Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-05-03
THEY ALL SEE SNAKES
A Colony of Serpents Down in
Emm0ns County Which Excites
Considerable Wonder.
Thousands Of Them Live About a
Butte Where They Are Seen
by Travellers.
Residents Propose to Blow the Den
Up With Giant Powder and
Wipe EN- Out.
A Few serpents.

A Few Serpents.
Emmons county possesses within it's
borders a natural Kelley cure, If reports
Of travellers, stage drivers and other
visitors to the place in question are to
be credited. Some days ago, jamestown
reported an oyster she'll butte in Logan
county, whose curiosity was freely COM
mented upon. Emmons county claims a
butte, which, for popularity of construc-
ton and habitation, casts the Logan
county phenomenon into the densest of
Not far from the Archambault place,
on Beaver creek, and about tifty-tive
miles southeast Of Bismarck, is what is
known to the residents of the locality as
"Snake Butte" It is a moderate eleva-
ton, of a few hundred square feet in
surface, but, according to those who have
eeen it, a fearful and wonderful spot.
1t is d paradise of serpents, large and
small, venomous and harmless, from the
inotfensive garter snake to the dreaded
RATHER. Various estimates are made of
the number of serpents which inhabit
the place, and twist and Irvine in loath.
some numbers, in and about the honey
combed surface of the place. Some
put the number at 10000, and some
place it higher and some lower than this.
No n ever tarried long enough in the
vicinity to make an accurate count, 80
the exact number must remain a matter
of doubt and uncertainty. But certain
it is that the serpent population is alarm.
ing in extent, and varied in species.
Whence come the snakes is not defn-
itely known. The existence of the place
has been known for some years, but the
population has never reached such an
extent as now. Thousands of the Shiny,
gliding creatures twist and Irvine about
over the %serpentine rendezvous, and
crawl in and out the hundreds of holes
with which the place is h~oneycombed.
Not many Of them have been killed, for
no n cares to venture zeal enough the
spot to do the killing. And so they have
increased and multiplied, until the
butte is infested with them to such an
extent as to be almost incredible. They
move about singly, doubly, and in
bundles, where dozens of them will be-
come twined and intertwined, and writhe
and wriggle about the profusion of
heads and tails, all inextricably twisted
together, being alarming. It is solemnly
averred that even St. Patrick himself
would pale at the task of Kidding the
place, and try to escape duty on the
grounds that he belonged to the fire de-
partment.
Now while the description above may
sound fanciful, and saver of eau de vie
and other snake creating liquids, it is all
solemnly vouched for by reputable per-
sons who do not drink at all. The place
is said to be indescribable. And the crop
of snakes this spring is averred to be
more luxuriant than ever before.
The residents of the neighhorhood are,
of course, considerably disturbed at the
proximity Of SO much raw material for a
prohibition campaign And they pro-
pose to make an attempt in the near
future, to exterminate the place by
means of dynamite. They have several
kegs of giant powder on hand, and this
will be used to blow up the butte. Then
the residents will stand about with
weapons of various kinds, and when the
rain OF dismembered reptiles shall be.
gin, the ones which are not killed in the
explosion will be dispatched in other
ways.
Who is to steal among this vast con.
course of serpents, and deposit the ex.
plosives, (which are to blow them into
fragments, has not yet been decided up.
on, but no doubt some local Arnold
Winkelreid will come forth, to sacrifice
himself to the salvation of his country
men. And SO if, at any time, a hollow
boom, al of muttered thunder or rumb.
ling earthquake shall resound through
the Missouri slope, and there shall en-.
u a shower Of mutilated serpents
which shall strew the prairies and towns
with ~wriggling bodies, dismemberc
heads, horrid fangs and quivering tails
it may be understood that the Beave,
creek settlement is up in arms, and thai
Snake Butte has been rent into number
less fragments. IN the determination Of
this reptile colony.
The TRIBUNE does not publish this
description merely to usher in the snake
season with a proper enthusiasm. L
merely tells what is reputably reported
to 1t from creditable sources. It regrets
that it cannot cite it's authority, but it il
deferred from SO doing by the knowledge
that scoffers and unbelieving persons
would make unpleasant and unkinc
comments as to the brand Of tonic usec
by the persons who have seen all tht
snakes which are described in the fore
L o0iro 1soo oEEaA 1.24 FEsWELaE