Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-08-03
A MONSTER SNAKE.
A Herald Reporter Visits Brooklyn and
Relates the Following Remark
able Snake Story.

| able Snake Story.
Brooklyn, Anne Arundel county, is
noted for its fish and snake stories, and
good many other things that are not
down in the book. A Morning Herald
reporter goes to Brooklyn, no doubt to
write up the ''Law and Order Society's'
doings and while there learns of the fol-
lowing remarkable snake story, which
we copy verbatim ct liteIatim
Fright OH the heels of the startling
report that the sea serpent has been
washed ashore on Blackwell's Island.
comes a story from Brooklyn, Anne
| Arundel county, which is youcned for
in every particular.
"For some time past Thomas Mhoon,
a truck farmer living near Brooklyn,
has been missing each day u number of
young ducks. They disappeared SO mys-
tcriously that their loss could not he ac-
counted for in any manner. All theo-
ries as to how they were taken were
smashed to pieces when it Was known
that no one had been near the place
during the day where the ducks were
won't to pass away the time. No feath.
ers or other vestige could be found,
which would undoubtedly have been the
case if the fowls had been made away
with by hawk or some "varmint.o
"Finally, Mhoon gave up in despair
and began to think that, perhaps, like
the famous Kilkenny cat, the ducks had
| eaten each other up. He is even said to
have examined them closely when they
came up to the house at night to see if
any of them were any larger than the
rest, and any tail feathers were sticking
out of their bills. They were all alike:
so this theory, like the others, was shat
tered to smithereens. If the ducks them
| selves knew what happened to the mis-
sing ones they refused TO disclose it, and
like many politicians, looked wise and
said nothing.
"When slxty-five of the fluffy young
sters had disappeared MhO0n determin-
| ed to watch the ducks for a day. He
| followed them down In the field to the
| little branch where they donned their
| bathing suits and slipped in the water.
No sooner had they arrived there than
shades of st. Patrick from a neigh
boring clump of bushes appeared such a
snake as Mhoon had never seen before
| outside of a show. He is not drinking
man and is not accustomed to see such
| things in broad daylight, but he had to
was in his right senses. While his eyes
stuck out of his head in terror the
monster snake glided up to the ducks,
when they all set up terrific quacking,
| if they knew the end of the world was
coming for some of them.
"By this time the man had recovered
himself, and, hastily running to the
house, he secured his shotgun and re-
Il AQd tN bf,I
| When he reached there he found the
snake, which seemed fifteen feet long
and one foot thick, making off with a
duck in his mouth. Angered at the loss
and at the audaclty of his snakeship.
| Mhoon trusted in the Lord and pulled
the trigger of the gun. When the smoke
cleared away the reptile was stretched
out, lashing its tml in fury. Mhoon
kept away until its struggles had ceased
and approached it. He found out it
WAS moccasin, and when measured it
was as long as fence rail, about nine
feet four inches.
"Mr. K. G. Miller, q cigar-maker of
800 Wilson street, helped Mhoon meas
ure the snake, and will vouch for the
reliability OF the measurement.
"Anne Arundel mothers are thankful
that none of their babies were allowed
to slip away from them. At the same
time they hope that there are no more
snakes of the same variety in Anne
Arundel.
| "The ducks which were spared by the
monster snake have been holding cele-
bration ever since, and are proud to be
owned by such man as ThOs. Mhoon,
who delivered them from the power of
| such hideous monster.