Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-07-27
a BRAIDED BALL OF SNAKES.
A Story that Recalls and Almost ExcelA
the Secaucus Classic.

comes u strange snake story, as far
bove the average New Jersey or Ken
tp :ky legend as the eagle of the en-
pvrean is above the waddling duck of
the barnyard. According to the latest
account of the Montville marvel Mr..
Henry Dolbaare and Mr.. Frank Baker
of that place went to the extreme end
of Henry's house lott to clean an old
well, which is described as 'deep,
dry one" Some rubbish had been
thrown out and the workers removed a
couple of broad boards, when, in the
language of the veracious correspond
ent, ''the bottom of the well rose up,
heaving and billowing beneath their
feet"
Furthermore it is stated that as they
"hopped about with trembling legs on
their serpentine perch they soon dis
covered that they had struck sort of
solid stratum of well snakes, deep,
convoluted, and inbraided, a great
round ball, as big as school globe, of
alternating reptiles" Even as they
gazed "the sphere of slim snake
strands, which had been wound into a
hard mass like ball of wrapping
twine in criss-cross fashion during the
winter, had instantly burst into multi
tudinous and nimble consciousness and
activity under the tread of the farmers
cowhide boots; then it began to unravel
itself, and scores of serpent tails and
red-forked jaws detached themselves
from the mass and shot upward, twin
ing themselves about the mems legs
and slapping them viciously."
Clearly in such a case the heroic
Montvillians had but one course of ac-
tion. If the snakes had been weak,
sicNly things perhaps they might have
been left undisturbed; but as they were
well snakes" and as they averaged
five feet in length, some being seven
feet long and as thick as a man's-per-
haps an ossifed man's-forearm, both
Mr., Dolbeare and Mr.. Baker seem to
| have entered upon the task of turning
, the rascals out in good Jacksonian
fashion. In briefspace of time, eight
minutes by n stop watch, ''the attack
ing column of serpents, the first onset
of which was like the roar of mad
river advancing from subterranean re-
gions had dribbled away to a mere
rivulet of reptiles, and the men as
speedily disposed of the rivulet." BY
arithmetical computation it was dis
covered that one hundred and fourteen
reptiles had been made to bite the dust
The two men who are credited with
the slaughter seem to have escaped
without any injury except slight
strain of the arms, resulting from the
energy displayed in the work of exter,
mination.
, The thrilling experience of Mr. Dol,
beare and Mr.. Baker almost deserves to
rank with that of Mr.. Cornelius Van
derhooll, of Secaucus, n. j. While we
cannot vouch for the truth of Mr.. Van
derhooll's statements, it is only fair to
note that the latter claims to have
killed the more snakes. 1t is claimed
that the New Jersey episode took place
just after an election in Bergen county,
and it is Just possible that liquor was
used in that contest, but on the day on
which Mr.. Vanderhook set out to NOW
the marshes near his domicile he was
probably as dry as the Montville well
Mr.. Vanderhook began his task in a
listless fashion, but soon became con
scious that the scythe was meeting
with great resistance.
Upon looking more closely around
him, he was astonished to see that the
whole meadow was literally loath-
some field of snakes, which were so
close together as to hide the grass alb
solutely from view. Their repulsive
heads, alive with awful fury and ma
lignant anger, swayed and tremblcd in
waves of Medusa-lilke motion as grass
before the wind A thousand Misses
chilled Mr.. Vanderhoolx's blood to col
orless serum for the moment, but with
4 frenzy born of desperation he began
striking madly on every side with the
mad recltlessness of descendant of
the Berserllers. He also used a scythe.
After forty-three and one-half seconds
had elapsed he had disposed of one
hundred and seventeen serpents, max
ing record which will stand as the
best, in spite of the excellent perform
ance of the Montvillians.
In three and one-half minutes he hau
covered nearly half an acre, but was
compelled to pause for brief space
because the dying snakes in their
agony had so twisted themselves
around each other and around his
heavy boots that he was powerless to
} drag the contorted mass, which meas
J ured some nineteen feet across and
nearly one and-half feet deep, any
further. However, he solved the diff
Guilty by stepping out of his boots and
! continuing the fight in stoclsinged feet
Soon afterward the blade of his scythe
l broke off against stone, and he was
. compelled to finish his task with mere
l ly the handle. After the last snalx
: had been killed he counted one thou
| sand one hundred and sixty-two and
= one-half snakes, the body of half a
snake having wriggled away out OF
= sight.-Boston Advertiser.
How to Clean Bottles.