St. Landry democrat., 1879-04-19
A Big snake Story.

Some seven or eight years ago, says o
Poughkeepsie IN. " letter to the New
York World, much alarm was manifest
cd along the line of the Housatonic
Railroad by the appearance of tre-
mendous snake, but Of what ophidian
species he was q sample no one could
tell. The reptile made its home in a
dense swamp in the vicinity OF the rail
road track, Time and again the reptile
was shot DIT by hunting parties, but it
always managed to get away safely
The track OF the Housatonlc Railroad
runs directly through the swamp named.
Early one morning tie engineer OF "a
passenger train suddenly discovered IL
long black object lying across the rails
and he SHUT OFT steam and wnlstleu for
brakes. While the speed was sIlcken-
1.-The engineer saw that il was the VERT
able snake, about which SO much had
been said, and he pulled tho throttle
again, intending, it possible. to run it
down and cut it in two, but just before
slid Off the rail and almost Immediately
the entire snake disappeared. Four or
five years ago two men riding in a
buggy along. q road which skirts the
swamp says they saw the now famous
snake wriggling slowly across the road.
They were certain, from the measure
ment OF the ground where they first saw
it, that it was over twenty feet long.
Again the snake excitement broke ont
IN the neighborhood, and parties were
organized to hunt the reptile down, with
out success, and the interest in the mat
ter soon died out. The cause of the
disappearance of the snake for the last
four years has been great mystery, but
it has been completely solved in an ex-
traordinary manner. Some imagined
that the snake had found his way to the
Honsatonic River, and, escaping death
by drowning, thence to the ocean, and be-
came veritable sea serpant. Others
held that he had taken to the noun
tains. Really he never left the swamp
of his birth, for his clussal remains have
been discovered. On Saturday last two
men named Kelly and Smith, both well
audfavorably known in theneighborhood
went into the swamp with Il sled to get
q load of wood. After u while they
came to a largo buttonwood tree which
had fallen to the ground. They dis
handle it easily they attempted to saw
it up. They had sawed nearly through
one part when suddenly the saw grated
as though it had struck a stone. Think
ing that it was Il curious place to find
a stone they at once went to work to
investigate. They piled their axes and
10y dint of hard labor split the tree,
when to their establishment the obstacles
which the saw had struck proved to be
bones. Then they opened the tree as
far as they could find bones, some q
feet, and the remains proved to be those
OF the monstrous reptile so often seen
but never captured. The ribs measured
six inches in diameter and from that
tapered down to smaller sizes. The tail
of the snake was found imbedded in the
upper part Of the tree, and both men
believe he went in backward. 1t is be-
lieved that the last time he was chased,
some four years ago, he sought refuge
in this tree and never came out again.
The bones and other remains have been
preserved and will be scent to the So
ciety of Natural Science, together with
q history Of the case.