The Bossier banner., 1891-10-01
A PET RATTLEsNAKE's FATE
The Remarkable but True Story Told by
Tennessee CoIOred Woman.

The Remarkable but True Story Told by
a Tennessee COIOred Woman.
Not long since Sion Parish, living on
BirdsOng, in southeastern Tennessee,
killed near his spring rattlesnake five
feet in length and seven inches in cir
cumference. 1t was brought to town,
stuffed and hung in front of Priestly's
prescription case in his drug store. A
peculiarity about it was that it did not
give the usual warning when Mr.. Parish
approached. After it was killed this
was accounted for by discovering that
it had been wounded some time in the
past, scar being plainly visible about
three inches above the rattlers. This
scar was between one-fourth and one
half inch in width and extended nearly
around the tail, having the appearance
OF dark belt, upon which there were
no scales, and entirely different from
the other portions of its beautiful body
After it had been hanging in G. drug
store for some weeks, a colored woman
named Pettigrew, living in the western
end of the county, went to Mr.. Priestly's
to have prescription filed, and while
waiting noticed the snake. She walked
up to it fearlessly and examined it
minutely. All at once she became visi-
bly, affected, so much so as to attract at
tention. She held it in her hand, passed
her hand over it with great tender
ness, while the tears welled up in her
eyes. She made inq uiries in regard to
its history, and then related the follow
ing:
when 1 was little girl l lived with
my parents on the place where Mr. Par
ish lives. Upon one occasion l went to
the spring, which comes out of the side
of sandstone bluff, after the milk that
we kept in box near by. In lifting it
out l spilled some on the ground l had
occasion to set the bucket down, where
! left it for few moments. When |
returned l noticed small snake, not
over foot long, drinking the milk
Upon my approach it ran under large
sandstone rock, The next day and next
l poured milk out and concealed myself
and watched it come out. This was re-
peated for weeks, until it got quite gen
tie. The next spring or summer | left
milk on the ground, and it came out
1t appeared to know when l was com
ing, and became SO gentle it would al
low me to handle it. | have played
with it for hours at a time, and watched
it grow year after year until it was as
large as my wrist and longer than my
arm.
Upon one occasion, about the time
usually went down, my father came by
the spring for drink, having his hoe
with him. My pet, thinking it was me,
came out, but when he saw my father,
started back. My father struck at it
with his hoe and nearly severed its tail
from the body. met him upon his re-
turn and he told me of the occurrence
and warned me to be careful | was
then a great big girl and knew that it
was rattlesnake and dangerous, but
knew it would not harm me. | was
afraid to tell the family that it was my
pet, for fear they would kill it. I went
to the spring and traced it under the
rock by the blood, but could not see it.
/ placed its milk where it could get it.
For week it did not touch it. One day
l thought that l could detect that it had
drank some. l laid down by the rock
and called it. After two or three weeks
it came out and renewed its friendship.
l nur rsed and petted it during the entire
fall, until the wound healed. I never
heard it rattle and for long time did
not know what the rattles were for.
81 left the neighborhood four or FIVE
years and had almost forgotten the
frierd and playmate of my younger
days, Recognize it by this wound on
its tail. am sorry did not carry it
with me-"
She said that for four or five months
in each year for six or eight, she never
saw it. 1t would remain under the
rocks in the winter and come out in the
early spring 1t would coil up in her
lap, stretch itself lazily across it and ap-
peared to enjoy being caressed as much
as any other pet.
Her grief was evidently sincere and
her story was not questioned by those
who knew her and her antecedents.-
St Louis Globe Democrat.