The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-20
SOME SNAKE STORIES.
Frightful Experience of Two Girls
in Florida Attacked by
Rattlers.
Safely Lodged on High Stump
They Witness G. Furious
Battle.
COWBOYS Lasso Monster Snake, Twenty
Five Feet Long, that Had Terror
lied a Plantation.

That big rattlers still exist here, says a
Miami, Fla, special to the St. Louis Demo-
crat, the experiences of the Misses Fay and
Nav Barnes, living some five miles from
here, couclusively proves. The girls were
out berrying last week, and went down into
the Pony Creek Hammock, wild and dis
NAL stretch of dark woods and heavy under
brush. Late in the afternoon, while getting
ready to return home, May stepped on a
rotten LOG, which broke and let her down
into deep hole which it concealed. AS she
fell she heard dismal and curious rustlinR,
rafting noise, but the fall SO scared hei
that she did not think what it might mean.
She screamed out loudly, and Fay. who was
a short way behind. came running up. May
then was in the hole, only her head beng
visible.
"Hurry up, and help me outn' she
screamed, as her sister came up; "there's
snakes in here, I'm sure" and the poor girl
almost tainted in the intensity of her fright.
Fay set to work like brave frontier girl,
as she was, and tried to pull May out; but
it seemed an impossible task, as abe had
sunk into the hole SO deep, and the rotten
wood had almost wedged her in. Selling
May by the shoulders she pulled Justify,
but to no avail. Then, after moments
thought, she took off the shawl that she
wore. and twisting one end around Mays
shoulders, fastened the other end to big
limb near by. This made it 80 that the inn
prisoned girl could aid herself some. Merry
ing themselves, and, with pull all to
eether,'' they strained. and with delight
both saw they we're successful.
Nav came up out of the hole and sank
fainting on the ground. As Fay turned to
help her she was Mortified to see the heads
of several vicious and angry looking rat
rattles we're echoed from several points
around them in the forest. Fay proved the
heroine of the occasion, and getting hc-
sister on her feet, she managed to get her
up on tall pine stump that stood some five
or six feet above the ground, rs she saw
that it was impossible to carry May OF IN
her present unnerved condition.
AS the girls scrambled up on the stump
out of present danger the angry ratings of
the snakes became very startling, and their
vicious kissing made the girls shudder in
spite of their present safe quarters. The
their numbers increased, and they Began
surrounding the stump on which the girls
now covered, praying for help and ever and
anon shouting for aid. The sound of their
voices plainly angered the rattlers, and they
soon presented a solid ring around the
possible, and then coil up and strike at the
imprisoned girls but always falling back
with Kisses of rage and venom.
One of the largest managed to hit the top
part of the stump and his fangs held him
there a moment, but May with quick
movement arose on her feet and stamped
on his head, completely crushing it. His
squirmlng body fell back among the others
and the long body thrashed around in theil
midst till, aroused to the utmost fury BY
this disturbance, which they did not seem
to understand, the others fell on the dying
reptile and bit him time and again. One of
the tiercest made a ''misick' and bit an
other, and this one returned with vicious
bite that stirred up war at once, and then
the fight became general. The vicious and
ugly looking rattlers struggled around that
stump in one mad fight, hitting one an
other, kissing with impotent rage and
thrashing about madly in their dying strug-
giles. The girls looked on with big, fright
ened eyes, devoutly hoping that their deliv-
erance was working itself out. The sick
ening stencil from the poisoned fangs of
the serpents began to affect the girls, and
both soon fell forward in n faint, the broad
top OF the pine stump fortunately holding
them fast.
How long the fight lasted they knew not,
as their first recollection of recovery was to
hear the guns and shouts of their frien s.
Their eager replies soon brought their res
cuers to them, and a frighttul scene met
their eyes. Scattered about the stumu
were fifteen or more big rattlers, dead CT
dying, mutilated and torn up in their mad
fight together. Only three We're found
alive, and these were around the stump
coiled up and cycling the girls forms on it
They were soon dispatched, and the poor
girls brought down from their perilous sit.