The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-05-04
SWALLOWED A SNAKE.
A Snake Lives Year In a Woman's
Stomach

The heroine of this remarkable occur
renee is a Mrs. Sarah Linderner, who
lives on Reserve street, Vancouver. She
came there in September last from Camp
Bidwell, Modoc County, California, where
she had previously resided with her hus-
band on a ranch. She relates the story
substantially as follows: One day in the
month of March, year ago, she had been
washing during the day, and when night
came was tired and thirsty. Not having
any water in the house she took a cup
and repaired to spring, or hole in the
ground, where her husband had sunk 8
small barrel near small creek. The
dusk of evening had faded into darkness,
rendering it impossible for her to see
what might be in the cup when she drank.
She drank a deep draught from the cup
and felt something wiggling down her
throat, seemingly about the size of a
horse hair, and two or three inches long.
She attempted to raise it, but could not,
and thinking it would, if an animal, be
unable to live in her stomach, for the
time being dismissed the subject from her
mind. Three or four months thereafter
she began to manifest symptoms SINH
lar to aggravated dyspepsia, terrible
burnings and pressure in the stomach,
and constant cravings for food and yet
never satisfied, like one afflicted with
tape.worm. She was treated from time
to time for her troubles, but for a long
time would not think she had a
snake in her stomach. She came to
Vancouver with her husband last fall,
in the meantime her troubles increasing,
and for the past three months assuming
the most frightful symptoms. She. could
feel the animal moving about in her
stomach, clearly manifesting its presence
by unmistakable evidences, such as biting
her stomach severely and rendering her
almost beside herself with pain and hor-
ror. The animal would seize hold of the
lining of her stomach and bite until some
sort Of warm food or drink was admins.
tered to the patient, when it would sub
side and be quiet. The poor woman was
kept almost constantly eating and dosing
for the benefit of his snakeship, and it
may easily be imagined that her life was
one round of unmitigated horror. De.
spairing of a cure she wrote to DR..
Jaynes, of California, who sent her a pre-.
scription, which was simply to starve
herself and drink nothing but brandy
Friday morning of last week, March II,
after having suffered fearfully the day
previous, she began the new regimen.
Building up hot fire she dosed heavily
with the liquor, and reclined on the floor,
with her face close to the fire. Along in
the forenoon she became deadly sick at
the stomach and vomited violently
After several severe retchings she felt
the snake coming up; its head was so
near her mouth as to impede her breath
ing, when, rising to her feet in her agony,
and leaning her head against the mantle
piece, directly over the fire, she thrust
her fingers down her throat, stretching
it to its widest tension, and the snake
glided from her mouth and FELL into the
hot Goals of the fire below and WAS
burned up. At this moment there was
no one present but girl twelve years
old, and she did not dare to take the AMI
NAL from the fire and the woman tainted
away. The snake is described as closely
resembling common garter snake and
was about sixteen inches in length. It
thrust its tongue from its mouth as it
came forth and squirmed in a lively man.
ner when it fell into the fire. One or
two of the neighbors were called in and
they say the coil of the snake was plain
ly visible in its entire shape upon the
Goals of fire. The woman, who has pined
away from 1S0 pounds to living skele-
ton, feels wonderful sense of relief in
getting rid of the loathsome reptile
Vancouver Oregon) Independent.