Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1873-09-05
Some Wonderful Snake Stories.

Some Wonderful Snake Stories.
A most exciting battle took place few
miles from this town few days since be-
tween well-to-do farmer and snake de-
scribed by the gentleman as moccasin
perhaps of the highland species. The
gentleman was returning home from town
with his wife and child in buggy drawn
by two spirited horses, when his horses
stopped in evident alright at the sight of
monster snake lying across the track
some distance in front of them. Giving
the reins to his wife the gentleman left the
buggy, and selecting a piece Of fence-rail
advanced and struck the snake one blow,
when the rail unfortunately broke and left
him defenseless. The snake Immediately
dashed at him and ran him fercely, until
finding he was about to be overtaken the
gentleman made for his buggy, which he
barely reached in time, the snake spring
ing up with great force against the wheel
as he jumped in alongside his wife In
moment the gentleman had his buggy
whip in hand, and with the butt end of it
had desperate fight with the monster,
which continued it's determined effort to
effect an entrance to the buggy The
horses becoming uneasy and the wife
dreadfully alarmed, the lines in her hands
were somewhat relaxed, and the team
made squirt which at once carried the
party a hundred yards from the scene of
conflict. Looking back and finding that
his enemy held the field and showed no
disposition to run, the gentleman again
left his buggy, and securing a stout and
reliable club, returned and renewed the
fight. AS he advanced, and when within
few feet, the snake sprung at him with
distended jaws, when we'll directed blow
laid him on the ground, where he was
soon dispatched. The snake was five
inches in diameter and nearly nine feet
long.-Suater IS. C) Cor. ". 7. World. Z,
On the 10Th instant Mr.. Walker, his
brother Sylvester, and their cousin John
Coon were telling timber for Mr. STAN
dish's mill, in the right fork of Coon's
Canon, about three-quarters of a mile
from the point of the mountain west from
this city, on the high peak south of Black
Rock. Between ten and eleven in the
morning deer ran by where they were
working, and our informant snatched up
Sharp's rifle and started in pursuit..
When he had continued the chase for
about a mile, due north, he was startled by
a loud, shrill whistle and hiss, which he
at first thought might be signal from an
Indian. He came to halt and looked
about him, and heard the noise of rocks
rafting southeast from where he stood.
He turned, when, to his horror, he saw
approaching him at very rapid rate, q
serpent which he judged was between
thirty and forty feet long, and about ten
inches through the body. The reptiles
head was raised fully six feet from the
ground, and his jaws were open fifteen or
eighteen inches wide, with large fangs
growing from both upper and lower jaws.
Walker was almost petrified with fear,
but the hope of saving his own life made
him start to run. The serpent was, how
ever, too quick for him, and jumped at
and knocked him down, striking him on
the left shoulder, just below the shoulder
blade, going over him and down the
mountain to the southwest for a short dis
lance, when he turned and pursued Walk
er, who had risen, and with a speed in
spired by the deadliest fear, was making
his way TO the top of the ridge.
Unfortunately for our informant,
he stumbled, and immediately fell,
the weight of the monstrous pursuer Gid
ing over the body. He gave himself UP
for lost then, but it seemed hard to tell
which was the most frightened, the man
or the snake, for the latter did not seem
disposed to run the risk of contest but,
gliding across the body Of the PROSTATE
man, he slid off at a tremendous rate to-
ward the ridge of the mountain and across
it to the east side. Walker rose and
watched his movements, and says that
after crossing to the east side, the snake
turned and re-crOssed to the west side and
down the mountain a few yards, and then
twined himself around large mahogany
tree, where he remained waving his head
to and fro, Tapping his tail on the rocks,
and whistling and kissing defiance. That
was the last he saw of him, for he made
his way back to his companions as quick
ly as he could. They wanted to return
and hunt for the serpent but the hero of
the adventure was too weak from fright
and excitement to do so, but says they in
tended to go on an expedition to hunt the
snake in very short time. The color Of
the reptile was yellow, with black mark
life a halfmOon on each side of his eyes
he had beard or fuzz round his mouth,
and what appeared to our informant to be
Crown-shaped mass on the top of head.
The latter was about six inches high,
and varied in color, being green, blue,
white, yellow and red. The head of the
creature was about as large as that Of a
ull-grown bulldog, and in shape, between
that OF bulldog and monkey. His
body was covered with hard scales, six or
eight inches long.-Deseret (Utah) News
Sylvester Bowman, of Claiborne Coun-
ty, KY, undertook to bruise the head of
isx-foot serpent lately, but the pesky SER
pent came near turning the tables on Bow
man. Another man helped him out of the
scrape, and the snake was found to have
horn at the end of its tail little over an
inch and quarter long, shaped like
ROSTERS spur. But what was still more
astonishing it had two eyes in its tail.
which, excepting the horn, was shaped
exactly like the head, but was not so large,
Indeed, to see the tail one would have
thought that it was the head, and that the
horn was its tongue. The horn was very
sharp. The snake seemed very thick at
its tail end, and endeavored to strike eve
rything that came near its TAIL Various
experiments were made to ascertain
whether it could see with the eyes in its
tail, and it was demonstrated thatit could.
These eyes had lids, which opened
and shut and cleaned with anger.
Indeed, the tail head seemed far more
fierce than the other head 1t was so fierce
at both ends that it was necessary to
shoot it.
The Elk River (Minn.) Neaos says that
Mr.. Jones, of Battle Brook, in that (Sher-
burne) County, captured alive upon his
farm snake with two heads, one upon
each end of its body The heads were ex
actly alike, and it was impossible to tell
which way the thing would move until it
was in motion. He kept it for several
days, and exhibited it to many who had
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