St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-05-09
Owed to Spring.

1.-THE OIL City (Pa.) Derieks Big snake StOry.l
Zebulon Martin and his son, who live
about six miles from Oil City, were en-
gagged in removing huge pile of stones
on their farm the other day, when they
suddenly unearthed what seemed to be
a large ball of black tape, rotted and
curiously interaced. The mass was as
large as a bushel-basket and was
covered with light pOwdery substance,
more resembling bran than anything
else. The sun was shining brightly at
the time, and us the warm rays fell upon
the ball the two men detected slight
movement in its many coils. Old Mar
tin Immediately yelled ''snakes !" and
| Jumped back to a safe distance. His
son Charles, who was of a more enquir-
ing turn of mind, procured long pole
and stirred up the yielding mass. The
touch and warmth revived the dormant
reptiles, and the surface of the ball was
seen covered with rattles which swayed
two and fro, the sound resembling the
blowing of wind through the dead
leaves of tree. What seemed at first
a GOrdian knot began to unravel. The
tails prOtruded more and more as the
snakes unlocked their intricated coils,
as they appeared to be packed with
their heads in the center of this living
ball. 1t was curious yet disgusting
sight, the squirmings and cOntOrtions of
the hidiOus serpents us they emmerged
from theiI winters nap, and the spec
tatOrs watched them with some feelings
of apprehension. One of the men pick
ed up small stone and tossed it into
the writhing mass in order to "stir them
up" as he expressed it. He succeeded
most effectually. The ball of snakes
fell apart and disclosed some 50 or 60
rattle-snakes of all sizes, covered with IA
whitish slime, which had exuded from
their bodies and perhaps served us a
means of protecting them from the Sc
verify of the winter. Thoroughly
aroused, the venOmOus reptiles dashed
their tails in fury and glided over each
other with surprising agility, their
bright eyes shining with excitement,
their mouths wide open and fOrked
tongues prOtruding as they Missed de
tiance at their prosecutors. One huge
reptile, nearly six feet in length, with
sOwllen body, raised itself half its length
from the center OF the group, and turn
ing its fiat. ugly head toward the in
truders, opened wide his mouth and
swayed to and fro, kissing angrily
Another stone was thrown, this time a
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 ago
ny the snakes writhed and Kissed with
redOubled fury, twisting over and over
in the blood and slime, while the unin-
jured ones escaped from their wounded
companions and glided towards the
Martins with heads uplifted and rattling
Ominously. Both men acknowledged
that they were little frightened when
they saw the deadly reptiles going
straight for them with evident purpose
of revenge. Perceiving the situation
looked decidedly unpleasant, the two
men armed themselves with stout clubs
and began killing the serpants. Strange
to say the creeping foes were so agile
that this was accomplished with great
and several times the men
were obliged to retreat TO escape the |
deadly fangs. At last the work was
and the battlefield was
strewn with the dead bodies of all sizes, !
from the huge "king" to diminutive
young ones. The largest sported II
rattles, a trophy which Mr.. Martin cut
off and took home with him to convince
in his marvellous exploit.
Fifty-six snakes were laid low.