The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-07-20

ONE HUNDRED AND SEVEN
ra-oaE RsrrLEsNAKls * II DEATH.


When within about hundred
feet OF the fence surrounding the
pasture heard loud Kissing sound
and. turning to discover its origin,
received tremendous blow across
the chest, and in an instant found
myself eneircled by a huge rattle
snake and lifted TO about twenty
feet in the air, where | was held.
The pressure round my waist by
The coil of the snake WAS SO great
YOU could clearly hear the bones
cseak. Kate, without waiting for
me to scream aal supplicate assist
ance, as / had { 3ne in her dilemma,
pulled up a spe / of herdgrass and
began to tickle lie snakes belly as
he thus stood perpendicular, hold
ing me aloft. This was more than
his majesty could stand, and he
rapidly unwound himself and drop
ped 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 and started to run for
home, forgetting all about Kate un-
Ill / heard a clear, musical laugh,
which recalled me to my senses
again. | turned and still found her
tickling the snake. who had stretch
ell himself out full length on the
ground and WAS receiving the oper-
alton with every manifestation OF
delight. forgot the excrueitaing
pain of my broken arm in the nov
city Of the scene. Suddenly he gave
a sort Of a prolonged singing sound
and showed signs Of being sleepy,
gradually coiling himself up into
utter insensibility. 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 fssure and hole
came a multitude Of similar snakes,
making directly for the place where
we were standing. OF 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 inviting us
to tickle them. The singing sound
had reached them as an utterance
of Joy. Knowing a refusal was pos
tive death, we secured more straws
and commenced business. Similar
results followed the operation, and
amidst our terrible position we could
not help appreciating 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 a pile by themselves.
They numbered III, besides the big
one which attacked me and which
we did not insure. Kate and | then
GOT a rail from the fence and put
ting it through the coil of the big
snake carried HIM home, where |
put him in pen so securely that
lie could not get away when his nap
was over. My arm by this time
vas troubling 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 had left them, but the snakes
had crawled away. We brought the
heads home and preserved them in
alcohol, and they can be seen by
any one desirous Of proving the ac-
curacy of the above statement. The
live snake which | secured | resolv-
ed to tame and put his immense
strength TO more useful purpose
than squeezing the breath out Of a
mans body. ] have every reason
to be proud of my experiment and
It's 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 thoroughly
washed, laid carefully in a pile
and the snake coils himself around
them and squeezes them dry in a
iify. / have refused large offers
for the purchase of this snake from
many who go hundreds Of miles out
of their course to see this wonderful