The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-09-01
GREAT SNAIX!
A Monster Python Entombed In Old Red
Sandstone Rock In IllinOis--.Sup-
posed to be the Garden of
Eden Snake.

The consumption of Peoria whisky is
said to be quite general throughout the
military Tract" and Central Illinois where
consequently "to see snakes" is an every
day affair, nor does 1t attract special atten.
ton if the ophldlans assume gigantic
dimensions, for the capabilities Of the
Peoria fluid are admitted to Ike practically
limtless. But when the contagion spreads
Itself northward into Will county, and the
snakes actually take up their abode in the
Joliet Mounds on the borders Of Grundy,
the thing is coming so near home as to
grow serious Down in Mercer county the
big snake generally puts in an appearance
as early as June, and this year he rapidly
grew from the thickness of a stove pipe
and sixteen feet long to the size of "log,h
twenty feet long. He got over to Mclean
Icounty-very naturally-the day after the
4th of July. There he was twenty five
feet long, BLACK on the back, with green.
lsh blue sides, and eyes as large as mar
bles" He was seen by Mr. G, w. Adams,
of Downs township, who stepped over
what he supposed to be log but found it
to be a serpent twenty-five feet long-as
aforesaid
From this date the story-we mean the
snake-grows rapidly, until in last Mon
days New York IVOrld, we find it scien.
tihcally adorned and elaborated to the sub
joined pOrtly dimensions. The story-like
the snake-is manlfestly still immature,
but there is no good reason for longer
Withholding 1t from our readers. When
professor Baird Lauson, of Ottawa" com.
ple,es his study of the python and energies
from the mythical regions IN which he Is
at present hidden, no doubt a Times inter.
viewer will duly wait upon him and then
we shall have the whole case IN all its ma
jestic dimensions, scientifically diagnosed
and illustrated zoologlcally, paleontologi-
cally and mythologlcally;
On the 18th of July as Anthony Scheidt
was fishing on the Des PLANES three miles
below Joliet and near famous Indian
mound he suddenly found his dog, an i'm
mense mastff, in the coils of an enormous
python. Everybody laughed at his story,
but the next day party on picnic visit
ed the mound. While munchlng their
sandwiches the believing Of a COW was
heard \ little distance away the animal
was found with snake wound around its
body. The bones of the unfortunate crea-
ture cracked like pistol report at each
turn Of the serpent, which was twenty feet
long and foot in diameter. The picnic
party fled without ceremony
These storle9 Gaming to the attention Of
Walter Sunderland, well known snake
tanner, who was travelling with circus in
Wisconsin, he came to tho conclusion that
a valuable snake that had escaped from
some menagerie was loose in Illinois, and
he started down to Joliet TO see If he could
make a capture
Mr. Sunderland spent about week Ey-
ing to strike the trail OF the pythsn and
was about giving up the hunt in despair,
when he came upon the monster al the
identical Indian mound already mention
ed. He had been out all day and was sit
ting on a log about 200 feet from the
mound when he saw something move. He
was armed only with Smith Il Weston |
revolver, and the man who was with HIM
carried stout bag.
The animal emerged from the mound
slowly, as If just awakening from o torpid
and wound along through the
iebris IN the river bottom. To Walt Sun.
ierland's smazement, 1t kept on coming,
md there seemed no end 70 IT, When II
lsd fully emerged from the mound be cal.
.uiated that IL length was sixty feet To