New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-01-21
L Fight With Z Very Large Snake.

4 Fight With 4 Very Large Snake.
The following snake story is told in
q recent Norwich (Conn.) telegram:
The biggest snake Connecticut has pro-
duced in this century was killed in
Westford, Win6ham County. one day
last week. Mr.. Allen, who killed the
snake, is an enterprising farmer of un-
Improbable veracity, and his story of
the fight is corroborated by coterie
of friends who saw and assisted in tie
scene.
MIR. Allen had been trimming his
orchard trees, using keen-edged
sickle to lop off the sprouts. He was
interrupted by party of acquaint~
ances, who drove to his door and asked
him to guide them to huckleberry
pasture on his farm. He cheerfully
consented, and started off at the head
of the troop in his shirt sleeves and
with his sickle in his hand. A monster
boulder uplifts itself at the entrance to
the pasture, and is girt on one side by
narrow ledge that seems to have
been made especially for snakes to sun
themselves on. As Mr.. Allen passed
this rock he saw an enormous black
coil as big as rubber fire hose lying
motionless on the stone. It was q
great serpent, fast asleep, basking in
the sun. A young and incautious
member of the party at once hurled
his dinner-pail at the snake, striking it
in the center of the coil. The snake
sleepily raised its head, saw the empty
dinner-pail and the party gazing with
deepening interest.
MIR. Allen AYERS, and his friends also
say, that the serpent eyed them for an
instant with q glittering, icy smile, its
tail vibrating with such rapidity that it
was invisible at first. Its tongue darted
in and out of its jaws with almost in
conceivable velocity. The first impulse
of the party was to turn and run. They
plunged through the blackberry and
huckleberry bushes in headlong panic,
Mr.. Allen covering the rear. Looking
over his shoulders, he saw the snake
following, with its mouth wide open.
lie continued his flight. but the serpent
gained on him and at length. just as
the serpent's head was overlapping his
shoulder, he turned suddenly and cut
at the serpent's crest and neck with the
keen-bladed sickle. The snake lodged
the blows, and the party, ceasing their
flight, ono by one closed in on the
snake with fence-rails, blackberry bri-
ers, stone slabs, and other missiles, and
there was long and fierce fight. It
was not until quarter of an acre of
pasture had been tramped over that the
snake was killed. 1t measured just
eleven feet and five inches, and the
thickest part of its body was as large
around as an ordinary teakettle. In
its stomach were found the remains of
Mr.. Aliens CHI oicest rooster, which he
had missed from his roost a few days
previously. As many other fowls had
mysteriously disappeared lately, Mr..
Allen conjectures that they had been
seized by the snake.
-Ehervescing Fruit Drinks.-Verv
fine drinks are prepared by putting
Strawberries, raspberries or black
berries into good vinegar, and then
drawing it off and adding new supply
of fruit till enough flavor is secured.
Keep the vinegar bottled, and in hot
weather use it thus: Dissolve one-half
a teaspoonful or less of saleratus or
soda in tumbler, with very little wa
ter, till the Jumps are all out. Then
till the tumbler two-thirds full of water
and add the fruit vinegar. If several
persons are to drink, put the fruit
vinegar into each tumbler and dissolve
the soda in pitcher, and pour into the
tumblcrs as eacl. person is ready to
drink; delay spoils it.
Family Graham Bread.-Set a
sponge of white flour by taking two
teacups Of milk and sufficient Yeast, or
should you have your white bread
sponge set, take two teacups of the
light sponge and one cup of warm
water, little salt. one tablespoon of
molasses, one Of lard Or butter; stir in
the graham flour with spoon until
you have quite stiff dough, but not
hard, then set to rise again, and when
light put in pans, using as little flour
as possible, handling it lightly with
your hands; let rise again and bake
slowly about an hour and quarter.
This recipe makes two medium sized
loaves; care should be taken that it
does not get too light after putting it in
the pans.
GENERAL GRANTS visit to San Fran
cisco had the effect of stimulating some
OF the business interests there. Some
OF the Journals OF the coast regard it as
financial blessingto the city. For the
Sharon reception one jcwelry firm sold
S2G, 900 worth OF goods. The dry goods
houses, dressmakers and tailors reaped
a rich harvest. The dresses and gems
at the Croker reception were estimated
at $5,0O0.OOO