The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-05-12
ACHAMPION SNAKE STORY.
The Great Snake Den that Exists Near the
Town of Warren, PA.

Town OF warren, Ia.
The outlines OF Cobhams rocks can be
seen miles away. In itself it is lonesome
place. A great, gloomy pile of ponderous
rocks. rising grim and bold above waving
branches of oak and hazel bushes; above
stretches the sky, blue as the sky of june
below, hundreds of feet almost, straight
down, grand sweep of water lies Graded
between steep mountain sides.
Far away down the valley the
river is dark with the shadows of the great
hills; and far beyond in hazy waves of
grandeur the outlines of the Alleghenies
lose themselves in broad belt of crimson
sunset. l stand on the very top of the
giant rocks aud look down. To the left,
near the Allegheny river, and fronting
an island of trees and bushes, with
glimpses of summer arbors between
stands the old McWiliams home
stead, brown with the storms of almost
forgotten years. To the right, in u little val
lev running straight back from the river,
nestle the clustered buildings OF another
| branch Of the McWilliams family. Beyond,
and over the brow of Il small knoll the old
time glory of the Lacy homestead stands as
an imposing barrier against the encroach-
ments of the spick-and-span eastern side of
| the town of Warren, mile below. Every
| where is peace and beauty. Nature was in
her most pleasing mood when that picture
of water and mountain and forest was made
and crowned with monument of stone
THE PILE OF ROCKS.
Since the days when the first settlers
L, chased the Indians from the broad and fer
tile valley and played long game against
panthers and bears and wolves, the great
rocks have had few visitors. Although the
top of the great pile is Il keynote to one of
the finest pictures in the Quaker state, yet
no photographer has ever shown the hardi-
hood to plant camera on the extreme
summit. The place bears u bad reputation.
For miles around the rocks are synonymous
with almost everything that is weird,
ghostly and uncertain. Years ago some
human bones were found at the entrance to
one of the unexplored crevices in the rocks
and it has only been short time since that
other bones, partly human and partly ami
nal were found in the same place.
| To lend an additional adherence to the
| gloomy pile III the midst Of the people,
nature infested the. rocks with rattlesnakes.
Hundreds upon Hundreds of the reptiles
swarm about the holes and hollows OF the
sombre monument, multiplying year by
| year. until the number is almost beyond
| conjecture. An effort was once made TO
destroy the snakes by burning the leaves
who stood on the top of the rocks to watch
the effect as the flame, swept up toward
the summit, said yesterday that even
now, years after the occurrence the
scene recurs to him in his dreams and will
waken him from the soundest sleep with
thrills of horror. As the fire was borne up
ward,
HUNDREDS OF SNAKES,
! driven from the bushes and shallow holes
! by the smoke, rushed over the ground TO u
hole which seemed TO lead directly into the
center of the largest rock of the pile. The
snakes, nearly frantic from fright, dartcd
into the hole one after another with remark
able rapidity, the big ones forcing the
Others inside and monopoliaing the means
of escape. AS the fire drew nearer the rush
of snakes became greater Ii was a perfect
stampede OF reptiles. The utmost confusion
took possession of the escaping things;
big snakes Kissed defiance at the approach
ing flames, but did not stop a
moment; little snakes darted under
small stones and pieces of fallen
logs, only to be driven out again
by the heat. One monstrous serpent, in
trying TO crawl through the hole in the
rocks, stuck fast, half of his body hanging
outside. The other snakes squirmed about
the struggling victim of his own size in q
frghtful way, striking the defenceles3 tail
and writhing together nearly foot deep as
the fire crowded them against the wall oil
stone. The fire swept up the summit with
a rush, and as it came upon the living mass
it seemed rs though a thousand snakes
leaped high in the air and struck fercely al
and helpless, into the fire. The sight oil
the mir full of snakes and fire proved toe
much for the lone spectator, and with d
howl of terror he rushed down the noun
tain in breathless Observation-Disclosures
Times.