The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-09
PLAYS WITH C0PPERHEADS
HOW A CHILD CHARMED THE DEAD
LY SNAKE.
A Mother Sees Her Little Girl with n
Shiny Reptile Squirming in Her
Hands-"Come, Mamma, and See the
Live Carpet Rags"

For some reason ii has always been
the general belief among the people who
live in the mountains in York, LancaS-
ter and other counties where copper
head snakes abound that this venOmous
snake will not bite children. and there
are numerous wonderful stories told,
especially in the Wish mountains, about
the copperhead's leniency toward these
children. Outside of the mountaineers
these stories have never received Gre
dence, but a well known family living
on the York county side of the Susque-
mamma are ready to accept them here
after. The family consists of JACOB
Loan, his wife. and two children, the
youngest a little girl three years old.
Copperheads are always uncomfortably
plenty in that locality. but this season
they have been more numerous than
usual. The haying and harvest hands
killed from three to ten a day during a
week on the Los I farm
One day last week the little three
year-old was playing in the front yard,
and her mother noticed her sitting in
the grass near the front gate. Every
now and then she would be heard laugh
ing gleefully. and Mrs. Loan finally
walked out to see what was amusing
the child so much. When the little girl
saw her mother coming she called out
to her:
Come. mamma, and see the live car
pet ragsr'
At the same time she held up to her
mother a snake, which she grasped in
the middle of the body, and which twist
ed and squirmed in the air. Mrs. Loan
saw at Gree that it was a cOpperhead.
Although she was most swooning with
terror. the child's mother acted with
rare presence of mind. 1t occurred to
her that If she showed her alarm by
crying out to the child the latter would
undoubtedly become frightened, and the
oh fhnF " 1rvrr in
her handling or sudden dropping of the
snake might anger the cOpperhead and
cause il to bite. With a great effort
Mrs. Loan said quietly and coaxingly:
Fetch it to mamma, dear. Don't
hurt it
But there's two Of 'em. mamma" re-
piled the little girl. I'll fetch EN-
both"
She reached down and picked up an
other cOpperhead that lay in the grass
and which Mrs Loan had not seen
and came toddling along the path to-
ward her mother with them. She re-
tanned her calmneSS. and when the chi u
was within a couple OF yards of he
spoke to her and said:
Put them on the ground, darling, and
let mamma see them walk"
This seemed to please the child, and
she placed the cOpperheads in the path.
The two snakes caught sight of Mrs.
Loan and instantly their manner
changed. The copper spot on the top
Of their heads began 10 deepen in color,
as it does when this snake is ezra ged,
and they both made toward the child's
mother showing great rage. The little
girls clapped her hands and started to
catch the snakes again. Her mother
rushed out Of the path and around the
snakes and snatching the child up in
her arms flew TO the house and into it,
closed the door behind her and fell to
the floor in a dead faint. The other
child, eight years old. was in another
room making kite. He heard the noise
of his mothers fall and his little sis
ter crying and ran into the room. His
father was at work near the house, and
the boy quickly summoned him 1t was
some time before the farmer succeeded
in restoring his wife to consciousness,
and learned the cause Of her swoOning
Farmer Loan went into the yard. and
the copperheads We're still there and
still in belligerent mood. They were
soon killed. So great was the shock to
Mrs. Loan that she is still confined to
her bed. and the little girl mourned for
her deadly playthings for two or three
days-Cor N Y. Sun