Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-04-17

cutVeTtS SidO 10 escape Dy tOllSOmo
service, working an underground
passage for themselves through the
iron wheel of Jesup & Laflin's pa
per mill. Here is one Of those rug
ged Businesses that seem more and
more out of place amid our all-con-
quering civilization, but which will
remain wild and rugged till every
valley shall be exalted, every noun
tain and hill laid low. Among such
solitudes, rough, rocky, and unsub-
dued-slowly sinking crcsts of dead
and dying mountain chains-are
still found, from time to time, dark
witnesses Of creations fateful mys-
terry, loathsomc reptiles bearing
death in their fangs, malice in their
hearts and rattles on their tails
While the workmen were build.
ing this mill At Salmon Falls, on the
Westficld river, one Of these crawl
ling outcasts of creation, descend
ants no doubt of that pesky sar.
pent" renowned in Spring6eld's an.
cient ballad, crept unawarcs within
reach OF his hereditary foe. AS his
great ancestor was merciless, so
were his captors. He was beaten
with clubs, and mau:ed with stones
till he lay limp and lifeless, but hor.
rid still. Brought thus near the
building, he was laid prone on a
piece of timber, an object of curl
osity and merited disgust. At
length, moved by that caution which
breads fallen foe, or by a strange
though not uncommon spite, one Of
the men chopped off the head-the
fiat, evil skull, hard, filmy eyes, the
jaws closed grimly upon the cruel
fangs within-chopped it off and
brushed it away. Later, the engi-
neers coming out thought to save
the taper chain of rattles, a ghastly
memento. But these had just been
severed from the lifeless trunk,
which still lay bruised and bleeding
where it had been thrown,
Among those looking on, boy
stood near i'll home-spun dress, stout
boots enveloping his pants. A gray
haired denizen Of the region, draw
ing nigh. bade the youngster stamp
on the serpent's tail. Nothing loath,
the heavy boot came down where
the rattles used to grow-came
down and, straightway, up it came,
while a sickly pallor blanched be-
meath the tan and wholesome dirt.
No wonder The "spirited, sly
snake" had been drinking sunshine
as he lay outstretched, and, mangled
as he was, had gathered strength to
resent the insult, as instinct prompt
ed him. Quicker than liberated
spring his headless trunk struck the
offending boot with the same mali
cious violence as when the poison
fangs were set erect to do its fatal
bidding! Happily, the head was
quite severed from the body, and
lay in the dirt several feet away.
It's not pleasant to tread on .
sprightly rattlesnake, even though
one wear thick boots, and the reptile
has neither head nor tail. Sothese
unscicntitic investigators pursued
their experiment with piece OF
board, but twas quite conclusive.
Every time the smaller end of the
body was struck the other retaliated
with a spiteful blow. Surely, a
strange phenomenon, from which
many interesting theories might be
drawn, aside from the obvious eau.
tion-don't handle rattlesnakes till
their heads are taken off but who
shall say what occult law of life's
deep mystery is shadowed in a fact
like this ? AS often as that ghastly
| carcass coiled and struck the
offending boot, SO often, and at the
self-same instant, the grim, repul
silc head, lying discovered in the
dust, opened its jaws, the deadl,
fangs protruding, and closed then
with a snap! Again and again thi'
was done, till the broken and divid
ed-or was it the indefinitely extend
cd?-ghost of the reptile at last de
parted. Whoever wishes to satist,
himself of the truth Of this relation
can easily do so. Always the belle
or unbelief of those who do not car
to investigate is matter OF no I'm
pOrtance.