The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-04-30
Two Whoppers.

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to New York Edsning Sun reporter, ri
lived in Texas once and saw snakes do
things would never believe they could
do if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
Jack Benson kept 8 saloon down there,
near. the ranch where Ilworked, and he
had pet blaeksnake. They call them
chicken snakes, and there is no harm in
them, as they have no poisonous fangs.
Jack kept his black pet in the saloon to
catch rats, and it vas gentle as a kitten.
Well, that snake loved liquor like a
cowboy.
leave the stopper ont Of jug of Ii
quor, and in a few minutes the snake
would have his head in the jug, and he'd
drink until he was drunk as billed owl.
he got to drinking 80 much be vas no
good to hunt fats, and Benson determin.
ed to break him of the habit. For sever
al days he kept whiskey out of the snakes
reach. When the boys would 60 in for
their drinks the snake would crawl upon
the end OF the counter and look at them
as hard and pleading like as any old to.
per you ever saw. We always t7anted to
divide, our drinks with him-most of us
knew how he felt, and could sympathize
with him-bat Jack said no, the snake
must not have any more.
SWELL, one day the snake went crawl.
ing around under the bar, where there
was q lot of jugs full of liquor, and all
tightly corked. Finally he. picked out
one with long cork, and coiliug himself
around the cork, he gave a sudden jerk
and pulled it out. In moment his head
was inside the jug and he drank more
than q quart bofere he quit. That was
the drunkest anake ever saw. He could
not crawl for two days, and it was week
before he sobered up. Well, Benson gave
up trying to reform him after that and
let him have all the whiskey he wanted.
SIN less than six months he took the
jinjams and died. It was funny to see
that snake with the jimmies. He was
seeing snakes all around him, just like a
man. He'd coil up and strike out in ev.
cry direction, and then he'd look so sur.
prised to see all the snakes still there af-
tor he'd swallowed them. at last he gave
up in disgust, crawled under the bar and
died." -.
"Some snakes has more sense than some
folks / know" observed the short man.
"The year I lived in Kansas I saw q
snake do mighty smart thing. I vas at
work in the field one day when I heard
terrible commotion in q big hollow
stump. started over to see about it,
but before I got there I saw q blacksnake
about three feet long come out of the
stump in a hurry. Then big spotted
snake crawled up to the top, looked
around, licked his jaws, and went back
in the stump.
"They had had fight and the little
blackslake was whipped. The little
snake crawled around the stump two o,
three times, and seemed to be in deer
study. Suddenly he started away to the
woods near by as fast as be could 60. II
10 minutes he came back and two more
blacksnakes were with him. All three Of
them crawled into the hollow stump, and
for 10 seconds there was an awful thrash
ing around in there Then that spotted
snake leaped out at the top and ran fol
the woods as if all the snakes in Kansas
were sfter him. The little blacksnakt
had gone and got two friends to help him
aud the three of them had cleaned ou
the spotted snake.''
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