The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-08-24
LIVE CARPET RAGS.

New York Sun: For some reason
it has always been the general belief
among the people who live in the
mountains in New York, Lancaster
and other counties where copperhead
snakes abound that this venemous
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 credence, but a we'll known
family living on the 1olk county side
of the Susquehanna are ready to ac-
cept them hereafter. The family con
sists OF Jabob Loan, his wife and two
children,the youngest a little girl
three years old. Copperheads are al
ways 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 day during a week on
the Loan farm.
One day last week the little 3-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
laughing 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
carpet ragsr'
At the same time she held up to her
mother snake, which she grasped
in the middle Of the body, and which
twisted and sqirmed in the air. Mrs.
Loan saw at once that it was a copper
head. Although she was most swoon-
ing with terror, the child's mother act
ed with rare presence of mind. 1t Oc
cured to her that if she showed her
alarm by crying out to the child the
latter would undoubtedly become
frightened, and the change that would
naturally follow in her handling or
sudden dropping Of the snake might
anger the copperhead and cause him
to bite With a great effort Mrs. Loan
said quietly and coaxingly:
Fetch it to mamma dear. Don't
hurt itn
But there's two of 'em, mamma"
replied the little girl. I'll fetch 'em
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 caImness, and when the
child was within couple Of yards of
her spoke to her and said:
Put them on7the 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 man
ner changed. The copper spot on the
top Of their heads began to deepen in
color, as it does when the snake is en-
ragged, and they both made toward
the childs mother showing great rage.
The little girl clapped her hands
and started to catch them 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 be
hind her and fell to the floor in dead
faint. The other child, eight years
old, was in another room making a
kite He heard the noise of his moth
er's fall and MS little sister 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 former succeeded in
restoring his wife to consciousness
and learned the cause of her swooning.
Farmer Loan went into the yard,
and the copperheads were still there
and still in a 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.