The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-04-11


culiar. raSping. crawling noise on the
stone floor which sounded like nothing
ne had ever heard before.
Il wonder what it can be - contin-
ued Mary
Il don't know. but I'll get up and
light the lamp and find out. " replied
John. cheerily.
He accordingly, throwing the bed
clothes aside, sprang to the floor, when,
with a scream of mort al agony he cried.
Almighty God Mary Cover your
self and child with the blankets The
house is full of rattlesnakes. and I'm
dead man -
The screams of the unfortunate man
as reptile after reptile fastened its fangs
in his quiveTing flesh. were terrible to
hear, and the kissing and rattling of the
horrible monsters as he Vanly fought
them from him. added intensity to the
already heaTt-rendmg scene. FOrtu-
nately it did not last long and his last
words as he sank to the floor We're. God
bless you and the child. dear Mary, and
in his name don't uncover your head
then the snakes can't harm yOu Some
of the men viii release you tomorrow
Good bye good bye -
Imagine the thoughts of the poor wife
compelled to listen to the agony of her
, loved one. helpless herself and unable to
render him any assistance. and her child
to save.
All that long night and next morning
she lay. covered and half suffOcated,
afraid to move and quieting her child,
whilst the scaly reptiles crawled over
her and even cOiled themselves to sleep
on and around her warm body. protected
from their deadly fangs only by the bed
clothes and. oh , horrible thought. if
she should disarrange the covering and
they should crawl beneath. Thus passed
that night of horror to that poor woman.
In the morning the men who worked
for Atkinson wondered at his prolonged
absence, he being generally the first to
make his appearance. until one of the
party mentioned that in passing the new
house late last night. on his way to town.
he thought he heard screams proceeding
from it. but when he got opposite and
stopped to listen. he heard nothing and
so concluded that he must have been
mistaken.
This was enough to alarm the work
men. who all liked John Atkinson. and
proceeding to the house they Knocked at
the door and We're answered by a smOth-
cred voice. the only word of which they
could understand being snakes -
Just then one of the men. who had
been accommodating in the rear of the
house. startled his comrades by eNclaim-
ing. NY God, boys, come here This
house is built on a rattlesuakeS' den.
1t was only too true the reptiles were
weoe crawling in and out Of a small hole
under the rock and the truth at once
flashed upon their minds.
1t would he certain death to some of
them if they dared to enter by the door
or window. But at a suggestion from
one of the party. some Immediately
scaled the low house and proceeded to
tear the boards from the roof. whilst one
or two others hastened in search of ropes
After having demolished the roof a sick
ening sight was discovered to their view
In the centre OF the room lay the ghast-
IL skeleton Of John Atkinson. the ser
pents having literally eaten every parti-
Gle of flesh from the bones while they
swarmed iii hundreds, wTithing and dart
ing hither and thither kissing and Strik-
ing at everything i'm their blind passion
at being disturbed at their horrible feast.
The men having by this time arrived
with the ropes. they succeeded. after
many failures. in fastening the rope to
each bed post and. while one of the men
kept the snakes off the bed with a pole
hoisted the bed and its occupants bodily
out OF the room and lowered it to the
ground.
When they uncovered poor Mary and
the child they found that she had faint
ed BY this time several women had ap-
peared on the scene and these took charge
of her and the child. whom they con-
veyed to town.
The men in the meantime. having now
no fear of the mother and child. batter
ed down the shanty and secured the
CHASTITY skeleton; after which they roll
ed a couple of kegs of powder. which
they procured from the railroad under
the rock. and lighting a prepared fuse.
blew up the rock. snakes and all. into
mince meat. The few snakes which
survived the explosion they killed easily
with rods. Mrs. Atkinson survived. but
she was for many years Taying maniac.
and her once beautiful hair. eyes and
complexion had turned in that night OF
horror TO what you now see. She has.
however, become rational again, except
when snakes are spoken of in her pres
ence, and then she once more becomes
insane and lives over that night in al
its hOrrid details. These fits are becom.
ing rare and less violent lately. and we
have hopes that, ultimately, they vii
altogether cease.
Yes. sir the child lived and is now
my dear wife. You can see her coming
> up the road now. leading her mother
over whom she has a wonderful contrO
, when she is suffering from one of thos,
attacks.
Your horse viii be all right tomorrow
cOpperheadS are not so poisonous at thi
time of the year as they viii he later.
South Florida Journal.