Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-05-27
SNAKES IN IRELAND.


man named Wilson came from
A ..,ca with a show OF living wild ant
~ =. He landed his show at Queens
. n. and gave exhibitions up through
,pp',sud with more or less success. But
nirht at the little town of Amraugh,
op' Itinerary, Mr.. Wilson got very
80 " and attempted to clean out bis
show. The constabulary force
own WHIT to interfere, and whether as a
N .sns of self-defense or in spirit OF
n aor know not Mr. Wilson turned
h ~ me wild animals loose. OF course
-, created terrible uproar, and for a
VI or the neighborhood was in state OF
s M excitement. The wild beasts were
'.ir either captured or killed. but for
70 wears no trace of the den Of snakes
y, loose on that memorable night could
u found. Meanwhile Mr.. Wilson went
n prison for two years,
TAO years ago the people In the neigh
,,rbood of Amraugh began to miss
sonltey and pigs. Several vagabonds
In under suspicion, were apprehended.
md we're locked up. But the depreda-
AIMS continued, and finally farmers
N testified that upon returning late
,ns night from merry-making he had
.sen the evil one in the guise OF SER
,ent making way with pig across a
s4n. The village priest took the lad
h hand and questioned him closely,
M nothing could shake the fellows
sstimony. About this time other peo-
,Ie detected similar fiends in the act of
Ike depredations, and at once arose a
sue and cry that the spot was damned
me and had been given over to the
devil for his diabolical practices. Spe-
dal prayers were said and the devil was
,ublicly denounced, but the depreda-
ions continued, and presently from
castelraine, town twelve miles dis
ant came word that his satanic majesty
lad begun operations in that locality,
bis victims in this instance and In this
plsce being sheep, not poultry and pigs.
IN this dismal emergency the Bishop
Vas most properly appealed to, for the
Daish priests were at their Wits end
md their parishioners were well-nigh
rszed through fear. The Bishop prom
sed to investigate the affair. but in
sead Of resorting to conventional eccls-
dastical methods, that holy and saga
aous man enlisted the services of two
hrewd detectives from Dublin, the in
ellectuaI center of Erin. The Bishop
!sucied that the devil was doing his un-
| holy work by proxy-not in the guise OF
| isgons and serpents, but in the person
certain lawless characters too law to
york and just knavish enough to steal.
The detectives, laboring under this
teresy, made their Investigations quiet
i, and in the. course of a fortnight re-
ported to their employer that the dep
edations at Castelraine and Amraugh
bad indeed been committed by serpents,
he detectives themselves having seen
sid watched the same upon three dis
thct occasions seize, kill and carry off
heir prey. The serpents were de-
Mlbed as dark Of color and fully fifteen
hetin length. They killed their vic
tins by coiling about their bodies.
The story was discredited by the
tsFgy and laity until, as good luck
puld have it, correspondent of the
Ireeman's journal lat Dublin recalled
be significant, not to say portentous,
gnnmstance that the numerous and
lTaFs species of snakes which had es.
sped from the Wilson show about three
Fars previous had never been captured.
hen OF a sudden the mystery was
cared up and bands for the extermina-
1.-The monsters was speedily orga nized
ir0ng the vengeful peasantry, Three
the snakes were shortly thereafter
Ben, purs ed and killed in the bog east
Anraugh; the largest of the snakes
iaslred four feet; in the NAV of each
rs found a pullet. About a month
2aeafter a fourth snake was killed
Af Uastelraiue; this snake upon being
open was found to contain worry
amy little snakes which Immediately .
Ned into the grass and escaped before
aStonlsned rustics could apprehend
EN- Subsequently, stimulated by
advertised reward of half a crown
q special dispensation for every
aEe, alive OF dead, the country peo-
eaught eleven of the smaller snakes
zone measuring more than seven
mes in length. Then the snakes
Eaed to disappear, and, no further
Fedatious being noted the excite
fHgradually died out
atit is now reported, after lapse of
tranquil years, that snakes have
lclly appeared at and around Bal
Ha, an agricultural region thirty
SnorJh of Castelraine, the country
r. Of the Earl of Densloe. These
ies are of a strange species; though
have been captured, they are said
aotenormous length, breadth, thick
Voraci,y and forocity, and to make
Fuse when moving like the clatter Of
Fin box; they kill by biting, and
r have created great havoc among
III locks of his Grace the Duke, as we'll .
#1ihe coops and sites of the peasantry.
simultaneously serpents similar to the |
nush and Castelraine varmints have .
sared still further to the eastward, ]
have caused such panic that the
alry folks are afraid to venture out (
aoFs after nightfall,
oe theory is that in five years the
sAeS let loose by the wretched Wilson
lS his ribald drunken frenzy have
.0phed so numerously that mill
Y union of Church and State will be
SSary To restore tho island to the
GA condition in which the good st.
lK
seaator iloar, OF Massachusetts, never
UNITS TO an interview. remember
aFst experience with him. l was
e.Spondent for the Cleveland Leader,
tod him that | had been sent BY