Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1886-09-18
ESTELLINE'S SERPENT.
Terrific Adventure With Prodigi-
GUS Reptile.


last weeks Bell warning the business
men of Estclino that unless they speed
lily discovered a sea serpent in the
neighborho0d or hired some reliable
person TO do so that the place would
lose trade had the desired effect. 1t
will he remembered that the BelI
pointed out the fact that we had waited
long enough for serpent to come in
and ask to be discovered and that it
was time TO 20 out and discover one
whether it wanted TO be discovered or
not. We directed attention to how by
inaction Estellinc failed to get the cap
ital but allowed it to be thievishly
stolen by base and spoils-fattened
Bi7marck ring rccking with the
rankcst corruption 1--WE quote from a
lankton author) and how we were
again getting left on the serpent
racket how Watcrtown, Devils Lake,
Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, Fargo, Pierre,
Dcadwood and other Dakota towns had
rAhb lltNli INd'lliS tlllHtuS Oul cunning
for scrpents and they had been success
ful and how Estclline should act
promptly and yank ont serpent by
80 tail from some place before it was
100 eYcrlastingly late The remark of
the Bell bore good fruit and this week
we are enabled to announce the dis
coyey of the snakiest serpent in seven
States
Early Thursday morning Estellinc
decided to make the discovery. A team
and wagon and hay rack were secured
for the trip to Lake Poinsett where it
was decided to find the monster. A
careful selected party was made up
consisting of Frank Weygant, John
Dunn. I. E. Lally, j. W. Catlett,
Frank Parsons, John Briar, Jack
Barnes and the editor of this hearth
stone companion. Each was selected
for his special fitness on some
point, as for instance it was thought
that Weygant might come in handy to
step on the critter with his luxuriant
growth of feet should it act cross and
charge the party, while Dunn was ex-
pecting to use his ample and unani-
nous laugh TO lure it from its hole,
while Jack Barnes was, of course, taken
as chief discovcrer The others were
also added for some good point they
were supposed to possess for searching
for snakes. A large demiiohn of the
serpent bait used so successfully at
Watcrtown was also taken and loomed
up in the back end of the wagon like
the smoke stack on a soap factory.
The trip to the lake was made with
some difficulty. The hot and scalding
sun shonc down through the clear,
thin air with terrible intensity. There
was no cloud TO break its force. The
intense and withering heat warped the
boards of the rack and they rolled up
like autumn leaves The tires dropped |
OF the wheels and horse after horse |
of the team fell. cut down by the fur
naec-likc heat When the party at last |
reached the lake every member was
unconscious but happy in the thought |
that the serpent was about 10 be dis |
covered.
We arranged ourselves around the |
lake and began to look for the serpent. |
We all remained in this position for |
some time, straining every nerve to
discover the monster and stirring up |
Ihc water with sharp sticks. 1T was Il
irving time-the flower of Estcllinc
was there and determined to pull a
.ixtv-foot snake out of that lake by the |
roofs or bust. The search was kept up
-or about two hours when it was decid
ID that valuable time was being wasted
md that the best course would be TO
send a boat out TO the middle of the
axe and discover the scaly monster on
Is native heath and iab pitch-fork
nto II. Jack Barnes. Captain Lally and
Frank Parsons were accordingly sent
nut in a small boat. They had rowed
,bout TWO miles through the boil
np and bubbing water when the
,oat was suddenly struck from below
~ some superhuman and unseen force
md thrown into the air over sixty
eet. II fell back into the Kissing and
.teaming water with loud report and
he three serpent discoveries imme-
lately got out over the side and
,alked to the land They said they
new when they had enough.
The whole party was by this time
excited as each realized
hat the slimy and awful reptile of the
,nexplored deep had been found. All
,athercd around the demijohn for
afrty. We had scarcely done so when
ho hidcous head Of tho unknown mon
.ttr riise.l out OF the water with q
yrinaing. sieken!ng sopaA. only about
asar,eg at 3 mile !Fom the shore.
L. s aoia NeFE Nhs thrown y lha !