New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-27
He UNEARTHED SNAKES.
TwENTY-FOUR DUG Up IN MAKING POST
HOLE.
From Tho Providence Journal.

From The Providence Journal.
Charles H. Mitchell IT would be well to state az
The r,nutation o. being at all times sober man.
Not sober In mlcn for. on the contrary; ne Is "a
IN he moaning with witch that word is labelled in
tho dictionary IF the temperance advocate. II
necessary. establish an alib which will prove that
yesterday he WAS not IN the immediate Vicinity or
agc whatsoever Of alcoholic properties And he Is
Wiling TO 90 eeiore q ma commission ana abide
My,SnT Nrw Haven nnd Hartford Railroad
the vicinity Of the woods near Sacketist In order
to do this it was necessary to dig number OF post
the ancient inhabitants Of this land possessed 10
pursuit Ts was given sack seat, but recent ascov-
cries by arch@oiOgists, among them The finding Of
several holes on Kochamhcau-aye which nave
been ascribcd French p0stholc digscrs. have re-
vivod the interest in this interesting occupation.
lion Of posthole-digsing tools He takes pride in
arc eynonymous so the orihees he makes in Mother
Earth are renowned for thCir perfect proportions
Mitchell had dug several holes IN manner that
showed mat hiS hand 9ad no' Lost rs cunning iili
While working on the hfth hole MS long -h!ndled
nent or ,wo efl,rward he saw the Last shovelful
Of earth he had deposiied on me Ground BE- in 10
biork vrirq'd through - the surface and lay
snmc confidence in his sohrlety and sanity that his
nei.hbors have. and he did not as the average
cif
his spade pass his hand before his 'ycs. ami. with
baied nth AID staring eyes, "Tcl i'm: Snn Ncsl
HIVE | GOT EN- again II j. true he said snakes.
,or II YVES undoubtedly tho ne part of q black
snake that wriggling before him. Dat nc said
IL IN the voice II a man who knows ihai his eyes
40 not deceive him. He did not Ike The idea that
anything especially such a small thing ~ a
snakes tail should interfere with tho artistic
shaping Of n posihOle IN the last stages OF com
pletlon.
the fore part Of his sn0eship Such near relatives
should not be separated II II was possible 70 keep
them together. with a II n of regret a. the
thought OF tho unfinished pO'thoie. he got down
upon lis knees and peered into lis interior. What
no there made him. for the time being a be
lever IN tho theory that disordered stomach VIII
mako strange visions. What he :
was family Of snakes. To make that the
slowly wriggl!ng mass was not the remains Of
ancient post. he dug Into Il with his spade
They were really. truly snakes They a
ranged In alternate layers OF black and green l.
was whole family, four generations being pres
emit There were exactly twenty-four snakes there
by actual count Mitchell did ascertain thai
fact At hrst. II was only after a slaughter grim
and great mat he was ahlo to count them.
II IS probable that the members Of the family
had irtermarred. for there were three varieties-
green snakes. black snakes and adders. The big
snakes top. and attempted protect the
younger and less developed members OF tho nock
There were one or two gray headed adders which
measured two feet In length. They were evidently
the patrerchR OF the tribe. they counsellcd
sistance TO the death In bitter Kisses. They
piled NJ in round compact mass, and
wound round and round each other. the green and
black forming agreeable contrast Tho top
members became warmed up frat thoy were
woke up and Joined IN the fray against the attack
inG spade But II was OF no use One after another
they suCcumbcd
After they had been laid out on the ground in