Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-08-07
SOME SNAIX.
rBE MONSTER IN DELAWARE.


A Reptile Twenty Feet Long.
Gazette
James Cheeseman, said to be gen.
tIeman beyond roproach and Of unimpeach-
able character" while driving leisurely
along tho road from Delaware City to st.
Georges, ON Tuesday morning last, was
suddenly startled when on the St. Georges
near Dragon creek, by the ap-
pearance of large reptile, coming down
the rOad directly toward him at rapid
pace. As the moving mass approached
he discovered it was hugo black snake
at least twenty feet long and about foot
in diameter, AZ near As could be Judged by
the hurried glance he gave tho I" var
mint" Before tue loathsOme creature
reached him he gave his horse q cut with
\ whip just as the snake made jump for
the animal. Tho horse sprang to ono side
and started on a dead run, apparently
terribly frightened. The snake missed its
aim, but struck the front wheel Of the
carriage q stunning blow, breaking out
nearly every spoke and making the vehi.
Gle tremble and, cant dangerously to one
side. Mr.. Cheeseman did not succeed in
stopping his horse until it had run about a
mile, when he looked back, but saw noth-
ing of tho horrible reptile, which he do
scribes as being covered with large scales.
Charles Brown and his wife, while
blackberrying in the same vicinity last
week. were chased by tho same immense
creature, but by dint Of hard running they
succeeded in gaining Place Of shelter.
The existence of the snake is we'll
known, and a gentlemen who does not
care, from modesty, to have his name ap-
pear, very reluctantly gives an experience
he passed through about ten days ago.
He started out blackberrying in the
marshes along the banks of the Dragon
creek, carrying with him shotgun.
Feeling tired about noon he concluded to
rest awhile and began to make his way to
an old log, as he thought, about twenty
feet distant, to take scat. Upon ap
preaching what he believed to be fallen
tree the object moved slightly, when he
discovered it was not a log, but an i'm
meuse snake, on which were scales about
tho size of soup plates. lnstinctlvely he
fed - srapidly as the nature of the ground
would permit, leaving his gun behind.
Finding he was not pursued lie glanced
back and saw his snakeship moving slowly
away, and although he believes he saw
the middle of tho creature first, it was
fully five minutes before tho tail passed
through the bushes.
A cracking noisc followed i'm tho wake
of the snake and small trees shook as tho
creatures tail swayed from side to side.
Gaining courage, the Gazette informant
secured his gun and started after the snake,
which had disappeared in tho woods. After
travelling about a mile the hunter came in
sight of the trunk of an old hollow oak,
about fifty feet high and two feet in d.
from, tho Of vuf,io, n
tho head and almost ten feet of the "aw-
fullest thing ever saw" as the informant
remarked. Its head was about the size of
nail keg and IF a glossy black color, its
forked tongue shooting out venOmously
fully q foot, accompanied by 4 Missing
sound resembling escaping steam from !,
locomotive. The hunter took aim and
fired, the load of shot striking the snake,
the shooter thinks, two feet from the head.
The load failed to make any impression,
but dropped to the ground tiattened out.
A shot from the second barrel resulted the
same way. Tho last report, however,
seemed tO anger the snake, and it started
out Of the top Of the tree, its fire like eyes
cleaning in the sunlight. The man III
once left, locking around when some dis
tance off and seeing the iOatbsOme crea
ture slowly letting itself down 10y the tai
to the ground, while around tho top Of the
tree appeared the heads Of numerous
small snakes-pcrhaps q hundred-evi
dently the young OF the monster.
The now thoroughly frightened berry
gather fled pecipitatcly and not until Mr..
Cheesenaus experience became known
did he tell "f his adventure, which Ol
course will have to be taken cum grand
sails.
The existence Of a huge snake in the
vicinity mentioned has been known fO,
some years, and it is on record that Henry
aud William Carson, SOUS Of John Carson
were 1t one time chased home while ou,
berrying. At that time Is PARTY was OF
ganized, aud armed with suus, pistols
hatchets, pitchforks, etc, secured til,
vicinity for two days, but without SUCCESS
Another PARTY is to be formed in 4 few
days and grand snake hunt organized.