The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-17
SPARE CHILDREN =.
Belief That the Snakes Won't Rite
the Young Apparently Confirmed.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
IT was up In the zinc mine region of
Sussex county, New Jersey, last week"
said a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania,
man, "and read in one of the local papers
up there an account of an accident which
seemed to go a good way toward confirm
ing the truth of a startling belief that has
prevailed from time out of mind among
the natives of the mountains in Lancas-
ter, York and adjacent counties of Penn
sylvania, where the copperhead snake
dwells in unpleasant abundance, that this
venomous snake will not bite children.
There are many wonderful stories told
over there, especially in the famous Welsh
mountain country about this strange len
ity of the copperhead toward children
never heard of this belief being INDUCED
anywhere else than in that part of Penn
sylvania; but this New Jersey incident
rather incllnes me to think that, unac-
countable as IL may seem, there must be
more than fancy or superstition in it,
"One day. week or so ago. according
to the New Jersey newspaper, Florence,
the 6-year-old daughter of George Wilson
of Woodburn, found much enjoyment in
stamping her foot on an object she saw
pr6truding from the foundation of the
house. The sport went on until it attract
ed the attention of her elder sister. who.
WllSu sic ShW the game was scared ana
ran to can her mother. The object the
child had stamped proved to be a big
pilot. Such reptiles added the newspa-
per, although amusing, are dangerous
playmates for children
Il can't see wherein these reptiles are
amusing, but in the light of this incident
and of others of which I have heard. 7
begin to have my doubts that they are
dangerous playmates for children. L re-
call now one instance in particular that
occurred a season or two ago on the York
county side of the Susquehanna river.
where copperheads-or pilots, as they are
called in New Jersey-are uncomfortab bly,
common. On the farm of which 1 am go
ing to speak the haying hands have killed
as many as ten in one day this season,
moving over one field.
THE farm is the Loan farm At the
time l refer to one of Loans children a
little girl of 8, was playing in the front
yard, and her mother noticed her sitting
in the grass near the gate. Every now
and then the child was heard TO laugh
gleefully, and Mrs. Loan at last walked
out to see what it was that amused the
child so much. When the child saw her
mother coming, she shouted
Hurry, mamma, and see the live car
pet rags!!
"At the same time she held up to her
mothers gaze a snake she had Crashed
in the air. Mrs. Loan saw at once that
the snake was a copperhead. Although
she almost swOoned with terror, she acted
with rare presence of mind. 1t occurred
to her that if she showed her alarm by
crying out suddenly to her the child
would undoubtedly become frightened, and
the change that would naturally follow
in her handling of the deadly reptile might
anger the snake and cause IL to sink its
venomous fangs into her hand or face
With great effort, Mrs. Loan controlled
herself sufficiently to say coaxingly:
" Fetch it to mamma, dear. Don't hurt
it.
"But there's two of 'em, mamma re-
piled the little girl. IN fetch 'em both.'
"She reached down and picked up another
copperhead that lay in the grass which
Mrs. Loan had not seen, and came tod
ding along the path toward her mother
with a wriggllng snake in each hand. Mrs
Loan although almost paralyzed with ter
ror over the plight her little one was in.
for one stroke of a copperheads fang
would have been her swift and sure death,
retained her composure. ana when the
child was within couple of yards of her
spoke to her gently, and said:
" Put them on the ground, darling, and
let me see them walk
This seemed to please the child, and
she placed the copperheads in the path.
They then saw Mrs. Loan for the first
time and their manner changed instantly.
The comprehend, unlikely the rattlesnake,
Is aggressive. and these two. showing
all the ferceness Of their nature at once
moved toward the child's mother, plainly
with hostile intent The child clapped her
hands and started TO catch the snakes
again. Her mother rushed around the
snakes. and snatching the child up in her
arms flew to the house, closed the door
behind her and fell fainting to the floor.
The copperheads were killed later, and
the uttle girl mourned for her deadly
playthings for days.
'~rhat is only one of scores Of Incidents
one may hear over in that part of Penn
svlyania about the immunity from danger
the comprehend snake grants to children,
ana the New Jersey case is also one in
point. Stin, although il looks TO me as
n the startling Welch Mountain belief had
good grounds, don't believe l would
take a copperhead home as playtning
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