Connecticut western news., 1879-02-26

v SS@SsSe D the evening. extra benches and chairs were brought in, and every available inch of standing room was occupied. At 8 o'clock the ticket office was clcsed, and no more admissions were granted, the hall be- ing perfect jam. A little after the ap- pointed time the curtain rose, ''the elephant round" and the play proceeded, ahd all who witnessed it pronounced it one of Canaan's best efforts, all the actors ac- quitting themselves with credit. Mr. A, P. Briggs as Geo. Peyton, carried his part well-it's a way he has and he is . val uable auxiliary of the association. Frank in his free-and-easy, natural way, took Salem Scudder to perfection. and his acting was highly spoken of. D. !. West as McClOsky made a capital vil- Han, who ''got rats" at last, and Fred Spsul. ding in his impersonation of Mir. Sunny side, with his ''very odd indeed, sir" beard, and portly dimensions, was 'some pun kins." Mr. D. L. Peirce as the auctioneer. conducted the auction scene with such life like energy that we almost expected to hear somo one in the audience raise McClosky' 8 bid to $3O, 1000. The difficult character of the "much big Indian" found its match in Pete. Hicks. who could shriek the top of a mans head off without scalping knife. and in his unique costume, he was an in terssting character. O. w. Bassett, with hia big silver buttons, represented Capt Rats, with pompous dignity. w. M. Deming assumed the character of Jackson, and as he was "a leetle deaf" he was con- tinually tangling bimself up in his auction bids; Frank Barpum was Jules Thibodeaux and ''kept tally" behind half yard of black mustache; Eugene Root as Judge CAillou was an advocate of lynch law under the appellation of justice" Paul, solon and old Pete, the darkeys. were on hand every time. and the ability with which they handled their parts is only equaled by their everyday modesty, and the size of their feet. Zoe, the octoroon, was impeTson- ated by Mrs. Mollie Bailey, and it is un- necessary to say that the part was rendered with life like straightforwardness as Mollie has long since established her reputation as . ''star" local actress. Miss Ella Bailey acted the part of Mrs. Pcyton. in her prim, huslress-liks way, and fully sustained heI dramatic reputation. Miss Lillie Wooster well she made just the ''dArlingest' little Dora Sunnyside, with her bewitchine smile, (which, however, failedto captivats George, )-and that pou' oh! Mrs. D. L. West as Dido. Miss Minnie Peirce as Grace, and Miss Mary Root as Minnie, constituted the female portion of the ''cullud pop'ia
 ton, and with thelr tunics, bandanss ant general rig, they were a comlcal looking set, The orchestra consisted of violin ii the hands of MT. w. Underwood-who il taking rapid strides toward place in th' front ranK of musicians, hy Miss Ellen D. Peirce on tue piano, and th' music was heartily applauded.
 Much credit is due to MT Clarence Humphrey for his efficient and pr"mp management of the curtain. scenery ant lights, and energy displayed in assisting thu association in other ways. and the actor
 desire to thank Landlord Warner for th' use of his hall for rehearsals during th' past three weeks; also Mrs D. A. Rikt
 and Mrs. A. T. Roraback. for cour,esi,
 shown.
 The New York World of last Friday
 published sensational story, reviving tb, big snake excitement of seven Or eigh years ago, which the people of this vicinity will distinctly remember. The railroad track running through Sandtown swaml was the sce4e of his CD operations, an, men of unimpeachable veracity told th'
 widest tales Of seeing the reptile, taking i for log,. its horrible mouth, fiery. tea
 saucer eyes, txtreme length, bullet-proo
 skin, and general invulnerability, etc., un,i the quiet and peaceful natives were wrough
 up into perfect frenzy of terror ant dread of the horrible monster. But after
 while the excitement began to abates th'
 wild stories ceased circulating, and th
 people came to look upon the affair as
 hoax, and ''good joke" and it was final
 ly forgotten altogether. Now the Ncv
 York daiies take it upon themselves to res urrect these old bygones--to dlg up tn
 hatchet, as it were-and announce the find ing of his snakeship's skeleton in hollow tree. We'll. Sandtown has at last becom
 known outside of itself. It has for some
 time been making pedigree. and now th
 climax is reached, and, to quote scripter
 'sThou. Sandtown, in the land of Canaan
 art not the least among the many lit ]
 snakes skeleton twenty-two feet long, an' thy name shall get into the New Yorl
 papers," This is the Worlds little story: 1 PoUGHKEEPslE, February 2O.-SoMe sev
 en or eight years ago much alarm was man
 ifesled along the line of the Housaloni
 Railroad by the app arsnce of tremendou
 snake, but of what ophidian species he wa
 \ sample no one could tell The 1eptil
 made its home in dense swamp in tte vi
 entity of the railroad track near HOulh Can:
 aan. Time and again the reptile was sho
 at by hunting partlee, but it always man.
 aged to get away sateIy. The track of th' | HOusatOnic RAillO Osd runs directly thrOlgl
 the swamp named. Early one morning th
 engineer of a passenger train suddenly dis-
 covered long black object lying across th,
 rails and he shut off steam aud whistled fo
 brakes. While lhe speed was slacsenin.
 the engineer saw that 1t was fhe Veritabl'
 snake. about which go much had been said
 and he pulled the throttle agaln, intending
 if possible, to run it down and cut it in two
 but just before the engine reached it th, end of the tail slid off the rail and almos
 immediately the eptire. snake dsapp cared
 Four or five years age two men riding iH
 buggy along roac which skirts the sl7amI say they saw the now famous snake wrle. gling slowly across the road. They wer, certain, from the measurement of tn. ground where they first Saw it. that it wal over twenty feet long. Again the spaks excitement broke Ont in fha neirhhnrhnnd