Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1879-05-07
4 Big Snake Story.
oil Clty(Pa) Derrick.

Oh tlty ira Deir.ck.
Xebulon Martin and his son, VINO live
about six miles from Oh City, were en-
gagged III removing a huge pile OF stones
on their farm the other day. when they
suddenly unearthed what seemed To be
a large ball of black rope, kno,ted and
curiously interlaced The mass was as
large as a hushel basket and was cover
ed with n light, powdery substance,
more resembling bran than anything
else The sun was shining brightly at
the time, and Ms the warm RAYS fell
upon the ball the two men detected
slight movement in its many coils. Old
Martin immediately yelled Snakes
and jumped back to safe distance.
His son Charles. who was Of more in
curing mind, procured a long pole and
stirred up the yielding mass. The
touch and warmth revived the dormans
reptiles, and the surface Of the bail was
seen covered with rattles which swayed
to and fro, the sound resembling the
blowing of wind through the dead leaves
Of tree. What seemed at first n
Gordian knot began to unravel. The
tails protruded more and more as the
snakes unlocked their intricate coils, as
they appeared to be packed with their
heads III the centre of this living ball.
1t was curious vet disgusting sight,
the squirming and contOr,ions of the
hideous serpents rs they emerged from
their winters nap, and the two specta-
tors watched them with some feeling Of
apprehension. One of the men picked
up u small stone and tossed 1t into the
writing mass in order to stir them
up" as he expressed it. He succeeded
most effectively. The bah of snakes
fell apart and disclosed some fifty or
sixty rattlesnakes of ali sizes, covered
with Il Nhitish slime, which bad exuded
from their bodies, and perhaps served
as means of protecting them from the
severity Of the winter. Thort II ghly
aroused, the venomous reptiles dashed
their tails in fury and glided over each
other with surprising agility, their bright
eyes sniAing with excitement, their
mouths wide open and their forked
tongues proruding as they Kissed de
tiance at their prosecutors, One huge
reptile, nearly six feet in length, with
swollen body, raised itself half It's length
from the centre of the group, and turn
ing its flat, ugly head toward the intru-
ders, opened wide its mouth and sway
ed to and fro, kissing angrily. Another
stone was thrown, this time good
sized one, crushing and manning many
Of the reptiles in its fall. The scene
was simply frightful as described by one
of the spectators. In their agony the
snakes writhed and Kissed with redoubl-
ed fury, twisting over and over in the
blood and slime, while the unirjured
ones escaped from their wounded com
panions and glided toward the Martins
with heads uplifted AMI rafting omin-
ously. Both men acknowledged that
they were little frightened when they
saw the deadly reptiles going straight
for them with the evident purpose of
revenge. Pcrceiving the situation look
ed decidedly unpleasant, the two men
armed themselves with stout clubs and
began killing the serpents. Strange to
say the creeping foes were SO agile that
this was accomplished with great diff
Guilty, and several times the men were
obliged to retreat to escape the deadly
iangs. At last the work was accom-
plished, and the battlefield was strewn
with the dead bodies of snakes Of all
sizes, from the huge king TO the diminu-
tive young ones. The largest sported
seventeen rattles, trophy which Mr..
Martin cut off and took home with him
to convince disheievers in his marvel
Gus exploit. Fifty-six snakes were laid
low.