The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-06
a RATHER IN BED.
Jim Conley Thought It Was an Ice.
berg against His Back

From the st. Louis Globe Democrat
Talking about rattlesnakes," said Jim
Conley, AISLE perused the interesting snake
department of the Globe Democrat, while
sitting in crowd Of men occupying the
outside chairs at McPherson's corner across
the way, few days 60, 81 was an eye.
witness and al unwilling participant in one
of the bloodiest encounters with a rattle
snake recorded in the history of Utah Terri.
tory
"Well, what are you waiting for? Why
don't you go onP' asked the correspondent
of the Globe Democrat at Hillsboro, N. NJ.
Match, please"
Certainly"
After Conley had lit his cigar he con-
tinued:
while travelling in that country between
Ogden and Salt Lake City with another
man. good many years ago, we got
'Dusted' and had to & to work at any thing
we could get to do. We got a contract from
a Mormon settler on the road to cut and
haul from the mountain 800 cords of wood.
He furnished everything, and gave us SO
much for the job. The camp at which he
set us down was six miles away, in the foot
hills Of the range, near where there were a
lot Of campers cutting and hauling railroad
ties to the valley for the Union Pacific
and his wife, got water out Of the same
spring, and finally became very well &C
Quainted with them, and indeed they proved
to he mighty fine people. Well, next morn
ing after our arrival at the camp, Bill and
l went to work chopping down trees and
cutting them into four-foot lengths ready
to haul. Things went Oh admirably, and
we we're doing nicely, wheu we took notion
one morning to go down to the ranch
fba Aou With o,oxNIoCar I'D
his family. During the day we had
partaken literally of the Inequalities at
the ranchman's house, ard became some
what fuddled, but not overly SO. and re-
turned home in good shape. We both felt
tired from our walk and retired to bed
al out o'clock. had been asleep, don't
know how long, when l awoke feeling a
GOODNESS at my back that was not in keep
ing with the weather, for it was summer.
aid, 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.
Turning over, Bill, in an angry tone, asked:
"'What's the matter Got snakesP
"'No,' replied, but am as cold as Ice
land itself, and want some more cover or
| will vacate this bed and build fire.
"'Go to sleep and you'll be all right said
Dill, anu ue 1uEueu over AoT cOiI1or UaDle
| snooZe.
"But I could not go to sleep for that
feeling of GOODNESS over behind me, and at
last determined to investigate the cause of
it, Reaching behind me with my right
hand, without turning over, began TO feel
around, for it felt exactly like an iceberg
lying up against me, and my hand soon
found its way under and through the folds
of the bedding and brought up against
something which did not feel natural by
any means, and, for the first time, the idea
of a snake being in bed with me entered
my mind. cautiously withdrew my hand
and arm and moved toward Bill, and let
the cover drop down between me and the
object had felt, and crawled out over my
bedfellow's body and from under the cover
on the opposite side, and left Bill snoozing
away. then called TO him to get up and
help me to see what 1t was, in the meantime
finding a candle and lighting it. With
much grumbling Bill arose from under the
mystery. Turning the cover down there
lay, in comfortable coil, one of the biggest
rattlesnakes ever seed in Mormondom."
"'Another match, please"
"Yes."
"Well, sir, the serpent didn't move, but
lay as quietly as the coil OF steamboat
cable. Our confusion and noise had
AWAKENED DOe man anu MS WIG III Ll9 next
tent, and they both leaped out of bed aud
came in to see what was the matter, for
there were Indians about and the woman
was ready for scare at any time
There lay the RATHER, apparently as
sound asleep as was Bill few minutes be-
fore. Rushing to the wood yard, l soon
returned with an axe and told the crowd to
stand back and give me room. Everything
being clear, l raised my ak above my head
and came down on the coil of the snake
with powerful blow.
well, men, that reptile fell into dozen
pieces, coiled tightly as he was, for when |
came down with the sharp blade of the ak
upon him it had went through him a num-
Der of times. 1t would surprise you TO know
how much blood a rattlesnake contains
Why, the blood squirtsd from the ends of
all the pieces like floor sprinkler, thor
oughly saturating everything that we could
not take out Of the way. After the excite
ment had somewhat subsidized we shoveled
the pieces out in the yard, and next morn
ing, placing them as closely together as
possible, that snake measurned feet and 8
inches in length and 80 inches across the
top of the head. From the end of his tail
we pulled string OF 80 rattles aud but
a