The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-16
THE HORNED SNAKE.
Like the Man Who Eats Cotton, Re-
liable Witnesses Have Seen Him.

Like the Man Who Eats Cotton, Re
liable Witnesses Have Seen Him.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The existence of a singing snake has
long been doubted by those who lay claim
to great knowledge of the snake family.
These doubts have often been met with
solemn affirmations from reliable wit
nesses," who vowed they had seen the
reptile and were confident there could be
no mistake. The story of these witnesses
has been accepted much the same as the
exhibition of the cotton eater. The credu-
lous watch him take in great mouthfuls
of cotton and masticate 1t with Wanted
relish. If he doesn't swallow IL the spec
tators are not prepared to say what be-
comes of It. Take away the publicity or
his peculiar feast and the occupation OF
the cotton eater would be gone. But while
this Individual courts publicity the sting
ing snake shuns crowded haunts and con-
fines his cavortings to secluded woodland
dells He reveals himself only to the
miikmaid whose duties compel her to be
out at twilight, or to some good old col
ored patriarch, whose veracity Is certain
ly equaed by his superstition. writer
in the last issue of Forest and Stream
Joins the contingent of heretical scoffers
and gives a description OF the very snake
pei haps that has for so long been bone
Of contention between the believers ana
the unbelievers. He says:
II have captured and now have IN
| possession a real, genuine bona fde sting
| ing snake of the most approved pattern.
| 1t cost me an hours hard and hot work,
with two negroes assisting, to get him
| out OF a thicket Of weeds and bushes and
reduce him to a state of captiWty-that
! Is. currs lied in a sack with the mouth
| tied up.
while battling with this monster of de-
| struction and trying to get string around
| him among the weeds and briars and art
er getting him noosed, the negroes saw his
sting repeatedly. and one Of the negroes
| knew a man, to wit Harry Johnson, who
| had been stung by snake of this variety,
| and who died in twenty-five minutes In
| consequence. Col ID. M. Russell, prom
| inent gentleman Of this neighborhood, ana
| likewise Mr. Frank Moore, assured me
most positively that these snakes do pos
sess stings, which they use with deadly
effect. They knew this to be fact, being
| familiar with the snake and having seen
| it's sting.
saTo-day, when I was getting the snake
ont of a box and securing him for exam
| ination. which / did by tying him head
and tail, and in the middle OF a long STICK
| Mr. Alcorn and Mr. Meek, likewise Mrs.
| MOBDY, the ldHulduyg az %" ''At. '~-.N9
plainly as he hirted his tail around.
Nevertheless, and Notwithstanding this
cloud of witnesses and circumstantial eV-
idence, 1 soon found that could take the
| end of his tail between my two bare nm
gers and squeeze II with perfect impuni-
| ty. as in fact this much mahgned reptile
| is one of the most harmless OF creatures
without either capacity or disposition TO
! do injury to anything larger than frog
which he would doubtless swallow on oc-
/ CASTOR.
''This specimen Is 4 feet inches long
with size and shape similar to the chicken
snake. His body is uniform color, not quite
black. but dark, with tinge OF wine color
underneath; the ground color is scarlet
with irregular transverse bars OF dark biu-
ism color. The snake crawls with It's head
and neck very close to the ground, and
| slightly fattened II has disposition 10
I hide its head when disturbed, and fiirt
its tail around when forced to activity
which characteristics doubtless account
for this myth Of Its being armed with a
sting The dentition is similar to that OF
the other nonvenomous constructors OF
| these parts"