Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-08-12
A Dog and q Rattlesnake in Mortal
Combat. sesrur

A Dog and a Rattlesnake in Mortal
Combat. sewrur
| Allendsle (Ga) letter to Atlanta herald.
On the 22d inst, within two and one
half miles Of this place, on the farm of
John Davis Tyrreu, most remarkable
scene occurred. It was terrible rem.
counter between dog and rattle
snake, which ended in the death Of
both. About dusk that evening, as he
and his plow-boy and white woman
he had hired to hoe, were vending their
way slowly homeward after the days
labor was over, leading their horses
along pathway near the margin of the
corn field, the woman, who was bare
footed and walking in the path before
them, suddenly sprang back, exclaim-
ing that there was the biggest snake
she ever saw. Mr.. Tyrrell then ad-
vanced with short pine knot in his
hand, with the intention Of striking it,
when the boy cautioned him, remind
ing him of the imminent danger he
would incur by attempting to kill such
snake with such frail weapon. He
made no further effort to strike it, but
the motion with the pine knot no doubt
alarmed his snakeship, for he instantly
turned and glided into the bushes and
briers, and as he moved the rattles
made the well-known sound, which was
also familiar to the dog, who hearing
it, at once sprang upon the snake, and,
it is supposed, caught it by the tail
and tore away it's rattles, as
their sound was not afterwards heard.
The snake would strike at the dog, and
he would seize it in his mouth and shake
it. But, before he got hold Of it, it
struck him several times with its fangs.
The dog had previously killed several
rattlesnakes, and understood how to
fight them upon a fair, open field but
in this case he fought at very great
disadvantage, being impeded in his
movements by the thick jungle of vines,
briers, and bushes among which he had
taken refuge. The fatal wound must
have been given by the snake very soon
after the contest commenced, as the dog
was observed to become weak and to
stagger-then he seemed to renew bis
attack on the snake with terrible ener-
gy and ferocity, taking it by the body
and shaking it most vigorously from
side to- side, and tearing great slugs of
flesh from it's body. AS soon as he had
subdued the reptile he carried it out to
open ground, where his master was,
and laid it down. Then, Keeling like a
drunken man, under the workings
of the deadly poison, the brave fellow
placed his feet on it's body, and, with
the energy of desperation and death
already graphing with him, he literally
tore out it's vitals and strewed them on
the ground. In moment, and at the
very climax of his victory, the faithful
dog reeled and fell to the ground, and
In few moments was stiff in death,
notwithstanding every possible effort
was made to save him. The snake was
an enormous one, and from Mr.. Tyrell's
account must have been at least 5 feet
long. He bit the dog many times
twice under the neck in the soft part of
the breast, and twice on the shoulder,
besides several times on the mouth.
The wound in the breast being near the
jugular vein, did the work, no doubt.
It is asserted on the word of gentle
man of undoubted veracity that the
punctures made by the fangs were Il
inches apart, and that they had the
appearance of having been made with
an awl. The dog was a mongrel, of
medium oize, considerably mixed with
bull, and had been bitten once before
by the same kind of snake. a.. a..