The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-09-02
Some Snake Stories,

absolute truth in every particular:
John Clarkson, while hunting a few
days since on the dividing line between
Lebanon and Schuylkil Counties, Pa,
shot black snake measuring ten feet
in length.
Joseph G. Smith, harvest hand of
Lower Mount Bethel, NORTHAMPTON
County, Pa, a few days ago, stumbled
over a blacksnake in wheat field which
measured over eleven feet.
A st. Paul man has seen a serpent ssas
big around as twelve-year-old boy.''
The Holidaysburg Pa) Standard
says that in Sinking Valley, Blair Coun-
ty, snakes are very plentiful this year,
and acres of them have been killed, av-
eraging from three to six feet in length.
Mrs. Samuel Patterson, of Letterkeny,
Franklin County, Pa, was confronted a
few days ago by bic RATHER. She did
not scream once, but went to work with
a big stick and soon had the reptile
killed. He had four rattles.
In the Office of the Brady (Te1) Sen
ttneJ are eleven rattles, taken from
a snake that attacked lady who was
riding horseback over the prairie As it
sprang at her she reined her horse to
one side, and drawing her revolver at the
same time shot the snakes head off,
Frank Staffer, of Chester Springs,
Chester County, Pa, came across a
monster black snake in his wheat field
1t was about ten feet long and as thick
as a mans arm. Mr.. Sta1er was afraid
to singly attack the monster, so he drove
the reaper over it at rapid pace and
cut it in pieces.
Margaret Kane, little girl of Mauch
Chunk, Pa, stepped upon u copperhead
while in her bare feet, and in an instant
its fangs were driven into the calf of her
leg. She was stupefed with liquor and
a live toad was bound on the wound for
night. In the morning the toad was
dead, having absorbed all the poison
from the wound, and the life of the little
girl was saved.
Mrs. Benjamin Ritter, of Strasburg.
Franklin County. Pa, heard noise like
Kissing from what she supposed to be
her hair switch she was about adjusting.
1t was a small black snake, and her
pressure upon it caused it to lightly coil
about her arm. BY desperate effort
she threw it to the floor with such force
as to stun it. and then taking a poker
she beat its life out.
John Bossler, of Donegal, Lancaster
County, Pa, heard the warning rattle
of rattlesnake while working in his
harvest field but paid no attention to it.
A moment afterwards he stopped down
to pick up shcaf of wheat when an i'm
mense rattler struck him on the hand.
He sucked the poison from the wound,
drank three pints of whisky and took Il
powerful emetic, and at last accounts
was doing well.
Squire Clouser. of New Bloomfield,
Perry County, Pa, set box trap for
squirrels at the foot of his cherry tree.
A squirrel sprang the trap and left room
for a mouse to enter. A copperhead
snake followed the mouse in, and after
swallowing the mouse and squirrel was
so increased in size that it could not get
| out. The consequence was that the
Squire was exceedingly surprised to see
the kind of game that he had captured,
and narrowly escaped being bitten by the
snake.
Mr.. Reuben Lengle, of West Hanover,
! Dauphin County. Pa, while on the Blue
Mountains. north of Granville, hunting
Young squirrels, saw squirrel on a tree
on which there was q hole, and very
soon large blacksnake came from the
hole and he promptly shot it. 1t meas
med seven feet three inches in length
and contained fifteen eggs. BY the time
| this one was disposed of another one
came suddenly from the hole, showing q
disposition for combat, but Mr.. Len
ole, with the rifle barrel of his gun, took
its head off. This one measured sixfeet
five inches. Mr. Lengle thinks if he had
not killed it it would have attacked him
and his companions. The snakes were
skinned and the skins preserved. These
squirrel hunting.
Jury Commissioner Chambers, of
Franklin Township, Westmoreland
County, Pa, is an old church member,
and has long enjoyed an unb!emished
reputation for veracity. The Commits
sioner says that while he was on his way
to Greensburg to draw jury
for the August term of court, ac-
companied by Deputy Sheriff Sarver,
they saw something black lying across
the road that they thought at first was
black stick, but, noticing that it moved,
they bounced upon it with their walking
sticks, and after brisk fight of five
minutes were victors over black snake
measuring ten feet six inches in length.
The Engineer Corps on the Oil City
and Chicago road have met with sin
guIar obstruction that delayed their work
considerably, it being nothing more nor
less than the great number of rattle and
copperhead snakes along the line of the
survey. So numerous are these snakes
that the Chief Engineer has been com
PEELED to engage extra help, and he in
forms your reporter that one day they
ran into den of at least 100 snakes, and
it took at least two hours before they
could be killed or frightened off, and
that during the engagement thirty-eight
were killed. all but nine of them being
copperheads, and some of them of un-
uSual size