The Portland daily press., 1881-07-13
PRICE 8 CENTS.
The Prize Snake Story.
Tickling One Hundred and Seventy-One
Rattlesnakes to Death.
williamsport Pa.) Sun and Banner.

Williamsport (Pa) Sun and Banner.
When within about a hundred yards of the
fence surrounding the pasture heard a loud
Kissing sound, and, turning to discover its ORR
gin, received a tremendous blow across the
chest and in an instant found myself encircled
by huge rattlesnake and lifted to at least
twenty feet into the air, where 1 was held.
The pressure round my waist by the coil of the
snake was SO great you could clearly hear tho
bones creak. Kate, without waiting for me to
scream and supplicate assistance, as had done
in her dilemma, pulled up a spear of herds
grass, and began to tickle the snakes belly as
he thus stood perpendicular, holding me aloft
This was more than his majesty could stand,
and he rapidly unwound himself and dropped
me to the ground, breaking my arm in the
FALL As soon as l could get on my feet made
the most of my freedom aud started to run for
home, forgetting all about Kate until heard
clear, musical laugh, which recalled me
again to my senses. turned and found her
still tickling the snake, who had stretched
himself out full length on tho ground and was
receiving the operation with every manifesto
tion of delight. forgot the excruciating pain
of my broken arm in the novelty of the scene.
Presently he gave sort of prolonged singing
sound and showed signs of being sleepy, grad
ually coiling himself up into utter insensbili-
W. Tickling had the effect of an opiate.
While we were meditating what course to
pursue. our attention was directed towards the
Rock and forth from every tissure and hole
came multitude of similar snakes, making
directly for the place where we were standing
vi course we thought our last hour had come,
but were overjoyed when we found them
stretch themselves on the ground after the
manner OF their predecessor, evidently invit-
ing us to tickle them. The singing sound had
reached them as an utterance of Joy. Know
ing refusal was positive death, we secured
more straws and commenced business. SINH
lar results followed the operation, and amidst
our terrible position we could not help appre-
ciating the ridiculous side affairs had taken
In the course of an hour we had them all
asleep. We then cut off their heads, throw
ing them into pile by themselves. They
numbered Ill, besides the big one which at
tackled me and which we did not iDjure. Kate
and then got rail from the fence, and put
ting it through the coil of the big snake carried
him home, where put him in a pen so Sc
curely that he could not get away when his
nap was over. My arm by this time was trou-
bling me intensely, but [ wanted to collect the
decapitated heads we had left in the field as an
evidence of our combat, so we took the team
and drove over to the spot We found the
heads just as we left them, but the snakes had
all erawled away. We brought the heads
Aouio anu pIccoIfcu tucIu III diCOuOl, anu Lu6y
can be seen by any one desirous of proving the
truth of the above statement. The live snake
which L secured 1 resolved to tame and put his
immense strength to more useful purpose
than squeezing the breath out of mans body
have every reason to be proud of my expert
ment and its results. Our family was large
and the washings immense, but my ingenuity
has reduced the labor one-half We don't
wiring the clothes any more They are thor
oughly washed, laid carefully in pile and the
snake coils himself qrOund than and s0uaezpe
them dry in jiffy. L have refused large Of
fers for the purchase OF this snake from many
who go hundreds OF miles out of their course
10 see this wonderful performance.