Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1883-06-02
A Sen OF Shakes.

they tell is only too true and horrible
in its details. The men are E. w.
Smith and Geo. H. White, Jr., of
Pueblo, and Thomas McGougb, OF Col
orado Springs. They detail the account
of their adventures about as follows:
Nine miles from the mouth of Cotton
wood Creek, up the stream, is barren
wilderness of scrubby underground, and
powders, and rocks and stones. To
stand on the verdaDt shore of this sea
of waste land, one would naturally con-
clude that they were that many miles
away from nowhere, and, for ought
they knew, were the first to discover
this blank sea of waste, barren, worth
less fyspeck on the shirt-front OF cres-
ton. The men were on fishing expe-
dition. and started Wednesday morning
from the mouth of the Minrehaha stream
to wend and wade their way toward its
source, when they reached the spot
above mentioned. Here night over
reached them, and having lunch, they
built fire and made themselves as com
Portable as possible on the surface of a
scraegy messed rock. Being tired and
footsore, as soon as their scanty repast
was eagerly devoured, they were soon
reveling in dreams that, perhaps, are
more or less pleasant to the mind while
fitting in the realms Of such fancies.
One of the party had not been tangled
with Morpheus long, until he was awak-
eRed by something choking him, and
feeling, found his strange collar was
cold and Shiny. 1t was a very fine
specimen OF the black species, which
was girding his throttle in its anything
but loving embrace. The monster was
soon dispatched, and the party were
about to lie down again, after Kidding
themselves of his snakeship, when they
found, by the aid OF the dying embers
and the assistance afforded by the quar-
ter moon, that they were literally sur
rounded by the venom tongued trailers.
Two of the party proposed to decamp
for more congenial CLINE, but when
about to leave the rock they found them
selves trampliDg on living sea of ser
penis. The Kissing and rafting became
more audible, and it was but few min
utes until it was as loud as ordinary
toned voices. The men, finding they
were thus surrounded, broke branches
from the stubby underground of pines
and commenced lashiHg the writhiug
sea of darting, Kissing snakes. Realiz-
ing that they had an all night job, they
added fuel TO the fire and secured the
largest sticks obtainable and commenced
the killing in earnest. The light and
noise seemed TO awaken the whole bar
rem waste into tempest of Kissing and
rafting. Each began the slaughter
with redoubled vigor, vainly trying to
fight their way to the stream, some
hundred yards away, down slanting
hill. They would gain few PAGES of
the distance, only to be driven back
again to the rock. The rafting and
Kissing became so loud that their voices
were not audible unless close by. The
sound was something like four or five
wheat separators in operation at one
tire. 1t was terrible. The hair on
their heads was standing straight and
stiff like the wires on patent hair
brush. Their hands aud arms were
blood stained TO their elbows, and the
stencil from the snaky battle field was
sickening in the extreme. One hour
after the first snake was killed, no less
than 5000 lie slain, aud they kept som
inc thicker and faster. The sound be-
came more hideous, aud soon the moon
disappeared, and the three fishermen
felt that hell had sweeter charms than
the place it seemed their fate TO die in.
Two Of the men were bitten, and their
legs and arms began to swell and pain
badly, and they frequently had to rest
and permit one to do the killing of
three. The hours wore slowly by and
the slaughter;ug was kept up as best as
they could. At last morning came and
lifted the curtain of night from a most
appalling scene. For fifty feet all
around the huge rock lay heap of
stunned, squirming aud dead snakes.
AS far as they could see all around the
barren waste was seething tide of rep
tiles that came toward the rock with
msddeuing fury. Concluding that they
might as we'll earn death by dearer
fate, they made ready to run for the
stream, thinking that if they gained the
other side they woald have a better
chance to care for their wounds. Leap
ing as far as possible from the rock they
ran frantic, struggling, bitten, aud wild
with pain, they plunged into the water
and reached the other side, completely
overcome by the terrible ordeal just
passed through, and, after some time,
bandaged their bleeding and swollen
limbs.
By o'clock they were sufficiently
recovered to continue to Cottonwood
Springs, where they took the first train
for Leadville to secure medical aid, ar
irving here last night The unfortunate
men are now under the care of DR.. D..
Ii. Dougan. They describe the snakes
as being specimens of all kinds, such as
adders, vipers, copperheads, rattlers,
milk, house, green, and black, and
among them were two hoop snakes and
a racer, which they declare was no less
than twenty-five feet in length. The
doctor says the men are not fatally bit
ten, but it will be some time before the
swelling and pain will disappear. They
leave on to-night's train for their re.
spective homes, feeling that they have
had enough fishing and an abundance
of snakes for one excursion. LeaduilIe