Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1889-10-03
"A NIGHT OF TERROR.
In a Living Sea of Writhing, Kissing,
VeuOmOus Serpents.


Three men arrived here last night who
passed through all ordeal that is terrible to
contemplate, and their many wounds 90 to
show that the story they tell is true and
horrible in its details, says the Omaha
World Herald. The men are w. Smith
and George II. White, Jr, of Pubic, and
Thomas McGough, of Colorado Springs.
They detailed the account of their adven-
lures as follows:
Nine miles from the mouth of Elk creek,
between Newcastle, up the stream, is bar
rem wilderness of scru bby undergrowth and
boulders and rocks and stones. To stand
on the verdant shores Cf this sea of waste
land one would naturally conclude that
they were that many miles from nowhere,
and, for aught they knew, were the first to
discover this blank sea of waste, barren
worthless fly y-speck on the shirt-front of
creation.
The men were on fishing expedition,
and started on Wednesday morning from
the mouth of the Mlnneatata stream to
wend and wade their way up toward its
mentioned. There night overlook them,
and, having lunch, they built q fire and
made themselves as comfortable as possible
on the surface of scraggy plain.
Being tired and footsore, after their
scanty repast was devoured, they were
soon reveling in dreams that perhaps are
more or less pleasant to the mind while
fitting in the realms of such fancies.
One of the party had not been tangled
up with Morpheus long until he WAS
awakened by something choking him, and,
on feeling. found his strange collar was
cold and shiny. 1t was very fine speci-
men of the blacksnake which was girding
his throttle in anything but loving en-
brace.
The monster was soon displaced, and the
party were about TO lie down again alter
riddlng themselves of his snakeship, when
they found by the aid of the dying embeIs
and the assistance offered by the quarter
moon, that they were literally surrounded
by snakes.
Two of the party proposed to decamp
for more congenial chimes, but when they
were about to leave the rock they found
themselves tramping on living sea Of
serpents. The Kissing and rattling became
more audible, aud it was but few min
utes before it was as loud as ordinary
toned voices.
The men, finding they were thus sur
rounded broke branches from the stubby
undergrowth of frs and commenced LASH
ing the writhing sea of darting, hissing
sns kes.
Realizing that they had an all night job,
they added fuel to the fire and commenced
killing in earnest. The light and noise
seemed to waken the whole barren waste
into Kissing and rattlipg.
Each began a slaughter with a redoubled
vigor, vainly trying to fight their way to
the stream, some hundred yards away
down a slOping hill. They would gain q
few PAGES OF the distance, only to be driven
back again to the rock.
The rafting and Kissing became so loud
that their voices were not audible unless
close by. The sound was something like
four or five wheat separators in operation
at one time.
1t was terrible. The hair on their heads
was standing straight and stiff like the
wires on a patent hair brush.
Their hands and arms were blood. stained
to their elbows, and the stencil from the
snaky battlefield was sickening in the ex-
tIeme.
One hour after the first snake was killed
no less than 5000 lay slain, and they kept
coming thicker and faster.
The sound became more hideous and soon
the moon disappeared and the three fisher
men felt that hell had sweeter charms than
the place it seemed their fate to die in.
Two of the men were bitten, and their
legs and arms began to swell and pain
badly, and they frequently had to rest and
to permit one to do the killing of all
three.
The hours wore slowly by and the
slaughter was kept up as best they could.
At last morning came and lifted the cur
tain of night from most appa ling scene.
For fifty feet all around the large rock
lay heap of stunned, squirming and dead
snakes
As far as they could see all around the
barren waste was seething tide of reptiles
that came toward the rock with madden
ing fury. Concluding that they might Just
as well earn death by a dearer fate, they
made ready to run for the stream, thinking
that if they gained the other side they
would have better chance to care for their
wounds.
Leaping as far ss possible from the rock
they ran frantically toward the stream,
bitter and wild with pain. They
plunged into the water and reached the
other side completely overcome by the ter
rible ordeal just passed through.