Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-11-22
FIVE TRUE STORIES.
IN THEM SNAKES, A FISH, A DEER, a
FOX, AND A CALF FIGURE.
The serpent Mystery OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
In q CsIIar--A Buck and Locomo-
tivs--Hase Iagrafitude.


standing and apparently conflicting state
ments. Some have concluded that the
snake was a certain show serpent which
was carried from Richmond dead and
thrown ont Of an express-car near Lorraine
ON the Richmond and Allegheny railroad.
Others contended that the snake was an
old inhabitant of Tuckahoe creek and VI
1 cinitv and was executed on his native heath.
Roth contentious were right. There were
really two snakes on tho case to start with:
A dead snake was carried from Richmond
and was thrown from train, but was, u IS
solemnly declared, swallowed by live
| snake which had been perambulating
around the neighborhood for many years
and which was apparently killed while
lunching on q pair of oyeralis.
TIE MATTER sIXPLIFIKD.
This. IL will be seen, simplifes matters
very much, as it reduces the proposition
10 one snake, and there is only thirteen
feet instead of twenty-three feet of Ana
oonda 10 account for. But there were
still other seeming discrepancies TO
reconcile. On the one hand 1t was
declared that the snake that con-
tanned tho other snake was dead
when brought TO Richmond. On the
other 1t was held that it was seen TO move
after reaching the city. Yet there IS really
no question of veracity involved here,
seeing that it is we'll known fact that
snakes of the species referred TO usually
take siesta after dining on one OF their
kinfolks and for the time being are to all
iutents and purposes dead. Thus dis
crepancy No. Is explained away, and
leaves only one more obstacle to be dis
posed of IN the search after the truth.
HOW IT DISAPPEARED.
Friday night it was stated that the
| snake had suddenly disappeared, and
some alarm was felt lest it had gone on
visiting tour in the residential portion OF
the city. There was no occasion at all for
uneasiness and no mystery about the dis
appearance. The snake had simply, in the
process of digestIng its educated brother,
assimulated the trick that made the de-
funct one side4show star and swallowed
| itself, leaving no snake at all to cause con-
| tention.
| THE REAL FACTS.
Seriously speaking. however, Mr.. Lane,
from whom DR.. Wendlinger got the snake,
unquestionably kIllSa4C near Lorraine. he
was in the city last night. and his state
ment was Straightforward and circumstan-
| tial Whether IL was the snake thrown
ont of the express-car or one that 1t is al
legged had been frequently seen in the
| neighborhood Mr.. Lane did not pretend TO
saw. He struck it. he said, with lamp
ing-pick while 1t had hold of the negro's
overalls. The point at which it was killed
was on the main track about 100 feet above
Tuckahoe creek, and not on the Clayton
branch, as was DR.. Wendlingers impress
! sion.
Yesterday Dr. Wendlinger gave the snake
TO Richmond College where, 1T Will be
stuffed and mounted.
a Stray Catfish.
The block bounded by Bank and Main and
Ninth and Tenth streets is not the largest in
the CITY, but when it goes into the side-show
business It does it handsomely. For the past
several DAYS workmen have been engaged
in remodelling the Hanewinokel build
ing. Yesterday one of them. Mr.. Il. w.
BoaZ, had occasion TO 60 under the floor
of Mir. j. b. Lambert's cigar store to repair
a Water-pipe and upon returning reported
that be had found pool of water and
fish swimming around in il. MIR. Boaz
is known TO be an industrious, sober
man, but that did not prevent his fellow
workmen from plying him with such
questions as How long have you had
'em?n WAS il above proof" What
kind do you drink?n &c. These inter-
rogations nettled Mr. Boaz, so .equlpplng
himself with candle, and TIN bucket he
Owed below on fishing excursion aud
soon turned tho laugh on his companions,
coming back as he did with as lively
little catfish as was ever caught out OF
James river. The fish is about three
inches long, and if Jack, the feline Of the
store, does not take too desperate fancy
TO il it may yet dine on q ships anchor
or some other equally dainty morsel.
ABuck Struck by a Train.
The freight train which left Richmond
about O'clock yesterday morning for
West Point over the York-RiVer road was
destined to O rather singular, though by no
1
was dashing along between Quinton and
Tuntstalps the pilot of the locomotive
struck what the engineer supposed to be
n cali, and upon reaching the latter place
he informed the section-master Of the oc-
currence. The section-master proceeded
up the railroad to the scene of the incident
and was surprised wheI he observed lying
a short distance from the track full-grown
buck, which to all appearances did not
have a single broken limb, nor was he In
any way mutilated. IL was presumed that
the engine struck the back q square blow.
knocking him breathless the distance OF
about twenty feet, and producing possibly
internal injuries which caused almost IN
slant death. The stag was in fine condi-
ton, so the section-master shipped 1t to
Richmond later in the day. Engineer
Antoine, who held the throttle Of the out
going freight train, says that 1t was so
dark no could not tell what the object was
that was standing on the track, but that
he heard and felt the blow given the deer,
and came TO the conclusion that 1t must
have been a young veal that he had SO
elegantly prepared for the market.
The Fox and the Fireman.
A story which almost excels the snake
narrative, the catfish tale, or the killing OF
the buck, comes from the same section in
which the latter took place, and IN which
| a to- ,,1a 1.0fS Wa9
early in the morning of last Monday or
Tuesday that a party of hunters started
out from the vicinity of TunstalPs with
guns and dogs. A vicious old fox was
soon scented by the CANNES and the
chase which followed was extremely ex-
citing. The fox took his course along the
track of the Richmond and York-Riyer
railroad and the east-bouud passenger tram
was approaching him at terrific rate OF
speed. The little animal was struck by the
pilot OF the locomotive and fairly leaped
into the air, falling upon the boiler OF the
engine. The fireman crawled out OF the cab
and caught the "red-tail." bringing 1t
back with him. 1t was found that life
was not extinct. The fox lived several
hours. and as the train sped past the irrl-
tated sportsmen an expression or chagrln
was observed upon each countenanee.
Calf This Time Sure EDOuge.
| MOI very long ago anu not FcIJ laH liOlll
Richmond the engineer of fast passenger
train struck good-slzed calf. The animal
was lifted clear of the track and landed
square upon the pilot platform. The tram
was stopped ard the engineer and fireman
went out TO lift the calf down. To all ep-
pearanees it was suffering fearfully. as its
eyes were rolling piteously. When it had
been tenderly deposited in the middle OF
the track il reflected a moment, then
lunging out took thesympathetic engineer
inst below the waistband and sent him hy-
ing down a twenty-foot embankment. For
about fifteen minutes the temperature
was up some forty degrees In that neigh
borhood and that night the engineer was
out seVonty-iye cents for tincture OF ar
MICA.
Sergeant Epps shoots at n Deer.
Sergeant George W. Epps, of the Third
police district. and several friends while
rabbit-hunting in King William county
few days ago jumped fine deer. They
were as much surprised as the animal. but
the genial officer found presence of mind
enough TO bang aloose with No. shot.
and made the fur fly from the fleeing stag.
-Four shots were fired at the animal before
it got out Of sight, and yet the deer still
lives.
The Sergeant was more successful on 3