The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1890-05-29
MRS. JONES AND THE RATTLE.
SNAKES. M
One Snake Playing With the Twins. one
in the Cradle With the Babv.

in the Cradle With the Baby.
Mrs. Cyrus Jones of Leidy. Penn
sylvania, has three children-twins
aged 4 years and a baby 8 msnths
old. One day last week Mrs. Jones
was working in her garden. She
lett her baby asleep in its cradle in
the kitchen. The twins were play-
ing the front yard. Having been at
work for some time in the garden
Mrs. Jones walked around the house
to go in and see if her baby was ali
right. As she came around one
corner of the house she stopped to
watch the other two children
moment, attracted by pecu-
liar movements OF theirs, Which
seemed to give them great amuse..
ment. They were sitting ON a grass
plat, one Of them having in her hand
short stick with which she was
giving occasional blows on the
ground. After. each stroke the
children would laugh heartily. Now
and then one of them would bend
forward until her face was near the
ground, while she stroked something
with her hand. Then the stick
would be brought into use again.
and the mlrth of the little ones be
renewed.
After watching and enjoying their
play tor. some time Mrs. Jones walk
ed out to where the children we're
sitting. She was Mortified to dis
cover that the object of their sport
was large rattlesnake. The rep
tile lay at full length, apparently
not displeased with being made a
plaything of. 1t is we'll known be-
liet among backwoods people that
rattlesnakes will not bite children,
and many instances are cited where
these deadly reptiles have shown
actual fondness for them. But the
presence of a grown person will
throw the snake into rage. Mrs.
Jones account of her experience on
this occasion and one that immedi.
ately followed it certainly seems to
give foundation for the truth of the
possession by the rattlesnake of that
curious trait. Not knowing exactly
what to do after her startling dis
covery, she cautiously approached,
with a vague idea of snatching her
children away from their deadly
plaything. The snake saw her, and
instantly its attitude changed. With
the quickness of lightning it threw
itself into the coil the rattlesnake
always assumes preparatory to strik-
ing, and set its rattles going. Mrs.
Jones stopped and screamed to her
children to come to her. The sud-
den change in the manner of the
snake had frightened the children,
although the reptile showed no in
clination to modest them, and they
instinctively tumbled out of its way
and quickly ran to their mother.
Mrs. Jones led them to a distance
and ran for her garden hoe. She
retured and killed the snake.
After dispatching the snake, Mrs.
Jones and the children entered the
house, where the mother sank halt
unconscious to the floor, she was so
overcome by the trying experience
she had passed through. She had
hardly recovered from the effects of
the shock when a scream from one
OF her children alarmed her. She
staggered to her feet, and saw the
child standing near the cradle. To
her renewed horror, Mrs. Jones saw
another rattlesnake lying content
eddy in the cradle, not six inches
from the sleeping baby's face. Mrs.
Jones says she will never know how
she managed to dispose of that
snake, for she had no recollection of
anything alter discovering it. She
found herself lying on the floor by
the side of the cradle, all three Of
her schildren crying bitterly near
her, the baby being in her arms,
and the snake dead near the door.
Her husband came from his work
soon atterward, and was himself
so affected on hearing his wife's
story and finding the dead snakes
that he was unable to 90 to work
again that, day. The snakes were
evidently mates. They were above
the average size, and had nine rat
ties each.