The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-02
SAVED BY a KING SNAKE.
The Police Were After Him For
Running on the Grass.

Couchatta (La.) Correspondence to Phila-
delphia Times.
Charley, the 4-year-old son of /. p
Dean, painter living below here, in Natl
toches Parish, had a marvellous escape
from death yesterday, and owes his life
to the kindly Intervention of a king snake
Dean says he had often heard of the use
fulnss of the king snake in destroying
other serpents, while it is itself perfectly
harmless, but he never quite believed this
until lately, when his own child's life was
saved so miraculously. Dean himself was
away from home, but Mrs. Dean relates
the story in substance as it is given below
She was upstairs busy with her sewing,
having let little Charley go out to the
yard to play. Every now and then she
would get up from her work to go to the
window to see If he was all right and to
call down a pleasant word to him to keep
him satisfied. Presently, however, she be-
came interested in her work and allowed a
longer time than usual to elapse without
speaking TO him. When she did think Of
him and go to the window the little fellow
was not under the tree where she had left
him, but seemed to have grown tired and
wandered off 10 the edge of a large vine
clad summer house where he was sitting
very still, gazing intently at something
which his mother could not see.
After watching him for a while in silence
Mrs. Dean became convinced that some
thing unusual was the matter with Char
ley, as he was a bright active child. and
a moment at a time. By and by she grew
alarmed at his stiffness and called him,
but he did not answer. Then following
her child's intent gaze the mother was al
most paralyzed with fear when she beheld
the hidcous head of a large rattlesnake
protruding through the vines just above
Charley's face.
The child was being charmed by the
monster. Literally dumb with fright Mrs
Dean did not even scream, but stood
clinging to the window sill. expecting
every second to see the hideous fangs
strike her child's death blow. How long
a time passed holding her in this dread
full suspense, of course she could tell, but,
as she describes it, 1t seemed to her years
was performed before her very eyes as
she gazed., From out the thick vines there
giided quickly between Charley and the
RATHER a beautiful pied king snake, arch
ing his back and rearing his head For a
moment, the two gazed at each other, then
head dropped and the king snake was
master of the situation one, two, three
sharp strikes from his enemy and the rat
tier Writhed and squirmed and at last lay
dead in his tracks, while the king snake
glided gracefully away through the grass,
leaving Charley safe and sound where he
sat
Not till all danger was passed did Mrs.
Dean sufficiently recover to go down to
her child, and when she got to him it was
only to fall in a. dead faint beside him. 1t
was thus her husband found her a few
moments later and his establishment knew
no bounds when he heard the marvellous
story of his little sons peril and rescue.
Mr. Dean now has the RATHER pre-
served in alcohol, and the bites which the
king snake gave him are clearly apparent
to convince the most incredulOuS.