Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-05-21
rAssoSs SNAKE KILLING sow.
~ uss Cheeks Turned to Receive q Rat
tiers venomous fangs.

- 8nA Cheeks turned 70 Receive = nav
tiers venomous fangs.
Moodna is a low lying, unattractive
settlement, rather thickly inhabited,
On the Middletown branch Of the
West Shore railroad, a little above
Cornwall and not more than a quar-
ter Of a mile below the secluded glen
called Paradise. The river that waters
Paradise flows darkly through Mood.
m, but it is a impid. sparkling stream
nj the upper point and little better
than a cesspool at the lower one.
Paradise both on account Of its re-
marketable beauty and the difficulty OF
getting TO il is well named. Moodna
may be said 10 be the very antithesis
Of Paradise. There is no trail OF the
serpent in Paradise, but Moodna is
rich in snakes, and would have a still
greater wealth of them were il not for
the untiring efforts of Mr.. Sam Tar
sons SOW. She kills the reptiles and,
though her appetite at the swill tub is
u%nimpaired. she eats snakes with
great gusto, and leaves nothing but
the bones behind. For reasons known
only to herself, she picks off the flesh
of her prey, and eschews the osseous
portions. Moodna is proud of Tarson's
SOW, and the surrounding hamlets
would like TO borrow her when snakes
multiply too rapidly; but she has all
The work she can attend to at home.
OF course. most of the snakes thai
Iufest Moodna are comparatively
harmless. and the sturdy SOW fearlessly
casts her 400 pounds of adipose matter
upon them. and regardless Of their
bites, stamps and gnaws their lives
out The adjacent mountain of Storm
King. however, has many recesses
that are the homes of rattlesnakes.
With the first breath of spring they
emerge hungry, venomous and very
wicked, and larson, aided by old Zach
Archer, the professional snake catcher,
secured a large one, and determined TO
test the power of his pet as il had
never before been tried.
He led the SOW into the barn, where
soap box containing the snake had
been placed upon the floor. Then he
climbed upon a rafter, so a. to be outof
harms way, and, by pulling a string,
raised adoor which he hal made in the
box. Instantly the snake glided out,
and at once saw the SOW. II threw
itself into a coil, its eyes glittered, il
Missed viciousiy. and il was ready and
eager for battle. The SOW also saw the
snake, as hep subsequent actions indi-
Gated; but il is doubt al if the reptile
''saw that she saw it, for no pig I'M
dergoing the process of fattening in
the hog pen ever seemed more guile
less than did she as she trotted around
the barn, apparently in search of a
bad potato or a rotten apple. She was
narrowing the circle, however, and
each revolution brought her nearer
TO her hereditary enemy.
At last she stopped moving, and
looked straight at the snake. Quick
a . lightning flash the reptile struck
at her, but the SOW knew her business.
With equal celebrity she turned her
head half asound, and the poisonous
fapgs sesA into Der left cheek. For a
nQmept the snake writhed aroupd the
lows Shout. and she tried p seye il,
but it dropped to the ground UNI
harmed, and, With amazing rapidity,
resumed is coil. The SOW seemed to be
~chagrined. She advaT ,ed a step, and
as the snake struck fieAcely at her for
the second time she obeyed the Script
ural mandate, and, having been smit-
teppn one check, she turned tAe other
70 her assailant. She changed her tao
tics on this occasion, and did not at
tempt 10 bite the snake while it main
.ained its hold; but the instant il
dropped she pounced upon it, apd
msping it by the neck she pinned It's
ugly head TO the ground and played o
tsftbo upon its body with her feet
Che was not materially injured by the
bites she had received, for the venom
wasted itself in the thick layers of fai
that underlined her cheeks. and il
could not reach any vital part OF heI
anatomy. The snake was soon dead,
and Mr.. larson clambered down from
the rafter, hoping TO secure the body
- a trophy Of his pets victory; but
the sow was in no mood TO brood inter
ference. She felt that TO the victor be
longed the spells, and her blood being
up, and a little of it running from each
cheek. she drove her owner from IN,
barn. When he returned fifteen min
utes later she vas in a mor amicabl'
frame of mind, and she had made
skeleton Of the snake as skillfully a
il the job had been done by a taxider
mist-New York Sun.