The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1888-04-19


Weighing. at least five hundred
pounds, armed with frightful
teeth and claws.
The bear was quickly bound
with ropes and safely tethered to
a birch tree, and the now thor
oughly excited directors, bleeding
and their clothes torn and latter
ed, again entered the cave ana
passed into the root, intent on
exploring it TO its furthest end.
They had proceeded about one
hundred feet beyond where they
met the bear, when what appear
ed to be two pairs OF blazing
stars shot out of the darkness be-
yond. and forthwith there was a
clawing, ripping. splitting, cater
waullng and shouting, and truth
compels me TO say, swearing.
such as was never before heard
in ksh Cave or any other hole in
the ground.
Finally the directors came out
IN sections of four, each man
holding to the leg of something,
and bleeding like a lot of stuck
pigs. they had a pair of i'm
mense catamounts, which kept
up their splitting and squalling,
but they were quickly manacled
and tied to a couple of dogwood
saplings near the bear.
A council of war was now held.
Kittsmiller and Burgess wanted
to go home and bring oyer the
candidates for Office and send
them into the tap root of the
cave, but Green, Willard and
Buerhaus said they should be
reserved for some worse fate.
Again, the adventurous direct.
ors lighted a new supply Of pine
knots and ventured into the cave.
and pushed their way into the
hollow depths of the root. They
paused frequently to listen but
heard nothing, except an occas-
ional hiss, which sounded like
escaping steam. This they at
tributed to the whistling of the
wind through the tops of the
pine trees overhead. Suddenly
there was an awful ''swish," and
each gentlemen experienced the
sensation of being knocked down
with a stuffed club.
In the dim light that filtered
from Colonel Green's hair-the
lights again having been put
oul-they could see swaying
to and fro, what looked like an
elephants trunk, not less than
sixty feet in length, from which
there was a constant flash OF
forked lightning, adding an end
less succession of terrOrs to the
situation.
No sooner had they regained
their feet TO make charge upon
the new enemy, than they were
again knocked down by the ter
rible sweep of the animated
stuffed club. Then they conclud-
ed 10 retreat, and jumped to
their feet only 10 be knocked
ed down again. This was repeat
ed over and over, and then they
saw that discretion was the bet
ter part of valor, so they crawled
out of the cave as rapidly as
possible.
They finally made their exit,
and were Immediately followed
BY SIX ENORMOUS BLACK SNAKES,
with alternate white and yellow
rings around their necks, and
ranging in length from forty to
ninety feet. The three largest
ones plated ten OF fifteen feet of
their tails together, and sticking
the points into the ground, reared
themselves upright in front of
the entrance of the cave and be-
san TO strike round and round IN
a circle, making it certain death
for any one to get within their
reach, thus making an impossible
barrier in front Of the entrance
10 the cave.
The other snakes, evidently
under the direction Of a leader,
BEGAN TO UNITE THE BEAR
And the catamounts. Then the
Directors saw that their only hope
of safety lay in fight. and they stood
not upon the order of their going,
but they got at once.
Each of these statesmen has
National reputation for modesty and
diffidence, and are always ready
and anxious TO give place to anoth-
er. But Oh tins occasion each one
of them was seized with Il wild am
bit:on to get at the head of the pro-
cesslon. TEis unexpected rivalry
brought out the running qualities
of each. The hindermost man for
the first ten miles of the chase came
in for an occasional swipo from the
bear or the catamount and then
HE MADE A SPURT
And went to the front, and thus
they see sawed as they flew like the
March wind.
After the first ten miles the wind
OF the pursuers began 10 give out,
o.l tIn ,,,, ,,rnnl ,uara ana He'd to