Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1883-09-08
Tho Original Serpent thnt was
The lsi.turbcr OF Eden Found.

has frightened horses and disturbed the
dreams Of EYES descendants. This snake
is fifteen feet long, according to all state
ments, black on the back and greenish-
blue on the sides. Its eyes are as large as
marbles, aad beneath its throat is !. sack
rs large as Il twO-Gnart jug.
Two days later Mr.. G.. w. Adams, a We
racious citizen of Downs township, step
ped over what he supposed TO be 4 log in
the path near 4 creek OH his farm. lnves-
tigation provcd it to be serpent twenty
feet i'm length taking Il nap. He went TO
several OF his ncighbors and they organ
lied a. posse for the capture Of the reptile.
but on their return il had fled. Weeds
wcrc broken down for long distance and
its course of hight could be easily traced.
On the 18th of July IS Anthony Scheldt
was fishing on the hes Plains three miles
below Joliet and near Il famous Indian
mound, he suddenly found his dog, an
immense mastiif, in the coils OF an enor-
NOUS python. Everybody laughed at his
story, hut the next day party on n pic
nic visited the mound, While munching
their sandwiches the believing of a cow
was heard. 4 little distance away the
animal was found with snake wound
around its body, The bones OF the unfOr-
tuuatc creature cracked like pistol re-
port ut each turn of the serpent, which
was twenty feet long and foot in diam
etcr. The pic nic party fled without GER
cmOny.
These stories coming to the attention Of
Walter Sunderland, a well-known snake
tanner who was travelling with u circus in
Wisconsin, he came to the conclusion that
valuable snake that had escaped from some
mcnSgCric was loose in Illinois, and he
started down to Joliet to see if he could
make u capture. Sunderland spent about
week trying to strike the trail of the
python, and was about giving mp the hunt
in despair when lie came upon the mon
ster ut the identical Indian mound already
mentioned. lie had been out all day, and
WAS sitting on a log about POO feet from
the mound when he saw something move.
lie was armed only with revolver, and
the man who was with him carried bag.
The animal emerged from the mound
slowly. rs if just awakening from torpid
condition, and wound along through the
debris to the river bottom. TO Walt. Sun
dcrland'S amazemcnt it kept on coming,
and there SCENE Il no end to il. When it
had fully emerged from the mound he cal
culatcd that its length was sixty feet. TO
attempt to capture this animal in the ordi-
nary way with bag was simply impossi-
bic. But he did not despair Of killing it
and securing the skin. So waiting until
the head of the reptile came within pistol
range, he fired shot ut il. Both men
testify that they heard rush rs Of II
mighty wind, and the serpent had disap-
pcarcd. Walt. Sunderland, however, was
so struck with the value OF this prize that
lie went back to Chicago and quietly or
ganzed Il company Of trained serpent men
who were accustomed to handle snakes,
and then he quietly returned to Joliet.
This time the party were thoroughly
equipped with all the appliances, and they
made straight for the Indian mound. On
the 81 of August they cncampcd and pro-
cecdcd to business. They remained there
just one week without seeing the monster.
But they found indubitable evidence of
his work. The bones of the large man.
malta were strewn about the base of the
mound, and they found what they be-
levcd to- he the entrance to his lair in a
circular entrance worn smooth of about
two feet in diameter, at the south base of
the mound. After vainly cndcayoring to
coax his lordship out they came to the
conclusion that they would have to dig
into the mound to get him, and finally
gave up the hunt in despair, returning 10
Chicago, with the exception of one, Ira
Flemmins, who lived i'm Joliet. This man
returned the next day and renewed the
watch. 1t is his remarkable statement
that led To the exploration of the mound
on the 18th. Professor Baird Lauson, OF
Ottawa, and Colonel John Hemingway,
Professor of Biology in the Michigan On
biological Institute, feeling convinced that
the reports were based OIL something more
than the fanciful fears of the men, insti-
tuted thorough exploration of the
mound. Colonel John lIenmingway'
report is one of the most remarkable that
has ever been made In relation to this in-
teresting branch of natural history. He
says that the base of this mound is of pre-
historic drift, and that in the cut which
was made they discovered complete cast
of serpent in what appeared to be dctri-
tus of Plutonlc stone artificially compact
ed. The inference was inevitable that the
builders of this mound were prehistoric
men aad were serpent wOrshipcrs, = con-
cluSi0n that accords with all the thcOlog-
ical and antiquarian researches so far on
this continent. But n careful examination
of the cast with the microscope also con-
WINGED them that it had been made by the
form of Il living serpent.
This cast is exactly fifteen feet long and
bears the marks of the constructive and
annular movements of the imprisoned
snake. That the animal had been impris-
oneG in some fetish ceremony no one
doubted, especially rs the symbolic mark
ings showed only too plainly snch q cere-
rnony in operation, and one rude drawing
made by flint i'm red sandstone portrayed
n serpent and woman in conversation.
Colonel Hemmingway in brief gives it as
his deliberate belief from all the facts col
lccted that tie original snake was buried