Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-09-20
A YOUNG GIRL BITTEN BY A
SNAKE.

and far between that they are very sell
dom met with, and their depredations
are never heard of. However a genu-
Inc snake story comes from Ancaster
this week, the victim being young girl
named Lucy Smith, residing near the
village of Ancaster, and the reptile one
of those hideous yellow spotted monsters
known as milk snakes. The girl Lucy.
had gone out in the morning with her
pail for the purpose of picking buckle
berries Her feet and ankles we're quite
bare, but Lucy, like most young coun-
try girls, was hardy and strong. and
picked her way through the brambles
with as much grace and courage as an
Indian. All she remembered of her
misfortune is, that she was walking
through some burdocks and stepped up
on something soft, Shiny and crawling,
and on feeling singing sensation in
her ankle like the touch of a thistle,
looked down. and to her inexpressible
horror beheld huge milk snake of ex-
traordinary proportions twine itself
about her leg and strike at it with dis
tended hood and jaws. She remember
ed nothing more than that she screamed
until she found herself in her own bed
at home. Fortunately at the time of
her adventure several men were working
in an oat field near by, and having seen
the girl go into the berry patch, and hear
ing shortly afterwards piercing scream,
which told of fear, repugnance and ago.
ny as plainly as words could have done,
they fastened into the patch, and after
a search of half an hour gave it up as
a bad job, arguing that probably the
girl had been stung by wasp or some
other venomous insect, and had left the
berry patch by some other obscure way.
After the men had gone back to their
work, three little girls entered the patch
for the purpose of picking berries.-
They, too, shortly afterwards commenced
to scream, one after another, and ran
into the field where the men were work.
ing, when one of the girls fell down in
fit. The others told the men, as well
as they could through their fear and ex,
citement, that Lucy Smith was lying in
the berry patch, and that big worn
had killed her and was eating her up
They Immediately fastened into the
patch, where they beheld sight which
was enough to make the blood of the
strongest man run cold There lay tn,
unfortunate girl in dead swoou, and il
her lap lay large milk snake, which
, was very jealous of its prey. The con
duct of the hideOus reptile as the mel
approached was peculiar in the extreme
With its hood and head distended, it
red jaws wide open, its long supple tongue
: striking maliciously right and left, i
3 ran around its victim almost erect Of
u its tail, kissing savagely and makin
c that strange grinding noise which is DOS
. sessed by only one reptile of the snak
: family-the milk snake. Rage, zeal
i ousy, and excitement had made th
> creature as supple as cat, so that i
i was almost impossible to strike it wit
a stone, besides, the men were afraid {
throw with any force from fear of hit
3 ting the PROSTATE and he'll less child
IL Sometimes the reptile charged with sue
9 rapidity and fury that the men wer
u forced to retreat, when the creatur
u would return to its victim and coil i
= self IN her lap. Fortunately a neighbc
II seeing the disturbance arrived with
~ pitehfork and succeeded in transfxiu
z the snake, which measured three fe,
II two inches in length, and seven incht
Z in circumference at the largest part
u its body. The unfortunate girl was ca
e ried home, when it was found that h,
C. leg was terribly swollen and of spotte
= green color like that of the snake itsel
Is The mother of the child without Il
d slightest hesitation, commenced to sue
u the wound, and soon reduced the swe
. ling and drove away the color, aft,
tie which drawing pOultice, of red cal
e. bage was applied, and ere morning a
ut signs of swelling had disappeared. III
n girl has now thoroughly recovered an
lie has sustained no serious injuries save
lg shock of the nervous system from whic
ID her young frame will soon recover
Ii Hamilton Ontario Spectator.