M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1857-09-10
Two Thrilling RattIcsnakc
Stories.

ique is infested with rattlesnakes. |
once knew a planter living in the in
terror of the Island, whose lands were
so overrun with these venomous rep
tiles that the greater part Of his slaves
deserted him, and sought refuge in the
vast forest that covered the Island
The only slaves that remained were
few that were in irons at the time of
the flight Of their companions, and
were waiting punishment for some
misdcmeanor, and those slaves who
hoped to escape punishment by prom
ising to devote themselves to the cx.
termination Of the snakes. Among
the negroes in captivity was one nam.
ed Pcgu, who was condemned to re-
ceive three hundred strokes Of the rat
tan. The hour ofpunishment arrived.
His master came forth to witness the
bloody scene. Pegu was standing
near the whipping. block, awaiting the
moment when his head and feet
should be fastened to it, when he per-
ceivcd a rattlesnakc gliding toward
him through the grass. lie did not
stir. The rapid death following the
serpent's bite was preferable to the
lingering one which he felt awaited
him under the overseer's cane. The
serpent coied itself ready to strike,
when at that moment the planter
caught thepeculiar sound ofthc rattle,
and leaped, terror-stricken, on one
side. The snake attracted by them
tion, changed his intention, and, fam
cying that the planter was about to
strike him, glided rapidly toward the
unhappy man, who, paralizod with
fear, remained rooted to the ground.
Pegu, seeing his masters peril, leap
ed forward, and catching the snakes
tail with one hand, caught him by the
neck with the other, and, after quar-
ter of an an hours compression, sue
ceeded in choking him. An ouraftor,
Pegu received his three hundred lash
es, and died that night under the pun
ishment. Such is gratitude in Mar.
Unique !
A most affecting incident happened
in this same Island while | was stay
ing there, passing most of my time in
the forests, or with that wild race Of
cattle.hunters known as Buccaneers.
A fine, athletic negro, named Colo,
belonging to a rich planter who lived
80 miles from st. Pierre, was despor-
ately cnamored ola pretty mulatto lass
named Juniatta, living on the next
plantation. But Juniatta was a CO.
quette, and cruel as coquettes gener
ally ARE. Having a slight tinge Of
white blood in her, she looked down
from an exalted height upon poor Go
10, who was as black-bIacker in fact,
than the ink with which l am writing.
She treated him shamefully, giving
him an ounce of hope, and tun of
bad treatment. Still Colo did not de-
spair, but pressed his suit on every
opportunity.
AT last Juniatta, finding her lover
so pertinacious that he must either be
finally rejected or accepted, told him
one day that she had a passion for rat
tlesnakes' tails that she valued them
in proportion to their length; but as
yet she had been unable to get tail
which contained twelve rings. Now,
if he brought her a tail with twelve
rings, sue would be his. Golo's heart
sank, but stilihe determined to under
take his dangerous task. What was
there he would not peril to gain Juni-
alta? Day after day, Colo, with a
burning brand of pine-wood in one
hand and short saber in the other,
traversed the forests, listening to the
ominous rafting of the snakes. In
point of numbers, his success was pro-
disious for there is no better method
of killing the rattlesnake than the one
Colo adopted-thrusting the burning
torch in his face, and, as he detests
fire, he is easily dccapitatcd in the
moment of his confusion.