The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-20

She entered the room where she had been
when the excitement began, and found that
the snake that had jumped at her had sawed
it's head off by it's struggles against the
head lay on the floor and the great body of
the snake lay in q heap on the ground out
side, the tail still twisting and kinking
itself i'll vain protest against the reptiles
taking off. The girl then peered cautiously
into the Kitchen Mrs. Price had recovered
sufficiently from her swoon to rise to sit
ting posture on the floor, and was gazing
i'll a dazed manner about her. On the floor
near the cellar door lay the
old Maltese cat, not only dead,
but flattened out us if she had been run
over by road roller. Five of her kittens.
wild eyed and with the fur OH their tiny
bodies standing erect, were huddled about
her, crying piteously. The sixth kitten and
the snake were missing. The old cat had
attacked the intruding blacksnake, but her
courage and agility were vain against the
strength and cunning of the serpent, and
she had been crushed into limp and fiat
tened mass in the reptiles coils. The snake
that had rushed to the attack on Mrs. Price
hung dead in the door, its head battered to
pulp, SO vigorously had the housewife
used her broomstick before she swooned at
the sight of the second snake.
Eta Clune soon brought her mistress
around all right again, and Mrs. Price sent
for man who lived near to come and make
a search for the third snake, which she felt
was still on the premises. The man discov-
cred the snake i'll the cellar and shot it. The
missing kitten was in it's throat. The
snakes were six. six and half, and seven
feet long-regular kentucky blue racers.
A few days ago Saul Eggemeyer, milk.
| man, was driving along the National road
of milk in his wagon. Happening to look
back along the road he saw a peculiar streak
of dust rising from the middle of the
| highway. He noticed that whatever il
| was that was making the dust
was coming toward him, and coming
fast, making zig gag track in the road as
it came. EgRemeyer was puzzled for few
object drew nearer he saw what it was and
with yell he laid the whip on his horse
| and flew ahead as fast rs the horse could
60. He had recognized the head of an inn
mense chasing blacksnake as it rose above
the clond of dust the reptile made as it sped
at first believe that the snake was in pur-
suit of him, but thought it was simply us
ing the pike as convenient and easy thor
ouRhfare in some journey it WAS making,
but when he found that, whip up his
horse as he might, the snake in
rapidly, lessening the space between
it and the wagon, the milkman
was forced to the conclusion
that the serpent had either him. the horse
or the milk in view. Finding that the big
snake would overtake him in spite of him
self, Eggemeyer stopped his horse, jumped
from his wagon, and dashed across field
toward farm house quarter of mile
away. He glanced back once or twice, but
seeing that the snake was not in pursuit Of
him he finally stopped and turned round
His horse stood at the side of the road al
unconcerned as if he were waiting at Gus
TONER'S gate. The snake WAS nowhere K
| be seen. Eggemeyer did not return to hi
| wagon. however, until he had gone to thu
| farm house and borrowed shotgun. WheI
he got back to his wagon he found the cove
| off of one of his milk cans and nearly all tn
milk the can had contained, forty quarts
was gone. None of it was spilled in tn
wagon or about it, and there was no way t
| except by the conclusion that the snake ha'
| taken the cover from the can, drunk tn
milk, and gone away with it. A broad an
sinuous track, deep in the dust, its Ion
curve showing that it had been made slow
~, led from the wagon back in the direc1io
the snake had come from. Eggemeyel
nettled at the loss of his milk, followed til
trail, but followed it cautiously. 1t led hiI
along the road hundred yards and the
left it, crossed muddy ditch and disaI
peared in an open Rraas lot at the roadside
and at the side of log hundred fes
!, away he discovered the snake. The mill
man was satisfied that his milk had bee
stolen by the snake. for the reptile
body was swollen until il vas almoGt ~ bi
. around M Eggemeyer's leg, and its ski
Was stretched % tight that il seemed on q
. point of bursting. The onAke w . t.