Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-08-04
Violent Death of the Big Serpent
near Triune, Tenn.
Heis Skinned and Stufed, and as to Ie Pre-
Sented to to President johnson.

)
"big snake" seem to have excited more atten-
tion than I dreamed of, and L am sorry 1
wrote at all, especially as SO many express
doubts as to the correctness of my statement.
Even you yourself seem to think [ am only
trying the gullibility Of the public. l would
not now come to you again, even with a sworn
statement, did l not have proof that will con-
vince the most skeptical, all burlesques and
sensation kilograms to the contrary notwith-
standing. Truth is stranger than fiction, -
and if man only believes what he sees, how
little of history would be recorded. But
am able to offer to a doubling public that
p1oot-namey, the monster himselfin propria
perSon;e; for we have him, the very snake
that created such an uproar. However, |
will proceed with my narrative, and give you
plain, unvarnished statement of facts I
| wrote you on the Sth instant that the serpent
| had broken the box and cleared for the woods.
| This created great deal of CONSERVATION in
! the community. and all lay low until evening,
when the ncighbOrs got together and devised
some means to put an end to him. On Il
! close examination Of the box it was discovered
that they had put defective plank in it, it
! being wind>shaken from one end to the other,
| and thus, when the captive began to surge
he soon started this plank, and was then able
to break out. The hole in the ground was
now stopped, and every one present determn-
ed to make it their business to hunt up and
destroy him. They felt it necessary for their
safety. Strong bands, well-armed went to-
eether and secured the woods, beat the thick
cts. and searched closely everywhere until
they began to despair Of success. Bnt when
they least looked for it, fortune smiled upon
! their efforts. Some mile and half or two
miles from the den live Mr. Isaac Nelly and
a Mr. Irvine close neighbors, Yesterday
morning Mr.. Nelly walked over to Mr.. r.
vines. carrying with him his gun. an Enfield
rife. Finding Mr.. Irvine in his field nearly
at the top Of the hill at work, he called to him
| and Mr. irvine and he seated themselves on
! the fence, with their guns (f0r no man now
went without One) near them. Mr.. Irvine Is
was a common squirrel rife. They had talked
some time here, when they became aware Of
peculiarly musky odor pervading the air.
They had felt it ut first. but it did not excite
! their attention until it became sckGnIng in
its power. Mr.. Nelly looked around uncon>
sciously TO see what could produce it. and
there within sixty yards Of them, and just
above, lay the scrpcnt-the object Of their
dread. Their first impulse was to run but
alter they had involun;ariiy Jumped from the
fence they thought better Of it, and like true
men, as they are, they determined to fire on
it. They laid their guns carefully on the
fence-thc snake never moving-ard taking
deliberate aim. fired at his head. At the
crack of the guns an awful crashing and slash
ing was heard, and believing the awful crea-
ture was upon them, they threw away their
guns and fled for dear life nor did they stop
until they reached the house.
The country was quickly alarmed, and af-
ter good deal Of careful reconnoitcrng the
spot was carefully approached, to find the
serpent gone. but leaving behind him such q
great trail Of blood they knew he was badly
wounded. Without difficulty they followed
his trail, and did not proceed more than POO
yards down beside the fence before they cs>
pied him, perfectly limp and dead. But it
took several shots from distance to convince
them Of this before they dared to approach.
The struggle where the monster was shot
must have been terrific, for large bushes were
beaten to the earth, and the ground was torn
up where he had laShed it with his tail
Great credit is due to the intrepidity Of the
gentlemen who shot him, for few would have
dared to do it.
Mr. Irvine quickly brought pair of mules
to drag him out, but when the mules caught
sight of the huge animal they became so
frightened nothing could hold them, and they
broke and tore away like mad BY this time
great many people had collected, and they
tied a chain around his neck, with a running
moose. and dragged him through the field to
the big road. They now found couple of
strong horses gentle enough, and they with
these determined to carry him to Nolensville,
it being the nearest point on the pike. Hear
ing of these circumstances, l, in company
with MIR. Ben johnson, Of this place. started
for the scene of action. When near Mr.. Bit
took $ we met with Esquire Greene going to
the same point. We had not gone far before
we hove in sight and here we met with a
serious accident. for no sooner had our horses
caught sight Of the huge body of the serpent
than they began to plunge at such fearful
rate as to throw all three of US; Mr.. John
son and myself sustaining no injury, but
! Esquire Greene received a severe dislocation
of the ankle that will probably lame him for
life.
However, we soon reached Noensville, and
the question arose, what will we do with it ?
We were anxious to take it to Nashville Just
as it lay but the carcass would we knew, be-
come very offensive from the great heat of the
weather So at last it was agreed to skin him,
and after stuffing and drying, take him down
to the city for inspection. | took good sur
vcy of him, and found his length not so great
as we had imagined, for he was just twenty
nine feet eight inches from tip to tip. His
greatest circumference was thirty and half
inches, and he was just seventeen and half
inches around the neck, or rather just behind
the head About ten feet of his tail had a
spinous ridge, like that of an alligator. His
head was the most formidable part about, him,
and was truly terrible to behold, even when
dead. 1t was fully twenty inches across, and
was armed with the most formidable set of
sharp small teeth with four huge tusks. 1t
had a hole itjust under the right eye. from