Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-06-03
GREAT ELEPHANT SNAKES.

CHEAT ElEPF1ANl oNANEos
Ono Of Uncle Iko's True Stories OF Big
Reptile Of Bygone Days.
10, shuoks!'
'What's wrong now, unclep"
The old man laid down his paper and
looked at me-
ibid you ever see rattlesnake that
would jump twicet its len'th9"
"Why, no." admitted
Ever seen one 'twould jump up an
bite man on boss"
mo"
Ever seen one that'd chase feller
fer mile?"
Certainly not"
'Ner nobody else never did neither.
A rattlesnake CANT bite only when it's
keviled up, an then 1t CANT reach
morn foot"
"Who has been slandering the
snakes?" inquired.
"Why, this here newspaper / don't
mind hearin' extra extravaganza yarn
eff its tole fer yarn, but Teller orn't
to tell lie an swear it's the truth"
"You ought to know something about
snakes, uncle?"
well, yes; know sump'n bout EN-,
but they hain't no SIGH snakes here as
they uset to be-"
what kind were they and what be-
came Of them?"
They was elephant snakes I reckin
men Tom King killed the last one IN
this part Of Arkansas more'n forty year
ago. Say, them 'uz big snakes"
'How big?"
"Now, looky here! Tom Kings dead,
an I han't got nary single witness to
that elephant snake"
"You don't need any, uncle I'm will
ing to take your word as gospel truth"
'Well, hit is the gospel truth; though
my own wife didn't believe it when /
told her, an / han't told nobody sense,
though I don't mind tellin' you"
me an Tom was huntin' board tim
Dor on the Sugar Loaf mountain one
day an we come to a path that was
worn down deep an slick in the noun
tain side.
Says Tom, what on airth made this
trail?"
Says /, blessed If know; but here's
some spankin' good timber.
1.-THE tree was about thirty foot from
the path, an was apurty piece o tim
Der as ever laid eyes on
1--WE commenced cuttin' it to fall
acrost the path, an jist as rs givin' the
last licks on my side heerd Toms teeth
chatterin' together.
"Great Scott" he said, loolin' up
the hill
II looked an seen q elephant snake
comm down the path, with his head
about six feet above the ground, slidin'
along as If he didn't see us.
"'Le's fall the tree on him. seq /, In
o whisper.
"'All right, SEE he.
"When the snake got feminist US
gin two or three ticks with the ak and
the tree commenced crackiu'.
"The snake stopped when he heerd
the noise an looked torZe us He bowed
his neck an commenced hissin' and
BLOWN. l swan, the noise sounded like
hurricane in the trees an the snakes
breath blowed our hats off N come as
nigh rs peace blown the tree right
back onto us Itswung Uncertain fer
mint and then fell smack acrost the
snakes back
HE commenced thrashin' round In
the tree top an the bresh fairly flew.
thought 'oncet he was goin' to get 1t
loose, but soon seedthat big limb had
broke off an stuck right through his
body, pinin' him tight an fast to the
groun'.
'Well, sir, shores You born, that
snake heaved an set an squirmed tel
he drug the whole tree twenty foot.
from where it fell with them broke
limbs a-plowin' up the groun' q foot
deep. Finally he got lodged agin an
other tree an laid quiet tel we chopped
his head off with our axes"
"How big was he, uncle?" inquired,
with as much calmness as l could as
sumo.
"Well, he want very big-not so
offul big fer elephant snake. They
uset to be heap bigger ones that the
old settlers tole about when / was
boy. I've no doubt some on 'em was
twicet Us big as this'n; but hain't
going to tell no lie jis' TO have extry
big warn. The one we killed was about
a foot an n half through, an jist few
inches short O. sixty-one foot long
Chicago Times