The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1891-12-05
Dangerous HIM i.uI.

A Georgia farmer. living in rather
an obscure part of the State, whose
labors are such as to compel him to be
in the field much of the time, says that
one day last year he was engaged in
clearing upa field covered with thick
underground of bushes and briars, and
had employed two negroes to bel p him.
The three men built fire in the mid
die of the field, and gathered the brush
in their hands and burnt it up.
was Workiag at some little distance
from the fire, and of course had to
travel back and forth with every hand
full. | had just returned from the fire,
and had stopped to pick up another
handful of brush when / was con
scious that l had hold of q snake, aud
mechanically tighteaed my grip.
| locke d down and saw that [ had a
good sized rattlesnake | had grabbed
him by the neck in such position that
so long as l kept q light hold he could
not strike.
As soon as the snake saw that he
could neither get away nor strike me
he wound his body around M arm
which was bare 10 the elbow, and at
tempted to pull his head through my
fingers. / tell You, / never until that
moment realized what tremendous
strength there was in snakes body :.
it seemed almost as il my arm were be-
ing pulled to pieces.
l had grabbed his neck between my
fore and middle fingers, so that / was
at great disadvantage; but / knew
that if be once got his heal free, l
should be struck not once only, bat as
many times as he plea sed; so [ held on
and squeezed for dear life.
/ shouted to the negroes to come
over and kill him, and they came at
once: bat a soon as they saw what it
was l had hold of, they would not
come near me- Nothing thai / could
say. neither threats nor persuasions
would induce them to give me help
So sll could do was to hold Oh and
squeeze my snake.
After what seemed an age, and when
/ was about ready to drop from ex-
haustioa, | felt the coils begin to
loosen. and with that encouragement |
the snake relaxed It's grip. and at last
the body hung limp and motionless
from my hand. / walked over and
dropped it into the fire, and can tell
YOU I watched it burn with a mingled
sensation of relief and thankfulness.
MFRS e tamount.
Old John Mizer, one of the early
settlers of what is now Buck Town
ship, Ohio. went oct one day on Buck
horn Creek to secure wolf-scalp.
Having fixed the bait, which consisted
of skinned rabbit, he was about to
hide near BY when his prac iced ear
detected the tread of an animal behind
him.
Nicer suppo ed it to be wolf, but
as he turned quickly he beheld a cata-
mount, following close upon him. The
moment the hunter stopped, the ami
NAL spraDg into a t:ee. Nicer took
aim aud fired. and with a scream OF
rage the catamount sprang upon him,
landing on his back, and sank its
claws deep into the flesh.
With great presence OF mind. MiZer
instantly STEPPED backward against q
tree, and pressed the crea .ure hard
against IT, He then dropped his gun,
drew out his hunting knife, and was
successful in using it upon the side of
the biting, scratching beast.
He continued TO press against the
tree with all his might, aud within a
few minutes the catamount ceasel to
strugge, and when ct length the man
stepped forward the creature dropped
dead a. his feet 1t weighed more than
hundred pounds. and measured three
feet in leagth.