Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1879-07-10
A PRETTY RIG YARN.

A PRETTY RIG YARN.
The distiller smiled as he replaced
the pole against the cabin. "Thar's
no use in gettin' scared" he said.
81 don't mind 'em, l caught big
fellow last sGmMer in just that way,
a medical student from Pennsyl-
Sany was up yero and wanted one to
take home with him. lcaught one,
stuffed him and coiled him up in n
cheese box, and he was the most
beautiful snake yo' ever saw. They
don't bother me much. Sometimes
one or two of 'em 60 to bed with
me and roll themselves up in the
blankets, but that's nothin'. There's
only one snake in these yere noun
tainS that I've got spite against" "
anu the distiller looked solemn.
"rIat snake has got to die or l
have. I've sworn it," and the man
rubbed a tear from his eye with the
sleeve of his course flannel shirt and
shook his head thoughtfully. "That
snake killed my dog"
There was pause Of moment
or two, and then the old diStiller,
Frightening up, went on with his
story. This Yere snake is a mon
ster. He's twenty feet if he is an
Inch. l sighted him about a month
ago, or rather he sighted me. was
climbin' up yonder among the rocks,
when | heard a rattle and looked
around. The snake was just SPRING
in'. Jumped back just in time,
aud he went by like a flash. Scared?
reckon l was, slightly. I never
saw such a monster. lie looked as
thick as that log over yonder. He
WAS ike big back cloud and COW
cred up the sun almost as complete
ly. I didn't see that snake again
until two weeks ago. Do yo' believe
it !? / heard an uncommon noise
up the mountain. looked up there
and saw whole army of them.
Thar must have been a hundred
snakes and they were comm down
with the monster at the head.
reckon he's the king of the snake
tribe on these yCre mountains. Y
got inside ard crawled up to that
little window over the dor, Down
they came, l fired into 'em and kill
ed nine of 'em at one shot and the
others glided off in a big hurry.
That same night heard my little
dog yelpin' outside. l opened the
dor, and there he was shiverin' and
shaAin and that big snake all in a
heap right alongside of him and
lookin' down at him with his big
mouth wide opened. ] rushed fol-
my gun, bat befo' 1 got back snake
and deg Were both gone."
Tie distiller stopped again and
shook his head sadly. "He was a
good dog and l miss him. What
became Of him ? Why, Idon't reck-
on thar's much doubt about that.
He went down that snakes throat
and that's the reason that snakes
got to die"
A WOMAN KILLS $50 SNAKES.
This story may sound big, but it
is nothing by the side of some of
the stories which are told about
here as the truth. People who have
climbed about the moRntains TO any
extent will TEX you that the snakes
will stare out at you from under
every rock. Sometimes the heads !
are are rs thick as the fingers on IL
mans hand and as the wicked-look-
ing little eyes are enough to strike
terror into anyone who sees them
for the first time. A story is told
in I.eesburg Of woman's adventure |
up the mountain. She went out |
one day to pick huckleberries, and |
before she was aware of it, was sur
rounded by rattlesnakes. She had |
wandered near a den of them AMI |
there was no backing out of it. L.
was kill or be killed, and she prefer
red the former. Grasping a thick
stick in her hand she awaited action.
Had the snakes attacked her several
at time nothing could have saved |
her, hut, fortunately for her, they
began the onslaught singly. 4
snake would hardly coil himself up
for spring when she would knock
him over. One after another they |
fell dead, until they laid in swaths
all around her. AS fast as possible
she backed out from her unpleasant
situation, but not until the last
snake of the den was killed was she
safe. She counted the dead and
they numbered four hundred and
eighty. That lady doesn't pick
on the mountains any
more. When the snakes are in a
half torpid condition it does not re-
luire much courage to clean out a
len, but an immense amount of
nerve is necessary to beard real live,
hungry rattlesnakes in their dens.