The Bessemer indicator., 1894-09-22
SNAKES BIG AS LOGS.
TRUTHFUL GEORGE sILLsTEiN
SAW TWO MONSTERS.
A Reptile That Uncoiisd Himself Yard.
at Time and Kissed Loud Enough to
Drown Locomotive EIpiosion-No
jug In tho Wagon.

George Washington Billstein is a
man who has never had occasion to
take the keeley cure. the willow
Dark remedy. or the snake bite ..rc-
solvent those who have known the
genial G. w. for these thirty or forty
years will take oath that he is in all
things temperate. truthful and
strictly honest.
George w. had been over in the
Shake Rag country, in Hancock town
ship, Hancock county. partly to SEQ
about horse trade and also to see
what the boys were going to do
about importing some bloodhounds
from Missouri with which to run
down pack OF wolves that are
annoying the good pioneers Of the
Crooked Creek country both in Han
cock and McDonough counties, saws
the Chicago Times.
There can be little doubt that
Van Amberg's circus was wrecked
one night several years ago while
crossing Crooked Creek en- route
from Maconb to Carthage. Tho
story has been told that cage CON
tanning two panthers and n litter OF
young was wrecked by falling from /.
bridge. and that the animals escaped.
The fact of the matter is that Van
mberg's overland circus came very
near being demolished in the storm
o. that night that caught the cara
van rs it was crossing the Crooked
Creek bottoms. The wind rose and
storm threatened. The perform
h,Irpin1 fN
actors drove on toward Carthape.
and the wagons followed. While
the wagons containing the cages
were crossing tho Crooked creek
bottoms the storm broke forth in Its
Jury. The creek was high and the
cage containing two OF the largest
boa constructors ever brought to
America got broken and they es
capped.
1t is not known how many feet
long these monsters were. nor how
large around, but showmen saw the
snakes were monsters, und had not
yet attained the full size. 1t is be-
lieved that at least one or more OF
the ESCAPED panthers have remained
in this part of the state and are re-
sponsible for the awful yells heard
by farmers on winter nights and the
attendant loss OF stock.
But queer stories have been told
By the hunters and fishers, who claim
to have seen some ething in the creek
at high water that resembled pic
lures of sea serpents. They hoot at
the idea of it being one OF the es-
capped boas, but think that some
great snake that inhabits water
must have come up from the Illinois
river.
George w. Billstein. however, has
had an opportunity to test the oues-
tion. for about o'clock one night.
in the Crooked Creek bottoms. he
saw snake that beat Ringling's all
hollow. In fact, George w. thought
mighty hollow log had rolled into
tho roadway. for he did not remem-
bcr TO have seen that log in the
road when he drove BY that spot
that morning. 1t was not hollow
log, however. but monster snake.
that laF across the road. His horses
gave snort of fright and reared.
At this tho great reptile began to
uncoil itself, yards at II time, until
u. w. Biilstein declares that the
woods seemed to bo full of snake.
The air was filled with deadenipp
odor that made pioneer Billstein
sick at the stomach. No sooner had
Billstein got good focus upon this
monster than from ighborinp
thicket came another large snake.
and then the air was filled with
Kisses that beat dozen locomotive
explosions
Billstein's horses wero in q panic
by this time, and the great reptiles
evidently meant business. In a jiTy
the haif-paralyzed man turned his
team and drove madly away, strik-
ing another road that brought him
home by u longer route
Telling the story to his neigh bors
they went to the spot and found
great trails in the soft earth, while
young trees and bushes had been
beaten to the cath as if by u storm.
But no traces of the snake could be
seen.