The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-07-11
DAN MlTcHELL,s CLOSE CALL
He Believes Coal Oil Saved Ills Life, Even
sF IL 1t Did Not Cure His Baidness-

He Believes Coal OH Saved His Life, Even
.sG If 1t Did Not Cure His Badness.
Before Dan Mitchell, one of the best
known men in northwestern Pennsyl
vania, was appointed captain of police
in Erie, he was a resident of the oil
country While prospecting for pc
troleum he had the narrowest escape
of his life, and he has had many close
calls in the past twenty years. This
adventure with a rattlesnake in We
mango led him to remove to Erie,
where there are no venemous serpentS,
it being a popularity of Erie county
that a rattler was never seen on the
slope between the highest elevation
and the lake. All the rattlesnakes are
on the southern slope of the watershed.
Mr.. Mitchell had to go on foot
through wild part of Venango, his
horse having been stolen the night
before. The keeper Of the little log
hotel from which he started warned
him to look out for snakes, and he
took the precaution to encase his legs
in thick leather boots that were sup
posed to be fang proof 1t was ex-
tremely hot, and Mr.. Mitchell's cloth
ing was wet with perspiration after an
hours crowding through the tangle
of bushes and climbing over rocks.
When he came to stony road lead
ing around the hill he found o spring
boiling from under a ledge of stone. 1t
was surrounded by fringe of bushes,
through which there was an opening
just large enough for the admission of
a mans head. Mr. Mitchell was so
fi,a1 onl -hootoI 4lo4 H. IoI 40
thought of snakes, and he thrust his
head into the hole. When he had
cooled his face and quenched his
thirst at the spring he resumed his
walk with sigh of satisfaction.
He had hardly turned the corner of
a projecting bowlder as large as a
cabin when he heard a frightful
scream. Going back, he saw hor-
rible sight. A peddler had stopped
for drink as had Mr.. Mitchell. When
his lips touched the water great rat
tlesnabe buried its fangs in the mans
neck. As he jerked himself out of the
reptiles lurking place he dragged tbs
snake with him. In an instant he re-
allied that he was doomed, as the poi
son was being carried through his
body more swiftly because the venom
had entered near the iugular vein. As
Mr.. Mitchell came in sight the peddler
was shrieking and praying. The snake
remained at the edge of the spring, as
though determined to fight against
further intrusion, and, catching sight
of it, the peddler shouted:
Curse you'll I'll kill you before l
die"
He grasped the snake as he spoke
and received second bite on the
hand. In his frenzy he tore the snake
asunder, ground the head beneath his
heel, and fell to the ground.
The scene described had not occu-
pied two minutes. Mr.. Mitchell was
at his side as quickly as possible, and
held a whiskey flask to the mouth of
the prostrate man, whose body was
already beginning to swell. The
liquor did no good. In five minutes
the peddler was dead. SO quickly had
the poison worked. There was moth
ing on the peddler by which he could
be identified. In his pack was a let
ter signed Nellie" evidently having
been written by the daughter of the
dead man. The body was buried near
the place, which since then has been
known by Venango people as dead
Mans Spring"
Mr. Mitchell believes that had his
hair not been oiled with preparation
of petroleum he would have been bit
ten instead of the peddler, as the
snake must have beer in the mating
of bushes when he bathed his face.
His theory is that the reptile had a
dislike of the oil, and refused to
strike, and he is convinced that petro-
leum saved his life, even if it failed TO
cure his badness. New York Sun.