Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-11-22
AN EVIL-MINDED SNAKE.
A Chinaman Who Retained His Prope1
stiles After Transmigration.

A Chinaman Who Retained His PrOpen
stiles After TRANSPORTATION.
Acoterie of distinguished cosmopolites
were chatting III the cafe of the Audito-
rum over their coffee and cigars last
night, says the Inter Ocean. They were
telling stories of travel Tales Of many
chimes were recited, but none so quaint
as this by DR.. Edward Bedloe, Worlds
Fair commissioner to China and late
American consul to Annoy, China: II
will tell you the story as it was told to me
by the old Chinese boatman," said he.
1.-The intelligence of an animal is simply
the intelligence of the human soul that
occupies its body. We cannot be too
careful in our treatment of animals, be-
cause we may inadvertently give pain
to some ancestor, relative or friend. |
speak with considerable feeling, be-
cause | and my family had an expert
ence which we Will never forget. Ny
grandfather was a poor cOoIie, who
worked for day wages and saved as
much as possible from the cents a day
that his labor produced. He was very
ambitious, and turned every energy to
get ahead in the world.
. He lived on cents q day and put
by cents surplus, until at the end of
the year it amounted to about $50. He
then bought a sampan or passenger
boat, and became bOatman. This was
III itself great step forward and up
ward III life He saved his earnings and
from time to time bought other sampans
and hired men to work them for him.
Then, as wealth began to come in, he
bought houses and farms. This indus
try he kept up until his death. When
he died he was the leading man in our
native village and had more money than
any other two men in the whole district.
CATER he died we cremated his body
and put his ashes in a large earthen-
ware urn, which we placed on a shelf
or bracket in the parlor of our home,
where it remained tor many, many long
years. One day in house-cleaning a
servant knocked the jar down and
around the room. AS the dust cleared
away a small baby snake was found
crawling from the debris. We recog-
nized that the snake contained the soul
of my grandfather, and therefore took
it and put it in a small box. We fed it
upon mice, milk and little birds until it
grew strong, large and fat.
cat the end of eight months it be-
came over 6 feet long and nearly 8
inches thick. About this time my sec
ond brother was born. He was a very
large and handsome baby and was adj
mired by the entire community. He
suddenly, however, began to grow thin
and weak. We were much perturbed
over this and greatly alarmed at his
condition. My father consulted a clair
voyant, who said that the little brother
was in the tolls Of vampire, who was
sucking his Iife's blood, and advised my
father to sit up every night to drive
the monster away.
"My father accordingly sat up the
next three nights in my mothers bed
room. The first two nights nothing I'M
usual happened. On the third night,
about l O'clock in the morning. my
father, who was sitting In a large easy
chair, heard a strange noise in the
room. He never moved a muscle,
thinking it might be a ghost, but only
opened one eye. Would you believe
it! He saw that big fat snake-my
grandfather-craWl out of his box, 90
across the room and gently glide into
mothers bed. The next moment he
had fastened his jaws upon her breast.
GAS he did this my little brother be-
gan to cry from hunger and to move to-
ward my mother to be nursed. AS he
did SO the snake curied his long body
around him and put his tail into the
poor little baby's mouth. All night
they lay there, my father being afraid
to move, the serpent exhausting my
mother and my brother vainly endeav-
oring to get nourishment from the rep
tiles tail.
"In the morning the family held
council. Ny wicked grandfather was
tried, found guilty and condemned to
death. We executed him with an axe
and gave his body to the family pig and
the head now decOrateS the outer wall
of the village temple"