The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-24
THAT SOUTH CANAAN SNAKE
CONNECTICUT VILLA0ERS DISCUSSING 4
POUGHKE EPSIE STORY.
| The snrpent unckIn' TaI Forrard Up n Tree
Forty-foot liEh, and Dyin' Thar by G"mi I
| Tho Newest COnundrum In Anmth Cnnnnn.

Tho Newest COnundrum In south Canaan.
FALLS VILLAGE, Conn, Feb. 22.-The 22d
Of February Ia day that mover passes unno-
ticed by the people OF Falls Village and the eev-
eral adjacent Canaans. Every recurring birth
day Of the man who could not tell lie ils them
with wonder and even establishment. such
they might experience on contemplating duck
that couldn't swim. Tho secret OF this feeling
on their part probably lies in the fact that the
present generation OF Inhabitants Ia an exem-
p0cation Of the results Of careful education in
the art Of telling snake stories. aided by capa-
blties transmitted from father ~ son through
successive generations. This art reached it,
eliminating point some twelve or thirteen years
| ago. when the champion long distance snake
story teller came forward and dlsanccd tho
puny efforts Of all competitors. He is still liv-
| ing. but his subsequent Efforts show that he
touched the zenith OF his power only long
enough to tell one story. That story was told
all over this country and was translated into
| every language that has a literature. but 1t will
bear another repetition.
The champion was going to visit his sweet
| heart In one of the southernmostof the Canaans.
and had got IA far IA tho cross road that runs
| from point near the burying ground to the
road from South Canaan to Falls Village. This
road skirts tho edge Of largo swamp. 1t was
| dusk on n Saturday evening. when midway
| between tho two roads he WIS startled hy u
! rushing sound like That produced by n tornado
sweeping over y forest He glanced around
| and saw the small trees by the roadside sway
| Ing. md out Of the bush glidcd thu black body
! Of monster snake. The head Of the serpent
| had disappeared in the mndethrush on the op-
positc side ~ the rund hefore its distant tail wis
| dragged into view. This sudden appearance
| and the Attendant noise 50 fri lltrn'd the horse
| that he dashed into nm uncomfortable cantcr
| and the driver had all that he could attend Il
| without paying further heed to the snake. List
! he should make some error in calculating the
Yl Il a ~, llama
| TIL he had seen hy daylight the irrck TINT the
| monster mndc in the sand. This j." did when
| b" returned from Oh" Wis { To- he lHiy love; and
| he gave II IA his solemn ~ icurut thnt the
| track was ns largo Hs would have bcen made 10y
| dragging tcn-inch saw log H"ross the way
Tine story was repeated ior IN" brnrnt oi IN"
| neghhors. and before il WIS a week old no less
| than three other persons had seen snake of
ElEhhVc propofuons' " nilght not nave been
| this identical serpent, hut II wHH "A creature OF
extraordinary length and diameter when tho
| story ~ prarcd In the newspapers all these OBJ
| servers mud seen the monster. some Of them
| had followed il with guns aud spikes. and mn
| engineer on the HOusntouic road had reversed
| his locomotive to avoid getting his train en-
/ tangled IN tho Eerpent's folds and each of
| these obs ,rvcrs including the engineer was
| published ~ "A candid ana conscientious p"rSon
| VINO would scorn to stretch the truth. About
SIX We r. ago the story WIS revived. with som"
additions. though not improvements and again
II went the rounds Of the press.
The author Of this snake story wis barred
from future contests, Tut the other inhabitants
have continued 90 tell snake stories IN u feeble
way up to ths day. or nearly. Lust night the
NV 1Nfk news lNifi~ NfflNfstl. containing "a So
guel to the story OF IN" lonr-distauc" champion.
II recounted the Circumstance Of the snnke's
first appearance In the place. years ago. Then
II went on To aver. in a modest WAY. that as two
woodm-n n the swnmp were saving in two a
lnrgr log that lay d"cHyins on the ground. their
saw struck something that 1T their teeth and
it's on edge. The story continued. without
using any exclamation points. that thcs" two
honest woodmon split open the log aud laid bare
some TWENTY-FIVE fcct ol snake II added that
the tail OF the serpent occupied that part of the
| hollow ~ the tree which would have been
tho nifty hiram phps had - trp bpp
standing. Tho story WIS in the form OF n des-
pai'h dated Poughkeepsie.
