Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-07-14
Sunday, July IA, 1883,
DAN MlTcreLus CLOSE CALL.
He Believes Coal OIL Saved Ills Life, Even
IL bid Nat Cure His badness.

He Believes Cnai OIL Saved Ills life, Even
IL did Aot Cure His liidness,
Before Dan Mitchell. once Of the best
known met 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 rattlesnaEe in We.
mango led him to remove to Erie,
where there are no venemous serpents,
il being Il peculiarly Of Erie county
that "A rattler vas ever seen on the
slope between the highest elevation
and the lake. All the r~attlesnalies are
on the southern slope of the watershed.
Mr.. Mitchell had 10 60 on foot
through a wild part OF Nenango, 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 10 cncgse his legs
III thick leather boots that were sup
posed TO be fang proof. 1t was eX-
uemely hot, and Mr.. Mitchells cloth
ing wa wet with pcrspiratiou after an
hours crowding through the tangle
of bushes and climbing over rocks.
When he came 10 a stony road lead
ing around the hill he found a spring
boiling from under q ledge of stone. It
vas surrounded by a fringe Of bushes,
through which there was an opening
Just large enough for the admission of
a mans head. Mr.. Mitchell was so
tired and heated that he had no
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 u sigh Of satisfaction.
He had hardly turned the corner Of
a projecting bowlder as large as a
cabin when he heard a frightful
cream. Going back, he saw a hor,
nble sight. \ peddler had stopped
for a drink as had Mr.. Mitchell. When
his lips touched the water d great rat
tlesnake buried its fangs in the mans
neck. AS he jerked himself out of the
reptiles lurking place he dragged the
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 insight the peddler
was shrieking and praying. The snake
remained at the edge Of the spring, as
though determined TO fight against
furl or intrusion, and, catching sight
Of II, tile peddler shouted:
Curse toul Ill kill you before !
die"
he Crasped the snake as he spoke
and received a second bite on the
hand. In his frenzy he tore the snake
asunder, ground the head beneath his
heel, and fell 10 the ground.
The scene described had not occu-
pied two minutes. Mr.. Mitchell was
at his side as quickly as possible, and
held whiskey flask to the mouth of
tho PROSTATE man, whose body was
already beginning 10 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 pcddler 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 a preparation
of petroleum he would have been Bit
ten instead of the peddler, as the
snake must have been in the mating
OF bushes when he bathcd his face.
His theory is that the reptile had a
dislike Of the oil, and refused TO
strike, and he is convinced that petro-
ieum saved his life, even if il failed 10
cure his badness. New York Sun.