The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-19
PUSSY SAVED THE CHILD.
A Vicious Pariah Cat, But It Killed
the Snake Just in Time.
From the Louisville CouTier. Journal.

From the Louisville Courier journal.
A house cat saved child from being
bitten by a poisonous snake yesterday
morning. With a jump of over six feet
pussy leaped upon the reptile and with
one snap bit the snake almost in two.
But the snake was not killed by the bite,
and terrific battle between the reptile
and the cat followed, which was only
ended by the arrival of a woman, who
cut the snakes head off with garden hoe
The fight occurred in the garden of
Antoine Dienes, who lives at Twenty
ninth and Market streets. Mr.. Dienes is
the night foreman at the brewery of Sem
& Ackerman, at Seventeenth and Main
streets. He is an honest, truthful, hard
working German. He is married and has
little daug liter, Lizzie, who is five years
old. Some time ago, a stray cat, about a
year old, wandered into Mr.. Dienes'
house. Every effort was made to drive
the cat away, but without success. 1t
was very vicious cat, and several times
when Mr.. Dieues tried to throw the cat
from the yard il scratched him. The cat
was finally allowed to stay at the house.
The gray animal seemed to take fancy
for Mr.. Dienes' little daughter Lizzie, and
1T followed her wherever she went 1t
was always affectionate to this child, but
whenever anyone else tried to handle the
cat they were scratched.
About IL O'Clock yesterday morning the
little girl started back into the garden to
play among the flowers The cat follow ed
closely to her heels, and when the child
sat down to play in the loose earth about
bed Of flowers the cat lay down about
six feet distant under bush. The child
played about for several minutes, and
when she happened to look around she
found snake nearly three feet long
coiled up right behind her and ready to
/ gtFiEn For QaVpral child
could not utter word. Then she gave a
piercing scream, which brought her
mother from the house, fifty feet away,
and Mrs. Len Fenster, a next-door neigh
Dor
When Lizzie screamed the cat jumped
the six feet as easily as boy steps over
a muddy gutter, and with considera bly,
more grace. The cat struck the ground
right at the side of the snake and fast
ened its teeth in the snakes body at
about the middle, while the child rolled
! screaming with fright, TO one side. The
first bite of the cat almost severed the
snakes tail from its head, but his
snakeship was not dead yet by any
! means, and he struck out viciously at
the uimble cat. Pussy would bite and
! jump back, with the snake striking at
her all the while. Both Mrs. Fenster
and the mother of the child saw the
! fight, but they had nothing with which
| TO XIII the snake, and Mrs. F'enster ran
back to her house after a garden hoe
Fl, But the cat and snake kept UP their
fight. The cat would Jump around until
the snakes head would dart out at it.
Then pussy would jump in and bite and
jump out of harms way before the
snake could strike again. His snake
ship was rapidly getting the worst of
the fight when Mrs. Fenster came back
with the hoe She Immediately chopped
the reptiles head of, and that was an
end Of him
An examination of the snake showed
that it had been bitten at least twenty
times The first bite Of the cat had been
the most effective, as the snakes BODY
hung together only by shreds. The cat
was not hurt and was looking well ex.
cept where the hair was RULED up. The
ground about the scene Of the battle was
clawed ana bloody. Mr. Dienes described
the snake as short and thick, with a
| brown back and a wide head From his
description the reptile was probably a
| viper. Mr. Dienes says that he would
not part with the cat now for anything.
II will drink the best cream which his
! cows give.