The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-08-12

Hreosess es Asavitt - eereepe n Population.
.es6 H. Fhiw n RsSl Estate- SNAKE Mountain
-ohsk< Sfariss-A israsory Habits Of Rattle
snaks-Birtkpises Of Col. Bliss-Aneedote Of
Gen. TbSioe. al3 % IH~
.,yUAb p'Aoe nAs formerly called skeeneborough, in
honor d MSQs Hksene, IN officer of the British
army, 70 whoa patent Of the land was granted.
2tn ragged noankain which bounds the village ON
Nc northeast III siih known as Skeenes mountain On
eha ade Of this mountain stood the house in which
Major Skeene reided The site OF Il Is still pointed
out, though il is now occupied by . more modern
dwelling. ifss rs 5 LII
A strange story 10 told of an ingenious fraud per
petsted by Major Skeene- An annuity had been
hequeathed In England to his WIFE, to be paid to her
IN the language Of the will, 30 long as she should
xemain above ground. Il happened one day that
Mn. SkeeOe died. Her husband, unwilling to have
fhe annuity cease, placed her in lead coffin, with
D glass plate IN 1t, through which she could
be seen. and kept her in the cellar, but
-'aboye ground" Once . year he forwa rted to Eng
land the requisite affidavit Of some person that he
had seen Ars- Skeene at such date, and that she
was "asove ground" and the money was according
ly paid over. This fraud was prsctised number Of
years. until some kind neighbor communicated to
he parties interested, in England, the whole story
end the annuity was Of course stopped
The population Of this town has diminished since
The ls< ocrsus and the value of real estate is much
lcs than formerly. The railroad is the cause of
This Before thai was built seven hotels did good
business hers. Nov the number IL reduced to two
most OF the travel passing directly through. But
sASach real estate in the village has diminished in
value iaxns In TIM neighboraood have increased.
Perhaps in tine gross there has really been no depre-
cissson What has been lost to one has been gained
BY another.
.a have mentioned thai there are only two hotels.
One of tnese--the Parke House-has receHtly been
taken in charge BY the proprietor, Mr.. John c.
Parke, old resident aud the table is superior to
che average Of country houses Mr.. parke
gives bis almost undivided attention to
the comfort Of bis guests, and seems to under.
stand the fundamental rule Of hotel keeping name.
y, to supply rather than to regulate. the wants of
his custOmera On his table may be found fresh We
geta6es. meats Of superior quality and in great
nety, good pastry, and if the tea and COTE are not
precisely such as you would nd at French restau-
rant, they are - good as you generally get at a
country hotel II has seemed to me that hotel
might almost make reputation out Of the single
fact Of always furnishing first rate cup of tea or
coffee.
About half q mile north from the village is
mountain, composed principally Of ledge Of rocks,
noted the habitation of almost all sorts Of snakes
common to this region. There they congregate in the
autumn-the ratuesnake, the black snake, the striped
Bnake-Rnd know not how many other kinds-.and
'lie down, like Lion and the lamb 10 Scripture, to-
gether. 1t was custom to go out ON this noun
TAIN in the spring time, and kill the serpents when
in the first warm sunny days they crawled out of the
crevices in tie rocks. Mr. Parke says that he has Of
ten caught the rattesnakes III his bare hands not
even using the pIecauton OF gloves. Many years
ago man named Belden was famous as u snake
hunter. OF q sudden be was missing Days passed
and no ddings came to his stricken family of the
lost man. Finally he was found dead ying near
the snakes den, his half decomposed body covered
with rsttiesnakes cut up in pieces, which was
supposed he had Laid to the bites that he had re-
ceived, IN She hope that, in accordance with pre-
vaient opinion, wsuld extract the poison.
An Oh man wao lives in the village, says that Sc
veral years ago he saw q rattlesnakeki WOO d.
chuck, an G.inal larger round the body than cat.
The snake commenced swallowing hin-of course
without mastication-anda at the end Of nine days
the process Of degluton was complete; the elastic
stomach and body OF the reptile having expanded
in that length OF time sufficiently to contain sub
sfance many times larger than its own ordinary d.
mansions.
similar to che rattlesnake, and from sack in its
body emerged thirty five young ones. / recolect,
too whom boy finding striped snake one day, when
in company with my brother just as its young were
running down its throat. Those inside and out, to-
gether, numbered thirty two. Ii Is well known that
they arc .propagatcd by means Of eggs but after
the eggs hatch. the young reptiles on the approach
Of danger down the mothers throat into u sack
provided by nature, and they thus profit by the su
perioc wisdom of the mother in keeping out Of
harms way.
A lady q present residing here, tells me tina. a
cousin Of hers young Indy, who was teaching
school ut the West received some extraordinary at
tentons from large black snake. She walked
about mile to the school house, which situated
in rather secluded spot by the roadside. Every day
at the close of school, the snake would come out
from his hiding place, few rods from the school
house and as the teacher passed he would join her
and follow at a short distance behind her until she
Qot almost home. The next morning, as she was on
her way 10 school, ut the spot where he turned OF
aud leit her the evening previous, he would again
appear and regularly follow her to the same point
Of departure, near the school house. This con
nued some time-t the snake never Offering to modest
her-untl finally, she killed him. No mysterious
tie had been formed between them and she suffered
no more Inconvenience from the summary terInina-
ton q the acquaintance than any maiden would
from despatching a beau possessing no power OF
fascination, by whom she was too continuously per.
secuted. but 1t was tngic end for
One who loved not wisely, but too well
The papers are discussing the question whether
snakes ever hiss. have heard them hiss thousand
times, less. There Is question about the fact
the negative testimony going for nothing, against
much positive evidence IN support OF my assertion
~ can readily 10 adduccd.
Speaking OF the Snake mountain, or den, near this
place there Ii another interesting fact to which
VIII call the attention OF naturaiists, The rattle
snakes here migrate across Lake Champlain every
sprinR. and return in the fall Scarcely one can be
found on the mountain in the summer. They may
be seen a. they leave in the spring, and come bsck
in the sutumn, swimming, or floating lesurely on
the Lake with two three inches Of both head and
tail erect above the mrfacc.
The accomplished scholar and soldier, Col. Bliss,
wss born In this town. Ia the front corner room on
the ground 1oor Of two story wooden house on the
east side of the river, he hrst opened his eyes upon
the light Of this world. There has been consid
cradle dispute about his birth place; but an old
lady siu living in this neghborhood, who says that
she was present on the interesting occasion, is my
authority for the statement which | have made.
Undoubtedly much Of the merit Of General Tay
lor Hnished and beautiful dispatches during his
MEXICAN campaign beIonged 70 Colonel Bliss. Old