The Van Buren press., 1894-11-03
A HooslER SNAKE STORY.
The Terrible Monster That Made Jay Coun.
ty Famous.


ty Famous.
recent dispatch from Portland,
Ind. says: The torrid weather of the
past few days has revived tile memory
of Jay couity's great serpent and re-
freshed the many wild, weird tales
concerning it.
Probably fifteen years have elapsed
since it 'vas first seen iii Richland
township. It was on a summer after
noon and a gang of men were engaged
with old-fashioned cradles harvest
ing grain. Near by the field where
they were at work ran a little brook,
lined on both sides with stubby will
lows. long tangled grass and rank
weeds. During the afternoon a boy in
the party wandered down toward
this spot and was surprised al.
most intn speeehlessness by seeing
snake, whose dimensions were
to him simply mammoth, dragging its
sinuous length along with the rapidity
of a race horse. He gave the alarm. A
hunting party WAS organized in short
order and. armed with rifles. shotguns
revolvers. hoes. spades and everything
available for weapons, the crowd start
ed on the hunt, but were unsuccessful.
| The next day two hundred men joined
in the search, many of the men horse
back, with dogs of every kind follow
ing. With undaunted persistence they
beat to and fro through the bushes,
and at several times it was thought
| that his snaleship had been sighted,
but the report proved false. All that
could be found was wide track in the
brooks muddy bank and furrow
through the fields of waving grain.
| The disappointed hunters left for home,
and for years the snake was supposed
| to be myth. Later, however, it bobbed
up again. and nearly frightened a man
| out of his wits.
At the time the Lake Erie & Vest
ern Railroad Co. had crew of men
at work filling in a deep cut at Curtis
| Hill, eight miles of this eitv. The
| day was torrid one. A short dis
| tance from where the men were at
work cattle were quietly feeding under
the shade of some serawny oaks. Sud-
| denly there was commotion among
them. and with heads in the air, eyes
| dilated and nostrils distened with fear,
they beloved with fright and started
away at more speedy gait than ever
was shown by a stampeded herd on the
prairies. One of the men who had
been noticing the cattle's queer ac-
/ tions ran up on the bank and was al
most paralyzed at the sight which met
his eyes.
Twined about one of the oaks was a
huge serpent, whose coils enveloped
the trunk of the tree in fold which
to man or beast would have proved a
fearful death. It's sides were dotted.
it's vicious little eyes seemed to emit
flames of fire, and from the wide-open
mouth. with its rows of Jagged teeth,
darted long, red tongue.
The spectator was for the time being
motionless with fright, but when the
immense snake slowly unwound its
tortuous length and cast longing
glances toward him the power of loco
motion returned, and he ran as though
pursued by legion of demons. Sum-
moning help. he returned to the spot,
but the snake had vanished, and all
search failed to reveal it. To his COM
rades he described it as fully for
ty feet long, with body of
prodigious size. For days afterward
hogs and other small domestic animals
were missing in the neighborhood. and
mothers frightened their children into
restless sleep by tales of the horrible
monster which would come and devour
them in case they did not behave them.
selves.
The next place the snake put in its
appearance was ont in jackson town.
ship. One dark summer night it fairly
terrorized gypsy camp. The leader
of the gypsies told a graphic tale re-
garding the event. He said that on
the night in question his family and a
lsnumber of others on their way home
from Iowa to the gypsy queens home
in Ohio camped near little
creek. They had pitched their -tents,
partaken of the evening meal
and were fast asleep when the
neighing of the horses and the bark-
ing of the dogs awakened them. Men,
women and children alike were on theii
Isfeet in an instant, but through the
darkness nothing could be seen.
Il The dogs still kept up their turmoil
near the camp, but all at once there
was hush. The frightened ours, witt
tails between their legs, SUNK to theil
masters feet in very agony of fright
An instant later there was a rushing
sound. the horses tuggcd at and broke
their tethers, then sped away with lout
screams of terror that only horse car
give. Huddled together the camper.
waited, but it was not for long. Al
most Immediately through the din
circle of light cast by the smoulderinl
campfire. an immense serpent glidet
swiftly, with it's head fully ten feet il
the air, mouth wide open, and wicket
eyes swapping death and destruction
Straight it made for one of the chill
dren. and it was almost in the cavern
ons laws when the little ones mother
her fears overcome by maternal love
seized brand from the campfire ant
plunged it squarely into the serpent
mouth. The surprised snake whirie'
quickly, dashing everything aside in it
wild course. and giided away in tn
darkness.
To the gypsies until daylight was al
endless watch. IT seemed as thougl
morning would never come, and tn
first grav streaks of dawn were haile'
with the Joy that prisoner halls deliv
-erance. All the next day was spent il
, hunting up their scattered horses
Those who were in the camp that event
full night had Thrilling experience t
! relate to Bohemian friends of the bat