The Forrest City times., 1894-12-07
NEAR UNTO DEATH.
Snake Hunter O'Reillys Close Call
 with a Copperhe ad.

up Tn Putnam county, just short distance east of Cold Spring on the Hudson, is famous place for the most dangerous game to be found in this part of the countrywide copperhead. 50 common are these venomous snakes that hunters when intending to tramp through the thick underbrush or the tall marsh reeds which flank all the roads about there wear heavy boots reaching above the knee for protection against the bites. In the very hot and dry weather, when snakes are liveliest and fiercest, sportsmen scarcely ven- ture in the thicker part of the woods at all. The snake fame of this locality reached the ears of G. k. O'Reilly, of the Royal Geological Society of Ire land, an ophiologist who is in this country studying American snakes, and he decided to go up to Cold Spring and try to get some copperheads alive. Mir. OReilly has had experiences with the cobra of Africa, the fer-de-lance of the West Indies, the diamond back rattlesnake of this country and most of the other venomous snakes known to science, but never did he come nearer to a disastrous termination of his career than on his little jaunt to Cold Spring. Also he was treated to a repetition of a lesson in snakery which he learned long ago, that one must be prepared for anything and everything in hunting snakes.
 It was not very favorable day xx,ha ha tl, companion from this city. The two went directly to I. C. Hanyen, of Nell sonville. who knows more about snakes than any other rSan in Putnam county, and asked him for informa- ton regarding the haunts of the cop perheads.
 "Go right down to Muddy bridge, about. three miles from here," said the veteran. You can find more copper heads there than there is in barrel of applejack. What are you going to catch 'em with?"
 Here's our outfit" said Mir. O'Reilly, exhibiting long stick crooked at one end, and a big bag. II nail the cop perhead down by putting the stick across his neck and then l drop him into the bag, and there you are.
 Well" said the old man, I'd hate to issue an insurance policy on your life"
 The snake hunter laughed, and after thanking Squire Hanyen for the informa ton, walked on with his com panion. Toward noon it came on very warm, and the hunters going to Muddy bridge fell in with young man named Lasher OReilly's friend went on about a mile to explore an open field, while the snake expert stayed to make some inquiries of Lasher.
 II don't know how it is when you're hunting for then," said that young man; but when you're looking for other things there's more copperheads than you want in this patch of woods at our right. Thick boots have saved lne more than once in there. If you're going in I'll stay here in the road and watch for snakes crossing over. But you want to be mighty careful where you step"
 This advice was shouted after the scientist, who had already plunged into the thiclSet, taking his long stick with him. Progress was very slow. The explorer was pretty tired when he h&d forced his way through hundred yards of the thick tangle, and the sight of little clearing where big tree had fallen was very welcome. 1t was not quite clearing either, for near the tree a thick netting of bowery creepers had sprung up, through which only small patches of ground could be seen. In one of these openings Mr. O'Reilly saw what appeared to be good-sized copperhead. The snake had seen him. too, and with it's head raised a few inches from the coil was watch ing him with interest. One of the peculiarities of copperhead is that you can never tell when it will run and