Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-02-01
The New Yo,k Herald Has ,hs

W0NA
The Herald, Of the 10Th inst, contains
the following comments en- the LEDGER's
snake story. Our readers will read il
and form their " conclusions. The
LEDGER vas the only journal in the city
that discovered the shower Of snakes,
worms or leeches, or whatever they were,
the morning journals not having sufi.
cient enterprise to make explorations
into the realms Of natural history or give
room 10 their columns for the descrip,
ton, explanation or discussion Of the
strange phenomenon-but the New York
Herald says;
Qaite recently, it will be remembered,
q rather startling piece OF intelligence
was flashed over the wires from the good
city of Memphis, Tenn, to the ef, CT that
the city had been visited by a shower OF
snakes, live. wrigRling specimens Of the
genus 0phidie. The reptiles were stated
to have descended during a very heavy
shower of rain, and TO have covered a
considerable space ia the city with their
squirming numbers. Now, public cred.
Unity car just bear . certain amount OF
strain. Il has sustained, from time 10
time, immense tension from the sea SER
pent, the rumors of peace in Mexico and
and statements hat New York was to
have rapid transit; but this story about
the shower Of snakes ia Memphis was
too much, so the opiuien generally pre-,
vailed that somebody in that city had
been having them again"
However ~ test matters to the fullest
extent, Messrs,' Reiche & Brothers, nat
ulalists Of this city, decided to make an
effort to secure some of the snakes for
the Aquarium, so wrote to one Of their
cuttomers, DR.. Scherer, Of Memphis, for
tull particulars, forwarding him a copy
OF the Herald containing the announce
ment. The lsst named gentleman in his
reply coufesses his surprise at having
received such strange news from New
York, as he Gays none Of the Memphis
papers had said anything about it except
The evening LEDGER. Some specimens
OF the so-called snakes were taken 10 the
Office Of that journal on the 18th. DR..
Scherer tried to obtain some Of the
=" snakes" bat found that they bad been
forwarded to Washington by the signal
service observer at Memphis.
Sergeant McElroy was tken requested
by tie doctor to give him a description
Of the snakes" and furnished the fol-
lowing particulars concerning their de-
scent and general appearance:
Monday, the l5th inst, opened with
rain. About twenty minutes past ten
a m. 1t began coming down in torrents
from the southwest; wind quite brisk,
velocity beipg sixteen miles per hour.
This very heavy shower lasted some
fifteen or twenty minutes. Almost i'm.
mediately after a negro boy called the
attention of several people to the fact
that the sidewalks, cutters, street and
yards we're covered with long worms Tor
snakes If you willy crawling 10 every
direction. They we're from six to twelve
inches long and of the diameter of an
ordinary knitting needle, their color be.
ing dark brown or almost black. They
seemed to have q great affinity for each
other, as in some places they had gath
cred in masses, and, their movements
being quite lively, they presented quite {
disagreeable appearance. A number
we're picked up and put in water. VERY
few lived, as on Wednesday | expert
euced considerable trouble in gettinI
half a dozsn TO send on TO Washington
d. G. Alter being kept 10 a bottle fol
two or three days | observed that they
became much lighter in color. They
had a distinct head and showed a decided
repugDance to being handled.
Tuesday morning, the 18th, there
were quite a number of them around
but by evening they had all disappeared
They did not move like q snake, bu.
would shove the fore part of the body
ahead and draw the balance up in a hooJ
shape. They would also raise themselves
five or six inches in an upright position
as though they were seeking some sup
port. Ifound them on Vance, between
Goslee and Lauderdale streets, only. A
report covering all the points as to con
%struction, origin, ETC., will in all proba
bility be made from the Office OF the chic.
signal officer of the army, Washington
1t will be seen from the foregoing
statement that the snakes turn out to b.
worms, 1t is satisfactory to know that
the press agent at Memphis did moi
have them, as some people uncharita
bly, asserted. They could not be con
sidered even to be first cousins OF the
snake, the same relationship that might
be said to exist between the old ser.
pent' and the worm that never dies
These worms died and we're even so sen.
sitive as to change color when bottled
up. Hence the conclusion must be or.
rived at that a heavy gale swept the
wormy colony from some western brake,
aud after whirling them for many miles
across the country quietly dropped them
in Memphis with an accompanying rain
shower, much to the disgust Of the worms,
no dou5 t.