Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1868-07-22
A TENNESSEE MONSTER
Correspondence of the Nashville Banuer;J

ICorreSpondence oil the NashyIlle Banuer:l
l34saslas TRTUNE, Tenn, july IL.
A most surprising circumstance occur
red in this neighborhood last Friday
which has created intens excitement
Believing it may interest your readers,
have taken the trouble to collect the facts
and visit the locality, and in ordergto put
tue truth of the narrative beyond cavil,
you will find appended thereto the sfida-
Wits of the gentlemen before Esquire
Page, of this place. / will premise the
occurrence with short e history of what
is known in this community as the 1''big
snake 3gH Ok avfo at -.7oV zs.s +
About twenty FIVE years1ago a Mr. Yer
non was returning from his work shop,
near Lindall's Mill, 9son the Franklin and
Murfreesboro road, at the foot of a large
hill, it being one Of the range kaown as
the Burke's Hills, he saw the track Of
some immense serpent, leading toward a
large thicketon tile hill side. 1t meas
ured about nineteen inches across, and
seemed to press into the dust as if great
weight had passed over it. Mr.. Vernon
collected the people of the neighborhood
the next day, aud, we'll armed, they made
a close search for the monster, but with
out success. About ten years afterward
his track was again seen by severalnen
about the former plaeeszzSome five years
later while a AIRS. Barnes was ins her gar
den gather ng vegetables, she saw the
monster lying along a cabbage row, but
was SO frightened that She was unable to
form even a conjecture as to his size.
Her husband quickly ran to thesgarden,
when. the. alarm was given, but the snake
had disappearedl leaving,S however, his
immense trail, 5,crr-r r.a.1 o4fT
In the fall of the same year, as Mr..
Allen was cutting a pole in athicket of
Mr.. Boyd Barness,% with whom he was
living, he heard in the thicket what he
supposed to be COW or horse, and the
thicKet being in his cornfield, he started
in to run the creature out. What was
his horror on taking a few steps, to see
the head of the veritabie big snake, rear
ed about eight feet high, aud gazing up
on him intently. Of course, be fed at
the top of his speed, and did not turn to
sec what course he would ia ke. A few
men on horseback went to the place but
could only find By the broken bushes the
route be took. -=39a'.%'j.a4 ''-.
These circumstances, following close
upon each other, greatly excited the
neighborhood, and mothers became fear
ful of leaving their little ones alone, lest
they should be swallowed by the terrible
animal. Mr.. Allen described him to be
as thick as a large mans thigh, and said
his head was about the size ofa frying
pan, and nearly fat. =
Nothing more was seen or heard OF the
snake before Or during the war. People
hoped he had died, in his den, from old
age. But it remained for Messrs. w. S.
Robinson and j w. Lisle, of this place.
to catch the next glimpse of him, and 1t
occurred in this wise Last Friday,
Messrs Robinson and Lisle were riding
iowa. d Nashville, on the pike, and as
they neafed the gapfof the Burke Knobs,
they saw what they supposed to be a
large pole stretching ac- oss the pike, not
thinking of the improbability of apcle
being in sucha locality, as the pike has
a large field ou the either side, 70 their
surprise they saw the pole, when they
got within sixty or. seventy PAGES OF IT.
suddenly raise its head above the top Of
the fence on tho west side OF the pike
and. commence moving slowly over 1t
Although the two gentlemen were badly
frightened, they determined to see more
of his snakeshi p, and as soon as he had
got about one hundred yards into the
field. they passed beyond him on the pike
and quickly got to the top Of the hill b,
some two hundred yards above him The
serpent did not seem to care for thel'
proximity, but quietly pursued his way
which lay about half way down the bill
side through the field, until he came t'
the bushes in the woods. Here he stop
ped a while, and lay very still and qule
until the gentlemen began to think h