The Hawaiian gazette., 1879-07-16
AWAIIAN GAZETTE
EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY
CRAWFORD MACDOWELL.
WEDNESDAY. JULT l6. 1879.
Great Snakes-A Plague of Serpents
in Connecticut.

New BosToS, Conn. May 23d-Un cle Josh
Peters, when be came in from days planting
last evening. remarked that he actually believed
be had killed more snakes Than be had planted
hills of corn. " I've been born and brought up 10
this re town" he said. as he stood with his hoe
over bis shoulder talking to few OF bis neigh
bora, and seen heap OF snakes 10 my time I;
but never seen so many bug black snakes. regu-
lar fighters, as have this season. II beaIs ALL
How many have you seen to-day, Uncle
Josh? ?"
"Well, now, I couldn't begin to count back
aud reckon on EN- up, but there must have been
forty or fifty. Some on 'em we're little fellows
but there we're three black fellows as big as my
wrist, and l should think pretty nigh six feet
long. and they was fighters"
6 Did they fight you ?"
Didn't give EN- chance. II had, they d
a gone for my throat. They don't bite, but they
choke Teller TO death. / amt much skeered oil
snakes If ! can see EN-, but don't want to come
on bunch of the black ones all of sudden.
don't know what to make ont Where do they
all come from ?"
From all parts of the State come reports that
confirm Uncle Joshs experience. Connecticut
seems TO be overrun with large and fierce black
snakes. There have been found good many tiat
heads and unprecedented adders, and on the
Meriden Hill and in the northwestern part OF the
State there are discovered. almost every season
few rattlesnakes but there is no record OF &C
many Of the swift and ugly black reptiles having
been seen and killed IN any previous season.
The frost had hardly got out Of the ground
when two young men of Bridgeport, strolng il
the ravines near Irumbu discovered a nest Of
black snakes They were then Just coming out
inf their tornor and were still slnppIsh The
young men killed forty-elght without much trou
BILE. A farmer named Peckhum who lives 10
that settlement 10 the town OF Lebanon known
as Kick Hill, began to clean out his well few
days ago. He came up In hurry. He had
seen dozen serpents' heads projecting from The
stones that walled the well. How the reptiles
got there be could not guess tor the well is IL
his door yard, and some distance trom any woods
After days battle be drove out and killed
fourteen. Everyone was black snake
James Tyler, of North Ashford a town neal
New Boston, in the northeast corner Of the
State, came upon six OF these snakes summing
themselves in his lot He had neither stick mol
stone, and precipitately retreated. Cutting i
1.-THE walnut sprout, he returned and dealt them
blow which broke the backs OF three OF them
The others raised their heads, and with OpeL
mouths. The forked tongues darling like light
ming fashes, sprang toward Mr., Tyler. He
jumped back, and, with the walnut stick, level
led Two more. The last was SO close that MIR
Tyler could not use his stick. He had the pre-
sence oil mind TO jump on 1t. and was fortunate
enough TO crush its back with his heels. None
of these snakes measured less than four feet IL
length.
a Meriden farmer reports that be saw ous
day last week black snake fully five feet long
climbing an apple tree in his orchard. As The
snakes head reached the lower branches the
farmer heard the cries of robin. He then knew
what the snake was after. There was nest ii
the tree, and there is nothing black snake like;
SO well for d meal as robbins eggs, unless II be
very small toads. But black snakes rarely trou-
Bile owls nests. They lose their eyes il they do
The cries of the robin brought its mate. and the
two, after pathetic appeals Tor help boldly at
tackled the snake. Their pecks hurt MIN eyi
IDENTIFY just enough to anger him he raised hi:
head aud darted at them as he moved along
toward the nest. Just as be reached it the farm
er with pole struck the snake blow thai
brought him to the ground but he brought the
nest and eggs with him.
About ten miles from the place where thi;
battle occurred, and day or two later, DAME
3. Perkins, middle-aged farmer, was repairing
stone wall on his farm. He suddenly felt
OlOm uSdlueI us sDOuluGTS, aUu at uTS
supposed that u limb had fsllen from q tree Their
he felt another, and heard ut the same time a
hiss. He at once knew that he was attacked by
black snake. Mir. Perkins had q siniur expe
rlence year or two before, and knew that The
bite OF the black snake is perfectly harmless, bul
that 1t one once gets u coil about mans neck
Its muscular power ia great enough TO strange
him. be seized one of the snakes-for there
were two of lhem although at first Mr. Perkins
did not know it-and, while fighting desperately
stopped aud picked up 40 axe that lay on the
ground. SEEING it near The iron he managed to
cut both reptiles and they at once dropped
Then be killed them. One measured six eet
and the other five and a half Mr.. Perkins cay:
they would probably have strangled him had be
not had au axe.
just over the Connecticut line, in South
bridge Mass, Alvan Grover, one day last week
while working in his field, came suddenly upon t
nest OF black snakes. He at first saw only two
the others being hidden by log. and lie picked
upa stick and struck these two. Instantly q
dozen or more black heads, with sparkling eve.
and kissing tongues. appeared from the log anC
darted toward MIR. Grover. He would have run
il running had been of any use. 1t seemed L
HIN as II he was surrounded, but be kept BIZ
face toward them, aud swung his stick right ant
left, up and down. After a fight that LASTED
fully fifteen minutes they were ull dead, or la,
with broken backs. Then Mr.. Grover COUNTED
them. There were sixteen, every one over fuu
feet lnnp