he groaned in perfect agony, which caused the
snake to become alarmed and glide away into
the creek. The child then Immediately sprang
to her feet and and ran home, apparently much
frightened. Her father followed her, but she
refused 10 answer any questions, and he then
resolved to detain his child home, but he was
advised to permit her to 90 again next day to
the creek, and to follow her and kill the snake.
Next morning she took piece of bread and
! went out to the creek, her father followed her
with his gun in his hand, and as soon as the
snake made his appearance shot him through
the head. The child swooncd; the snake squrm-
ed and worked himself around awhile and then
died; the child, in the meantime, recovered
from her swoon, but was Immediately seized
with spasms, acting in manner resembling the
writhing of the snake, and finally died at the
same moment the snake did, apparently in-the
greatest agony.
This horrible, and at the same time mclan.
choly occurrence, is the first we have heard of
for long time, and in fact the first VIC ever
knew Of where we could positively vouch for
its truthful correctness. We know that there
are persons who doubt the reality Of snake fas
cination>, but if they entertain any doubts on
this subject hereafter, the relatives Of this un-
fortunate little girl can be found ready and will
| ling 10 corroboratc our statement. This should
serve as warning TO parents who reside in the
country to be moro careful in watching their
children.
We had almost forgot to mention that it
was black snake, generally supposed to be
harmless, that is: net poisonous) seven feet six
inches in length, that fascinated the little girl.
81. Louis HeruH.