Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-08-26
A Rather in Bed.
JIM C0NLEY THOUGHT 1T WAS AN ICEBERG
AGAINST HIS BACK.

Il A Rather in Bed.
JIM C0NLEY THOUGHT 1T WAS AN ICEBERG
| AGAINST HIS BACK.
"Talking about rattlesnakes," said Jim
Conley, as he perused the interesting snake
department of the Globe Democrat. while
outside chairs at Mop Pherson's corner, across
the way, few days ago, 81 was an eye
witness and an unwilling participant in one
of the bloodiest encounters with rattle
snake recorded in the history of Utah Ter
ritory."
"Well, ,whatare you waiting for? Whydo
you go On?" asked the correspondent of the
Globe Democrat at Hillsboro, N. M.
'sMatch, please.'
"Certainly."
| After Conley had lit his cigar he cootinu.
ed:
"While travelling in that country between
Ogden and Salt Lake City with another
man, d good many years ago, we got sbust-
ed aud had to go to work st anything va
could get to do. We got contract from q
Mormon settler on the road to cat 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 set us
down was Six miles away, in the foothills
of the range, near where there were a lot Of
campers cutting and hauling railroad ties to
the valley for the Union Pacific Railroad.
We camped in the yard Of man and his
wife. got water out Of the same spring, ard
finally became very well acquainted with
them, and indeed they proved to be mighty
fine people. Well, next morning after our
arrival at the camp, Bill and went to
work chopping down trees and cutting them
into four-foot lengths ready to haul.
Things went on admirably, and we were
doing nicely, when we took a notion one
morning to go down to the ranch and spend
the day with our employer and his family.
During the day we had partaken literally
of the hospitalities at the ranchman's g house,
and became somewhat 'fuddled,' but not
overly so, and returned home in good shape.
We both felt tired from our walk and re.
tired to bed about o'clock. I had been
asleep, l don't know how long, when I
awoke feeling coldness a. my back chat
was not in keeping with the weather, for it
was summer, and though the days were ex-
tremely hot, the nights were cool, but not
% the extent of the cold sensation at nv
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 snakes?'
No. replied, but am as cold as Ice |
land itself, and want some more cover or |
will vacate this bed and build a fire.
GO to sleep and you'll be all right
said Bill, and he turned over for comfort |
able snooze.
''Bnt could not go to sleep for that feel.
ing of coldness ever 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 bed
ding and brought 1t up against something
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. I |
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 bed fellows body
and from under the cover from the opposite |
side, and left Bill snoozng away. then
called to him to get up and help me to see
what it was, in the meantime finding cam
die and lighting it. With much grumbling
Bill arose from under the cover and began |
helping me search for the mystery. Turn
ing the cover down there lay, in comforta-
BILE coil, one of the biggest rattlesuakes ever
seen in Mormondom."
"'Another match, please"
"Yes +"
"Well: sir, the serpent didn't move, but |
lay as quietly as the coil of a steamboat |
cable. Our confusion and noise had awak-
eDed the man and his wife in the next tent, |
and they both leaped out of bed and came
in to see what was the matter, for there
were Indians about, and the woman was
ready for a scare at any time.
''There lay the rattler, apparently as
sound asleep as was Bill few minutes be- |
fore. Rushing TO the woodward, I soon
returned with an axe and told the crowd to
stand back and give me room. Everything
being clear, raised my axe above my head
and it came down on the coil of the snake
with powerful blow.
swell, men, that reptile fell into dozsn
pieces, coiled tightly as he was. for when /!
came down with the sharp blade of the axe |
upon him it bad gone through him num- |
Der of times. 1t would surprise you to know |
how much blood q rattlesnake contains |
Why, the blood squilted from the ends of
all the pieces like q floor sprinkler, thor
oughly saturating everything that we could
not take out CT the way. After the excite
ment had somewhat subsidized we shoveled
the pieces out in the yard, aud next morn
ing, placing them as closely together as pos
sible, that snake measured nine feet and |
three inches in length, and three and a-half
inches across the top of his head. From |
the end of his tail we pulled string of 80 |
rattles and button, representing 80 years
and some months III age"
what ever became of the rattles?" ask
ed listener,
II was just going to tell you. Bill and l
worked on and completed our job without
fu ther mishap. and made good thing ont
OF our contract, when he went on to Salt
Lake City, where We sold the rattles to a
museum, which afterward, we learned, dis
posed of them to an Italian peddler, who
took them to Italy.-St. Louis Globe Dem