The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1864-11-17
Snakes of America.

country lying along the Niagara river
used to be very much haunted by these
forbidd!ng reptiles, but :he progress of
civilization, including the arrival of the
omnivorous pig, has nearly rid the district
of them. The pig is the great snake an
nihiiator, devouring serpents Of every
manageable size with avi6ity, and seeming
to enjoy immunity from the poison SO
fatal to other animals. A French gentle
man, who has large property in newly
settled district in Western Canada, told
me some years ago, that he bad just
purchased large herd of lean swine to
send to his saw mills there, for the purpose
Of exterminating the ratesnakes, which
were very numerous, and much dreaded
by his workmen. Turpentine, externally
applied, has been successfully used in this
country for the treatment of snake bites !;
but it has been asserted, lately, that alco
hol, taken inwardly, in doses large enough
to produce total intox ication, is the only
sure remedy.
Rattlesnakes occasionally grow to
great size, although the varieties found in
the more Northern States rarely attain
length Of more than five feet. A singular
and horrible encounter with very large
one took place ia May, 1859, near the
city of Peoria, in the State of illinois,
About six miles from Peoria, at place
called Prospect Hill, there stood at that
tune the ruins OF a country hotel, near
which were two brick cisterns, which had
been partially covered over with boards
for some time, while out Of use. The
proprietor of the place drove out there
one day with his wife, for the purpose of
putting the flower garden in summer trim,
and while engaged In his work, he found
that he wanted some bricks for edginS the
walks. He uncovered one of the csterns,
which was dry, and about six feet deep,
Jumped into it, and began to pick out some
loose bricks from the wall aud throw them
TO the top. White so employed, finding
his work somewhat impeded by piece of
plank partially Embedded in the clay al
the bottom Of the c:stern, he tore it up
vii h some difficulty, and threw it out. At
the same time he heard the spring of the
rattle, and saw, 10 his horror, large SER
pent coiled up in The holl,w where the
plank bad lain. He had no weapon; the
c'siern was not more than five feet In
diameter, aud it would have been impos-
sible for him 20 have scrambled out of ii
withou. exposing mself to be struck BY
the snake, the springs made at him by
which he managed TO parry with his heavy
boots. Hearing his cries, his wife ran to
the edge Of the cistern. but was overcome
with fright, so as to be uuable to render
him any assistance. At last the man,
seziug his opportunity between the iunges
OF the enraged reptile, made an effort to
leap out Of the cisterU, in doing which
loose brick came away in his hand, with
which missile he struck his assailaut on
the head aud killed, or at least stunned
it, Then, with the assistance Of his wife,
he climbed to the surface, when he faint
ed away, from the excitement caused by
the terrible conflict. The snake, which
was taken dead from tie cistern, proved
to be seven feet long, and had thirteen
rattles.
A friend Of mne who lived for ten
years in California, where the largest aud
most formidable kind Of rattlesnake-the
cro;alus horridus Of the herpetologist-is
rather common, told me the following
story:
He was about leaving spot where he
ndU USCu euCaU peU Somc WEEKS, WHeH,
in getting his traps together, he missed
some small articles, for which he instituted
search by tossing up and removing the
twigs of hcmlock pine which had for Some
time formed his couch. This process
revealed to him the horrible fact of two
huge rattlespakes coiled up under the
thick, matted twiSs, where they had been
probably for weeks.
IN one of the Southern States, feather
bed, while airing on some bushes near
farm house, was slightly torn. or rather
the tick was. 1t was patched on the
bushes while summing. Not long afterward
the sIeepers on this bed were troubled
with dreams Of snakes, and often its occu-
pants actually believed snake was in bed
with them, and would bounce out of bed
in great alarm, but would return after
vigorous but unfruitful search. Two years
after, daughter was married, aud took |
the bed home with her; yet its sleepers
continued to be troubled with visions of
snakes, and an occasional search was insti-
tutcd for the intruder. Four years after
his marriage, the farmer visited his
laughter, and was put upon this bed
About ten o'clock he was heard calling
'or his son-in. law, "John! John! come
lere quick-a snake is in my bed p
Lights we're had, and though every nook
md corner was searched, no snake was !