Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-04-22
AN ELECTRICAL SNAKE.
A Tall Story About Fiery Monster That
Left Trail of Glass.

Left Trail of Glass.
Mark Weston, farmer living near the
| town of Alexander, Ind, relates most
wonderful phenomenon which occurred at
his place.
He says: Just after dark night before
last had occasion to go out to the barn to
| look after the horses A public highway
passes within 200 yards of my house. and the
barn is built about 20 rods from the house
due south and somewhat nearer the road. |
started from the house in the direction of
the barn and had gone perhaps half the dis
lance when | noticed something playing
along the ground that looked like ire
mendous fiery snake.
The object crossed my path, and as il
did so felt the air grow much colder, and
peculiar, moaning sound arose, like the
signing of the wind through the trees, only
it was loud enough to drown mans voice
when he would shout. Then felt some
thing come over me like electricity, and ]
became motionless, as though had grown
fast TO the ground.
II was terribly scared, but never lost
the use of my hands or legs through fear,
though there was something peculiar in
the air that simply paralyzed me. When
the thing had got perhaps 80 feet from me
going west, il turned and came back, and
as it did so the moaning sound changed to a
shrill whistle, something like a locomotive
would make and when it got just in front
of me it tool a course directly away from
me and toward the barn
1T Travelled very rapidly and looked like
large, ragged streak of fire, perhaps 80
feet long and is inches in diameter. The
thing reached the barn and in almost an in
slant ran directly up in front of the build
ing and onto the roof / expected every
moment to see the barn burst into flames
but it did not. The great fiery snake ran
with great rapidity all over the building, in
almost every direction, up and down, cross
wise and every way, ! suppose, a thousand
times. 1t then came TO the front of the
building and elevated itself, and it stood
straight on its tail fully 30 feet in the air.
II was perfectly conscious all the time,
but try as would could not move from
the spot. After the thing had remained in
an upright position for, presume, three
or four minutes there was sudden explo-
sion like the discharge of "a cannon, and the
thing disappeared entirely With the dis
appearance of the strange phenomenon ]
felt a shock like the first one | had felt, and
at the same time | gained control of my
limbs | fastened to the house. told my
wife what had seen, and she thought ]
was crazy, but upon my insisting she con
sented to accompany me to investigate the
matter
You can imagine our surprise upon
reaching the barn to find it covered with a
remarkable network resembling large ropes
Of ice. They appeared to pass around the
building in exactly the way the fiery mon
ster had passed. 1t was not ice, however,
but seemed to be more of a crystal for it
would not melt even when we held flame
to it, and when struck with a Ratchet it
simply gave dullish sound and did not
break.
Upon entering the barn we were amazed.
as two good horses stood in their stalls i'm
movable They were alive, but neither
could move muscle. They seemed to be
paralyzed and stood there more like statues
than anything else. They were warm and
breathed all right, but aside from this you
could not tell they were alive. | applied
the whip, and they never fiinched A dog
that sleeps in the barn was dead and ap-
peared completely petriied. He was lying
on the ground with his head on his paws
just like he was sleeping. When | left home
this afternoon, everything was just as
have described it to you. Cor Chicago
Mail