Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1891-05-15

Speaking of snakes, said the tall
man TO New York EreniRg Sun re-
porter. Il lived in Texas once and
saw snakes do things | would never
believe they could do If hadn't seen
il with my own eyes. Jack Benson
kept a saloon down there, near the
ranch where l worked, and he had a
pet blacksnake. They call them
chicken snakes, aud there is no harm
in them, as they have no poisonous
fangs. Jack kept his black pet in
the saloon 10 catch rats, and it was
gentle as Il kitten. Well, that snake
loved liquor like a cowboy.
Leave the stopper out OF jug of
LIQUOR. and in a few minutes the
snake would have his head in the jug,
and he'd drink until he was drunk
~ billed owl He got 10 drinking
so much he was no gc1d 10 hunt rats,
and Benson determined TO break him
OF the habit. For several days lie
kept liquor out Of the snakes reach.
When the boys would go in for their
drinks the snake would crawl up on
the end of the counter and look at
them as hard and pleading like as
anv old topper you ever saw. We al
ways wanted 10 divide our drinks
with him-most of us knew how he
felt. and could sympathize with INN
but Jack said no, the snake must
not drink any more.
We'll. one day the snake went
crawling around under the bar, where
there were lot Of jugs full Of liquor
and all tightly corked. Finally he
picked out one with a long cork, and
coiling himself around the cork, he
gave IA sudden jerk and pulled it out.
In moment his head was inside the
Jug and he drank more than quart
before he quit. That was the drunk
est snake | ever saw. He couldn't
crawl for two days, aud IL was
week before he sobered up. Well,
Benson gave up trying 10 reform him
after that aud let him have all the
LIQUOR he wanted.
"In less than six months he took
jimjams and died Ii was funny TO
see that snake with the iimmies. He
was seeing snakes all around him, just
like a man. He'd coil up aud strike
out in every direction, and then he'd
look so surprised to see all the snakes
still there after 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 lived in Kan
sas | saw snake do IA mighty smart
thing. | WAS at work in the field one
dav when ] heard IA terrible commo-
ton in big hollow stump. lstarted
over to see about it, but before | got
there | saw 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.
They had had fight, and the lit
tie blacksnake was whipped. The
little snakes crawled around the
stump two or three times aud seemed
TO be in deep study.
suddenly he started away TO the
woods near by as fast as he could go.
In 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 thrashing around
in there. Then that spotted snake
leaped out at the top and ran for the
woods as if all the snakes in Kansas
were after him. The little blacksnake
had gone and got two friends to hip
him, and the three OF them had clean
ed out the spotted snake.