The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-12-17
Snnkes in ills Red.


Talking about rattlesnakes,"
said Jim Conley, as he perused the
interesting snake department of the
st. Louis GioJs- Democrat, while sit
ting in crowd of men occupying
the outside chairs at McPherson's
corner across the way, few nights
ago, 81 am an eye witness and an
unwilling participant in one of the
bloodicst encounters with rattle
snake recorded in the history of
Utah territory.
awhile travelling in that country
between Ogden and Salt Lake City
with another man, and good many
years ago, we got busted and had
to work at anything we could get
to do.
"We got contract from a Nor
mon settler on the road to cut and
haul from the mountains 300 cords
OF wood. He furnished everything
and gave us so much for the Job.
The camp at which he sat us down
was six miles away, in the foothills
of the range, near where there were
a lot of campers cutting and hauling
railroad tics TO the valley for the
Union Pacific Railroad.
s'Things went on admirably, and
we were doing nicely, when we took
a notion one morning 10 go down
to the ranch and spend the day with
our employer and his family.
"We both felt tired from our walk,
and retired to bed about 9 o'clock.
1 had been asleep, l don't know
how long, when 1 awoke feeling
GOODNESS at my back that was not in
keeping with the weather, for it was
summer, and though the days were
extremely hot the nights were cool,
but not to the extent of the cold
sensation at my back.
began to pull at the wagon
sheets with which we were covered,
and walked my partner up. Turn
ing over, Bill, in angry tones, asked:
"What's the matter? Got snakes?"
"No," / replied, "but 1 am as cold
us Iceland itself, and want some
more cover or / will vacate this bed
and build fire."
$50 to sleep and you'll be all
right" said Bill, and he turned
over for comfortable snooze.
"But couldn't go to sleep for
that feeling of coldness over behind
me, and at last determined to in
vestigate the cause of it. Reaching
behind me with my right hand
without turning over, 1 began to
feel around, for it felt exactly like
an iceberg lying against me, and
my hand soon found its'way under
and through the folds of the bed
ding and brought up against some
thing which did not feel natural by
any means, and, for the first time,
the idea of snake being in bed
with me entered my mind.
~ cautiously withdrew my hand
and arm, moved towards Bill and
let the cover drop down between
me and the object i had felt, and
crawled out over my bedfelIow's
body and from under the cover
from the opposite side and left Bill
shocking away. / then called to
him to get up and help me to see
what it was, in the meantime find
ing candle and lighting it.
with much grumbling, Bill arose
from under the cover and began
helping me search for the mystery.
Turning the cover down, there lay,
in comfortable coil, one of tho big
gest rattlesnakcs ever seen in Nor
mondom
"There lay the rattler, apparently
as sound asleep as was Bill few
minutes before. Rushing to the
woodward, L soon returned with an
AK and told the crowd to stand, back
and give me room. Everything be-
ing clear, 1 raised the AK above my
head and came down on the coil of
the snake with powerful blow.
"Well, men, that reptile fell into
a dozen pieces, coiled tightly as he
was, for when / came down with
the sharp blade of the axe upon him
il had went through him q number