The Union flag. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1865-187?, 1866-06-08
JAMES f, DEAEISs, | S~,,,,,ori,,.
Gro. z. GRtsuAM. "S''''N'"''
Latet Angus in Herba.

Dayiess county, kentucky, is said to be in
Tested with snakes. The forest, fields, floods
and iells swarm with fry-eycd and forked-
t"ngued serpents. The dry lands are snaky
and the streams are scrpcntinc. Every hole
has iIs viper, every fence corner its adder.
every tuft Of grass its gArter-snnke, every
puddle its cottOn-uOuth, every stump its
hlack-snake, every brook lis moccnsin, and
every rock its horrid rattlesnake. They wrig-
gle along the tide of rushing creeks until
every wave Is a Shiny coil and the voice of
the waters is drowned by the appalling hiJSes
Of the innumerabls reptiles. They Writhe
their spiral coils 10 scnly pyramids on the
travellers path, and he Aies back in conster-
nation, with pale cheeks and staring eye
balls. They swing lszily down from the PEN
liant branches OF o'erhnnging trees, like
grape vines swaying in the breeze, watching
for the coming Of some unfortunate toad, or
nnfedged birding. Nothing like this strange
pest has ever afflicted the " dark and bloody
ground before. The stoutest heprts melt
like snow-ilAkeS in the manifest breast, and
the strongest knees culver like aspen leaves
in the presence OF this army OF sespents. The
farmer dies from his field, the hunter from
the woods, the fisherman from the water
courPes, and lovers from their solitary walk.
The very birds which filled the forest with
melodies, have hushed their songs in the
presence Of these fatal charmers, whose as
pest is laden with death, and the flowers Of
June lose their beauty and odor, for,
"Thc trail NJ tho serpent &, over them ail,"
The whole region is becoming snaky in It's
character. The politicians are all snakes
in the grass" Many gentlemen Of the FIRST
families have " snakes in their boots" Par
sons preach only OF the Old Serpent; and
when the loye-smitten poet Of Davies indites
81 sonnet to hiI mistress eyebrows" by the
calm, silver light OF the moon,
- needless Alsrsndrins end, M, song,
And Ikea wounded suats drags Its slov length alopg."
This serpent plague is the most astonishing
phenomenon OF the nineteenth century. From
accurate calculations il is estimated that
3 900, 900, 900 OF snakes, averaging three feet
in length, are now dragging their bellies over
the dnst Of Dhviess county. Only think Of
three thousand million yards OF snakes in a
single county Enough TO belt the globe
with a sixty fold girdlel We quake TO think
Of it-bnt cannot take OF n single snake
The query naturally comes up, where did the
come 'front.' During the rebellion
county was a sort Of rendezvous for
guerrillas, and these serpentg are supposed
10 be the spirits Of defunct bush whaeksrs,
have reappsared on earth In a gnise
more bsGtIing than the human form, and
modelled after thsi OF their father the
DsVil-baihviih Prs5 4 THei.
We HAUNT the lsas, doubt, friend Mercer,
but EaSt Tennessee Is largely represented In
this vsnonouS eonglomeraiion OF the reptile
They have been " making" ou. Of
This for months paSt-bnt We we're entirely
Of their destination until now -
They are nov running two machines, Cordo-
"a, 10 Mexico, and JET Davis county, XVI
What a FALL, my eouutrymsu r.