Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-09-04
From the Mississippi Journal.
4 FRIGHTEUL SNAKE STORY

FRIGHTFUL SNAKE STORY.
The following incident was related to us the
other day by one whose veracity is unquestion
ed and who was an eyewitness Of the fact
1t is more appalling than any we recollect t.
have read in the history of these reptiles:
Some time last summer the inhabitants o
Manchester, Mississippi, gave, barbecue
which was attended by most Of the fashion and
beauty of the town and surrounding country
1t appears that among the guests there was q
young lady, Miss NJ, recently from one of the
| eastern cities, who was on visit to her rela.
tions in the neighborhood of the town.
Miss NJ, was gay and extremely fashion.
able young lady, and withal possessed an un.
common share of spirit and courage, except in
the matter of snakes, and of those she had SC
great dread that she scarcely dared to walk
any where except in the most frequented
places for fear OF encountering them. Every
effort was used, but without avail, to rid her oi
her childish fears. They haunted her contin-
ually, until at last it became the settled convic-
ton Of her mind that she was destined to fall a
victim to the langs Of a raulesnake. The Sc
quel will show how soon her terrible present.
ment was fulfilled. a' ,'.'c~Q
Towards the close Of the day, while scores Of
the fairy feet were keeping time in the dance
to the music, and the whole company were in
the full tide of enjoyment, scream was heard
from Miss NJ, followed by the most agonizing
cries for help The crowd gathered around her
Instantly, and beheld her Standing, the perfect
image Of despair, with her hands grasping a
portion of her dress with all the tenacity of a
vice. 1t was some time before she could be
rendered sufficiently calm TO tell the cause OF
her alarm, and then they gathered from her
broken exclamations that she was grasping the
head of snake among the folds OF her dress,
and feared to let go her hold for fear of recev-
ing the fatal blow. This intelligence caused
many to shrink from her; but the ladies, for
their honor be it told, determined not to leave
her in her direful extremity.
They besOught her not TO relax her hold, as
safety depended upon it, until some one could
be found with courage enough to seize and re-
move the terrible animal. There were none of
the ladies willing, however, to perform the act,
and the situation of Miss NJ, was becoming
evident that her strength was failing fast and
that she could not maintain her hold many
minutes longer.
A hasty consultation among tie calmcst of
the ladies was held, when it was determined
'"l LIZ iSoii, WIZ was ueSeill SIIoutu Ut CsllI-
cd to their assistance. He was quickly on the
spot and being man of uncommon courage,
he was not many minutes within the circle Of
weeping and half-fainting females until he
he caught the tail of the snake and wound it
around his hand to make sure of his hold.
He then told Miss M. that she must let 90
at the moment he jerked it away; and to make
it as instantaneous as possible, he would pro-
nounce the words one, two, three, and at the
moment he pronounced the last word she must
let so her hold, and he doubted not but he could
withdraw the snake before it would have time to
strike. All stood in breathless horror awaiting
the act Of life or death; and at the moment the
word three was pronounced the docter jcrked
out the largest and most diaboIical- looking bus
tie that was ever seen in Mississippi. The
whole affair was then explained. The fasten-
ings of the machine had become loose during
dancing, and it had shifted its position in such
way that it dangled about the lady's limbs,
and induced the belief that it was snake with
an enormous head. .. ..
The docter fell right down in his tracks and
fainted--he did.