Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-06-02

had a most remarkable experience enI
his fathers little farm near Erin. which
ne gives in his own words, verbatim AZ
II must give you a snake story. which
Is q part of the history of this country
n has been handed down from sire to
son. ="
81 had my deadfalls to catch SOUR.
rels, which was a log eight feet long.
with a pair of igure-four triooers. F.
which was attached an ear Of Corn tn
decoy the squirrel, and while moving
1ne corn at the end of the trigger, the
log would be thrown, which, to him,
was equa! to the French guillotine used
IN those days when France got drunk on
CRIME and vomited blood. 0Barefooted,
L one morning started forth in a long
trot, going around the field to examine
my deadfalls. When I got to the far
corner l found one of my deadfalls down
and the tail of a squirrel p%rotruding. I
knew | had him. My entire attention
being drawn to the squirrel 1 straddled
the log to lift it up, when my naked foot
rested on the broadest back of the
largest rattlesnake we seen in Stewart
County. He was as strong as a mule
and big round as a large yellow dog.
He rapidly threw himself into a coil.
and his battle-cry was heard. [ knew
that this meant business. In trying to
eAtricate myself 1 became entangled in
his coils. He then had elevated me
three feet above the ground, resting
on the broad folds. One of my feet was
hung in his coils, and it was
with difficulty that I extricated
myself: In disengaging myself,
I fell h%eadforemost upon the
ground. There was no time for swap
ping horses or getting upon my feet, so
| rolled over and over until I got fly
feet from the scene of strife. Every
time 1 struck the ground I thought I
received a bite. Then 1 got up, ran to
the center of the field, and 'hollered' all
kinds of murder which alarmed my
father and mother, who came running
with a hoe and an ak, thinking that In
dams, who were troublesome in this
section, had either wounded or scalped
me. As they came up 1 still involun-
tarily shouted murder! murder! murder!
They partook of the excitement, and
asked me what was the matter. I could
give but a very indistinct account of the
situation, in which I spoke of a snake.
Then they were satisfied that I had been
bitten by a snake, and raised up my
togo, looking for the bite, and asked me
where [ had been bitten. I told them I
was bitten all over. They could find
no marks, and wanted me to 60 and
show them the snake. 1 declined to go
in that direction, but told them if they
wanted to see the biggest snake they
ever laid eyes on to go up to the corner
of the field. remained, Trembling and
convulsed. They proceeded to the point
indicated, and found the monster snake,
still lying by the dead squirrel. He was
of such extraordinary proportions that
it was not prudent to attack him alone.
Billy Rushing and other neighbors were
called in to assist in the killing; five or
o came. A long, forked sapling
was placed on the back of the snakes
neck, and held there by four men, when
my father stepped up with the AK and
cut off his head. We had two or three
large yellow dogs, and the body of this
snake was about as large and of the
same color a. the dogs. He was as long
as a fence-rail, and had twenty-five
r%attles, being that many years old.
When he was beheaded the dogs were
set upon him, and bravely he kept up
the fight. He would throw himself into
a coil, and with the stump of his neck
strike the dogs, knocking them eight or
ten feet. When the dogs came out Of
the fight they were as bloody as butch
ers. He was such an extraordinary
snake that the neighbors concluded to
carry him home, but were unable to
drag him. The oxen and cart were
sent for, and with the aid of handspikes
he was rolled into the cart. His skin
was stuffed with bran, with the head
attached, and it a hung up by the
walls of the house as a trophy, such as
the scalps that hang from the girth of
the Indian warrior"
This was a large snake, but he came
forth in the time that tried mems souls.
He, like others of larger growth, how
ever, comes down to us well anthem
tiaafad