St. Paul daily globe., 1885-07-26
SEASOSABLE STORIES.
The Snakes which Take the Cakes
i'm Country Exchanges.

in Country Exchanges.
Tucker County Pioneer.
X. w. Eastman arrived Sunday from
Davis, in the upper part of this county,
and reported the capture Of wonderful
animal near that place a few days ago.
We are not giving this to the pub
lie for the sake of a sensation, but
because we believe it is a fact.
The animal was caught in a steel ira. d
and was dead when found. 1t had the head
of bulldog and the body OF a snake, ex-
cept that it was very thick for its length.
and its body was covered with deep red FUR
Its entire length was about five feet and
the circumference of its body some twenty
inches. Its teeth were partly like dogs
partly like snakes. Mr.. Eastman had with
him the lower tusk. 1t was about two and
one-half inches long, protruding from the
animals mouth. and was curled like a
sleeps horn. The tusks of the upper Jaw
bent backward like a snakes teeth, and
were about one inch long. The animal had
no legs. 1t was supposed to be water
animal like an otter. There is nothing to
Indicate that it ever had legs. Mr.. Parsons,
chief engineer of the West Virginia Cen
tral & Pittsburg railroad, has gone to Paris
TO examine the dead beast, and no doubt he
will do something toward unraveling the
mystery of what it is.
Cabin Run correspondence Mountain
Echo: From Ash Cabin Run we have an
account of a very large snake killed there
recently. The reporter asked for a larger
one. John William Taylor gives US an ac-
count of cOw-snake that he killed in
| his fathers barn before he was mar
ried that was much larger. John S. Rod
gers will vOueh for Mr.. Taylor as to the
yeTacity of this story. He says he saw a
snake of the same description in the brush
/ by an old fence near the barn that was so
| large that he would not attack il. The
snake was partly under some straw, and he
killed il with fork before he discovered
its full size. After he had killed it he
measured it with a long pitchfork and found
the snake TO be about three feet longer.
| These forks are usually twelve feet long,
| which would make the snake fifteen feet.
| he says he would be safe to do SO, and is
willing 10 make oath it was thirteen feet,
and thick accordingly.
Grafton EX-Cathedra: One night last
week William Cooper, who lives on Lost
! Run. in this county, was aroused from his
sleep by the crying of one of his children,
and got up 10 strike light to see what was
the matter. when he felt something strike
AAaiA VA AAN IL - NeucAiAS u Hdlu. L1C
| kicked it off and struck match, and was sur
prised to find large copperhead coiled up
J on the floor ready for another spring at his
unprotected calves. He succeeded in dis
patching his snakeShip, which measured two
and-a-half feet in length. Fortunately he
had bottle of apple brandy at hand. which
he used freely To cOunteract the poisonous
| effects of the bite. bnt at last accounts Mr.
| Cooper was suffering terribly from the
wound inflicted by the poisonous fangs of
the snake.
Charleston Canteloupe: A copper-colored
snake, five and a half feet long and as thick
a. mans arm. was killed on Tuesday last in
the run which passes through the foundry OF
MeSSTS. Weirick Il Weller by Michael Kain.
1t had swallowed a bunch of small fish
which were tied in the water, and
was held fast. being unable to get the fish
up or down. No one could tell to what
| species of snake his snakeship belonged.
One said it was bOa-eonStrictOr, another
an anaconda, another a horSeracer, etc.
Certain it is his career was cut short by his
attempt to swallow a string of fish all al
once.
Hoxawottamie- Herald: One day last
week. while Dock Hopkins was engaged
| in cutting bTiarS near Washbum's run. he
discovered three blacksnakes lying close
together, their snakeShipS discovering him
at the same time. The doctor fed,
and the snakes pursued him
so rapidly that he was forced
to turn and fight He succeeded in
laying one out with his scythe, and upon
examination it was found to be of the Spe-
cies known as the ''black racer The
other two at once turned tail with bitter
lamentations, and had gotten half way tC
the coroner's before that gentleman saw
them. and, falling of his horse in a fit,
| broke his bottle.