Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-01-12
A SNAKE BITE.

read IN newspapers every now anu
then, remarked man with hay
seed swung loose at the sport of the
wind, reminds me of an experience
] had once.
Have you taken the pledge
since2' inquired the man, with that
innocent manner some folks adopt
when they desire to knock down all
the pins on the alley and set them
UP on the other haw baw for the
victim.
Thanks, don't care if | do, in
stantly replied the hayseeder, and
it actually cost the reporter the
price before he would be appeased.
'As l was remarking," he con-
tinued, after he had been thorough
ly wet down, II had an experience
once that was interesting to tell
about, if not in actual life. l was
farming them days in New Jersey,
and had farm hand hired by the
month. One day l had hlm down
behind the barn pulling out weeds
and trying to get at the foundation
OF the place, so as we could get un-
der there and brace up the rocks
that was getting loose. There was
a hole about as big as a keg in
the rock, and he was working to
that. l was about 30 feet away
from him cutting the weeds with
corn knife"
Weeds like that grow in New
Jersey?" interrupted person, but
the narrator paid no attention.
why didn't you use a SAW" in
quired another. But the narrator
merely waited tills the excitement
blew over
"And ali at once, he continued,
she jumped about IL feet above the
weeds and yelled: 'Snakesr / ran to
him, and as l come up | saw
snakes tail disappear, wiggling of
in the grass, and he raised up from
where he had lit, holding tight to
his finger He told me he had stuck
his hand in the hole to pull rock
out and the snake had hit him kerr
sock in the middle finger above the
knuckle, and there, sure enough, he
showed me the odd little double
mark of a snake bite with a teenty
weenty drop of greenish blood oozing
from it. The man was about scared
out of six months growth and be-
gun begging for whisky, which
couldn't give him, for there wasn't
drop within five miles, this being a
local option county and all of US
temperance people-at least, my
wife was, which was the same thing.
! done the best thing l could, though,
by sending one of the boys after the
doctor and taking the man to the
back porch, where | tied heavy
Irvine strings around his wrist, and
below his elbow, besides twisting
fish line around the finger just this
side of the bite. At the same time
my wife got him some strong coffee,
anything to look like he was drink
ing, yon know, and | told him to
brace up and be brave and the doc
tor would bring him around all
right, even if his hand was swelling
and getting black. But l might as
well talked to the hitching post.
That man had been used to liquor
for snake bites, and nothing else was
going to do him DIT OF good, so he
begun to git pale and white and
weak and wobbly, and the first
thing we knew he had keeled clean
over, and didn't know a week day
from Sunday. That's the shape
things was in when the doctor rode
up, and he set in on him right off with
batteries and firing liquor up his
nostrils and pouring it down his gull
let and shaking him up, generally,
till the man showed life.
''Then the doctor let him have
another snifter or two q got one
myself when the old lady wasn't
looking), and pretty soon he said he
thought the man was out OF danger
Then he begun to examine the snake
bite and the first good look he got
at it, after he got all the strings off
the mans arm and wrist, made him
snort and look at me as If maybe /
had them myself, which l hadn't,
nor never had in my life. After a
careful examination he asked me
what kind Of snake was it, and all
] could say YVES that, Judging from
its tail and the rapidity it got away
with wasn't capable Of saying.
The doctor asked if he mightn't go
down to the scene Of the biting and
take look there himself, and not
only said he might but | went with