The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-13
HIS CLOTHES SAVED HIM.


A Big Puff Adder Buries His Fangs In
Heavy Garments.
DR.. Louis Markham, a retired physician,
residing within a few miles Of Scranton,
Miss, reports a terrible adventure with q
puff adder which he recently had attack
him in tho dark. This variety of reptile
being unknown in these parts, DIR. Mark
ham accounts for this ones presence az
having been brought from Mexico in q
bunch of bananas he purchased several
months ago.. His wife was engaged in
snake dropped from the bunch, and run
ming over her feet made for the open door.
She pursusd it with q poker, but it sue.
cseded in escaping from the room and ran
under the house.
1t was at that time only about two feet
long, and supposing that the reptile was
only a small garter or grass snake, nothing
more was thought Of the matter until a few
nights ago, when DR.. Markham was at
tackled by the adder spoken of, and which
is thought to have been the one Mrs. Mark
ham found in the bananas, though it had
grown over one and a half feet.
The doctor was sitting near an open win
dow. enjoying tho night, and no lamps be-
ing lighted he did not perceive the snake,
and was first made conscious of its presence
by feeling something strike him on the leg
close to the ankle. The blow, which was
only just perceptible, was followed by a
sharp pain in the limb, though it had been
claiming that he believed he was bitten by
a snake, the family hurried to the spot
with lamps, but before they could reach
him the doctor felt the reptile Irvine itself
about the lower part of his other limo.
Giving it no time. however, to tighten it's
folds, he managed to throw it off by a sud
den jerk, which sent it flying some dis
tancs. The Doctor, by the lamps which had
been brought, wat now able to see the
SNAKE, and was Mortified. to discover its
venomous character. Calling to his wife
and daughter to leave the ROOM, he caught
up a largo buggy whip standing near,
which v,its va was o the on1y t Tea smats at naaoi e Mas
drawn up in the act of striking. The doc
tors aim was to crush, if possible. the head
of the adder with the heavy end of the
whip, but instead he brought it down upon
the snakes tail.
He could have managed to hold it BY this
parently by pain, began throwing itsets
about so furiously, with enlarged head and
darting tongue, that the doctor
found it prudent to withdraw to a safe dis
lance and was obliged to release the rep
tail. Upon his doing SO the creature
at once made for him, evidently determined
to fight and conquer or die. Reversing his
weapon, the doctor began to lash at the
snake with the whip, but the apparent ef-
fect seemed to be to enrage the adder more
and moro.
1t continued to run at the gentleman,
who, cutting at it still with the whip, sue
in nearly severing part of the tail
from the body. Finding, however, that he
stood a poor chance of killing the adder in
this way, the doctor called to his wife to
bring his gun, with which he fred upon the
snake as il approached him, and. tearing
the head all to pieces with the charge, ended
the combat, For some days his limb a
extremely sore and swollen abnormally
from the creatures bite, and the doctor be-
lieves that only the fact of the wound
being inflicted through his clothes saved his
life.