The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-08-11
DEIDEr COMBAr WITH A SNAKE.
A Young Nan attacks huge Rattle
snake Desperate Fight Ensues
Horrible Beath.
CnFTON, ALA, July 2all, $50.


snake Desperate Fight BnSues
Horrible Death.
( CLIFTON, ALA, July 2ol, 1870.
Last Saturday morning / was Oh
witness of such a scene as ! pray tfu
! | may neyer see ,agafE. ] beheld
compahs -. 80 weee... . young man and
rattcsn make, in which the former VS.
bitten and died in ten minutes there
after The particulars OF the terribl
affair are as follows:
On Friday last young man name
GrayHOr asked me to spend the nigh
with him and go coon hunting til
/ next morning, to which requested
readily assented. We started OU
about 3 o'clock A. NJ, and near ia,
the dogs opened on 9 trail in tn
swamp of Bear creek. Just after san
rise the. deep baying OF the dogs in
/ formed US that the game had taken
tree. We proceeded 70 make Our wa
through the bOgs aud tangled brusl
and vines in the direction OF tile dog
until we came to a small space Of firH
ground, which was covered with
/ low growth of oak bushes. Here W
halted a moment to listen for tn
dogs.
We had barely paused when W
were startled hy 2 loud, strange, RAT
Ting sound issuing rom BENEATH /:
low, thick bush, within a few feet o
u.s.. Though / had never heard tina
peculiar noise. before, / knew instine
lively that it was a rattlesnake, anC
sprang back in terror, sreDlarking, .
'GraynOr, let's leave here" "What
said he, "are you afraid ?" ayes,
said I, i.I am afraid" "WelI," ht
eoOlly remarked, az am going to Kill
the snake it would be q pity to leavt
such fine fellow here. SOhere goes. ,
| While Graynor was speaking / caugh
a glimpse of the snake, which a,
nearly Us / could Judge, appeared Il
he about eight feet In length, anC
three inches in diameter in his large
part He was lying rolled up in per
feet circles, with his head drawn bach
in terribly graceful curve, his small
black eyes sparkling, his slender fork
ed tongue darling swiftly back and
forth, and his brown neck swoller
with fatal wrath, while ever and anon
he twirled tho warning rattles into the
air, With a harsh blOod-curdling
sQuIQs
aFor Gods sake, let's go,n said I
shuddering at the terrible sight =
FDont get scared, (" said G.; 'Just
climba tree and he won't bite you
It amt every day that 4 fellow meets
with such 4 fine large snake as this,
and il wouldn't do to lose him.D He
had picked un q small stick about a
yard long, and, while speaking, was
drawing back the bushes from above
the snake so as to get sight of him,
He threw his foot around over the
bushes, and tramped them down in
such a manner that the monster was
fairly exposed 10 view but just as he
did 50, and before he had time to
strike, the snake made a sudden
spri1g at him, andI turned away my
face IN horror. The next Instance,
Graynor exclaimed, ''Pve got him, by
George!"
! turned to look, and with his right
hand he was grasping the snake by
the neck iii such manner that he
could not bite, while the monster was
gnashing his teeth most fuFiously,
and twisting and writhing in huge
folds around G.'s arms. All of a sud-
den, IN some unacc0untable manner
the snake freed his head, and quick
as lightning plunged his deadly fangs
into G.'s right cheek; when dropping
on the ground, he glided few PAGES
and again eOiled himself up, keeping
his head erect and ringing his fearful
rattles.I G.. turned deadly pale, paus-
edt a moment, and then with q little
stick advanced toward the snake. As
he dial So the snake made a spring at
him, but q. struck him with stick
and knocked him back.
a second time the snake sprang at
him, and he again knocked him of
with the stick, but before he could
strike third blow, the snake had
made anOtherspring, and inflicted an
otheF'wOund in GraynOr's arm. This
time GraynOT again managed TO seize
the monster 10y the neck, and drop
ping the stick, he drew forth his knife
with one hand, opened It with his
teeth, and then deliberately cut of
the snakes head. Blood spuTted from
the trunk, and G. still grasping the
snake, whose huge folds tapped and
writhed around him, turned toward
me, staggered and fell. rushed up
to him and asked him, iiWhat in
the name of God can 1 do for you ?'i
'tNothing,p said he calmly, 'I am
dy ing. Tell them good and his
features became frightfuIly contOrted,
his eyes rolled over as If starting from
theiF sockets, and his black, swollen
tongue prOtruded from his mouth
Then he fixed his red, wild, staring
upon me, and heaved a deep piercing
grOan q shiVer passed over his frame,
and then all wasStill. l was alone
with the dead. Marking the place as
well as L could, / hastened to a house
we had passed on the road, some half
a mile distant from the fatal tragedy.
Runners We're sent through the neigh
borhOod, and i'm the course OftwO hours
some twenty OF the neighbors had
gathered. We proceeded 20 the place,
which found no difficulty in point
ing out.
Good heavens what a sight met
our view. The face and body had
turned to deep purple, and were
swollen to three times their natural
size, presenting the most horrible APP
pearance had ever witnessed. The
snake lay where he had been thrown,
and was still writhing. A litter of
boughs was hastily constructed, and
with heavy hearts we took our way
to the residence Of his parents. / will
not attempt to describe the heart-ren-
dering scenes when they saw the
body. Grief like theirs can not be
po rtrayed.