Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-09-14
A Ferry Singular story--Death Of the
9sittle Girl said TO be Fascinated by
= G&naka.
E Rochester Union and Advertiser.

! fFrvpa the Rochester Union and Adyertiser-l
AT half past I o'clock yesterday forenoon
thx little daughter of B. D. Davis. of this city
Nss.9se Familiarity with snake has been fire.
oaiA1tls noticed, died at the residence of hel
pasehis on Center street. The facts connected
vii beg case we shall state, and leave the pub
| lie ( draw their OWE inference. All that
wessasve heretofore published has been strictly
co. 81, 50 far as We could obtain information.
/ Z feN weeks since, when Mr.. Davis resided
on Il onrae street, in the outskirts of The city
neJf i nursery where he was employed, this
iisif.e daughter, less than two years old, was
accs s4ssIlsegi 10 go into the yard or field aud
plas ssitss ! snake How long these meetings
had s,syyl ssefev5 tlas- siscsvrfy g,y the
sfroI.ssf Is bot Known. At all events themofh-
er one day found tie child with snake in lis
arrss and the little girl was fondling it and
! calllng it her baby. Subsequently, the snake
was seen il the yard. and would run to the
child whenever she was permitted to go out.
TEs chiEd lost its appetite and pined away.
and constantly talked and thought of this rep
tile. Her mother took her darling to the city
to lIgert her mind from the hideous object,
but ID vain Under the advice Of physician,
who was called, the snake was not destroyed,
and continued its visits to the premises at will
rettcating to the field when any one but the
ID va appeared. ~
1T length Mr. Davis moved into the city
and took a house on Center street, hopingth
the change would be advantageous to his
child, and for a time she improved in health
and took her food Two weeks age last FRI
DAY, the child was taken i'll and continued to
silie unfit yesterday, when she died. She was
subject to convulsions or spasms, which were
very violent, and at no time could she take
food and retain it in her stomach Her moth
eF Informs our reporter that she was attended
by Dr.. Fleming, who treated the child on the
electrical principle, and she says that he found
it d difficult case to streat, and expressed the
befief that the snake had taken the electricity
from the system of the child.
On the day following the Friday on which
the child was taken SO seriously i'll, a Mrs
Owns, who occupied the house on. Monroe
street. vacated by Mr.. Davis. called at the
house he now occupies and stated that u Ger
man, .larned Con- K eaelfenbach had killed the
snake which had troubled the child on the
dag previous the Friday on which she was
taken ILL., The mother says that when the lit
tlesgirl heard the atatement she said, ''Mam-
ma. is The baby dead?" and soon became
wefsc.
There is not much doubt about the state
maa made, SO far as the facts are concerned.
The conclusions and differences are quite an
otistr Hing The snake killed by Kcnchen-
bach was about three feet long, and was
doubtless the same seen by Mrs. Davis and her
fansily repeatedly With her daughter. Its be-
ing Killed at the time the child became i'll may
haze been coipcidence probably it was
The child was two years and one month old
when it died. and it was very bright-andz ils
terosting little girl. To what extent it was
under the fascinating influence Of the reptile,
we cannot say: We only give such facts as
we have been able to gather, and leave every
reader to make his own conclusion. We first
brought this ease before the public in the Uni
on and Advertiser, and we have been rdcul-.
ed by other presses -fer-ses doing-some at al
distance even going so far as to dispute the
whole story, and declare that it was an old tale
retold. II is very easy to deny statement,
but that does not refute it. All that We have
written this matter has been the result of
careful inquiry, and what VIC have written we
believe TO be true We did not even com
mence this article to-day till we had sent re-
porter to the house of Mr.. Davis to see the
family, and look upon the corpse Of the child
all of which he. did.