IN" people, u fhilS village ana ~ the several
Canaans read this story carefully and then went
To- bed without Comment. multitude oi tnem
Pals Village Hotel shorty after dayhrenk.
Grncrally sp'akln they looked ~ though they
toned IN n casu way TINT thus was Washing
toms birthday-Georgc Washington. the man
Ia lust like TO know who that air Po'keepsc
| fnllcr Is ?" ono of the group Interrupted yawn-
ing lahoriionsly rs h" spoke.
Sod !. another rhimel in: "t To tell the
TRUTH that's what Kept me awake-thinking ont
over
That air snake must have been something
~ . spr 'N'l". rort"r tut pears To- me this here
Pokr"p~i" chap must be "A dun sight more Of a
Athird sugs 'strd: 10 tiinS 81 tho critters
backing INTO hollcr log. tail forrnrd when "A
gang of hunters was humpin' through the
% 1t pears to me" fourth speaker broke in
TINT the rcal question IT, Who's that Po'kcep-
-.
man rs Kelley round about hrre-exceptin'
Deacon Kellogg. whi"h sounds little like. it
and none of tn" Smiths halut been gcttin' out
logs there this winter; besides. there ain I
many smiths around here, anyway"
R"arin' aud pl9ngin' tail i2rrard. into but
tonw"ud tree ana u"n"iratin' 80 Tar that he
stuck thar I'LL he starved 10 death! BY gum.
I'd like 10 grt sight o. that Po'kecpse fellrrr'
exclaimed the one who was first struck with the
improhnhility Of that part of the story.
Leaving TINS group OF excited inhabitants to
talk II out in their own way. the reporter started
for the spot where the snake was last seen. and
near which 1t WAS sand to have been found. As
the reporter was disappearing over the hill a
clamation from the excited group. which he
ne was wholly ont of sight came like an echo
| the syllahcs " 'Keepsie Teller"
Tn" man who FIRST saw the snake-that is he
snake-wHs found. He married the girl he was
| going Ia s"e when he encountered the memoir
able rcpte, and the union has proved happy
Tho man was n,errogated: Do you know Of
a VIZ snak" being found h"reabouis. that"
thirteen Years ago, the man Interrupted,
and then related the episode of his journey 10
The man hnd neither seen nor heard Of the
SNAKE Tor several years. ana when the story of
that Po'kecIse feiler" WIS read 10 him he
was visinly AMI audihly affected. At lrnsth he
mustered strength enough 10 point out tile way
10 thu house OF the man thai owned the swamp
! ana hired tn" men that mad been cutting wood
Smith. aud mono had heard Of the finding OF ,he
snake. tn" search tor Information WAS CON
i,nued. At the repair shops of tho Housatonic
hniroad Company man WIS found WHO
promised 20 prove honanzl Of Information.
Shaker q. yes h" said. " II" was found
in the swamp IN ia" hoilor ~ a huttouwood tree
hy Kelley aud Smith. tail iorrard-measurcd
TWENTY-FIVE feot-prohnhy backed i'm there
when lie WINS chascd-boncs Sin inches through
and hard ms sione-scnt To the Museum of
Nntra llistry."
Good; VINO told you about III When did
| they find MIN p
s. Lust SATURDAY. Read it in THE SUN"
This man WAS the only man of several hun
dred who had Information that he felt like
giving with any degree at confidence. and
the only onr " % had no remnrks 10 make con
crrninR that Po'ke"pse frll"r'
The reporter will he permitted to depart from
this town tomorrow. now that he has solemn y
| pledged himself to return by way Of pough-
kerpsie. mako digrnt search for " that
Po'Rrepsie fellor." and send photographs of
him 10 all the promnent-Hnd IL should hc
said. not wholly crushed-snuke story teers in
the several Canaans and adjacent hamlets.
wife Against Husband.
Arnold Consinhle & Co enel Jnmes Hnnrl