The times., 1899-10-01
A HARVEST OF REPTILES.
This Has Been Prosperous Year for
Snake Stories
oFrom the Philadelphia Times.3


| The harvest of Pennsylvania snake sto-
ries this year promises to break all pre-
yious records, but the snake crop is being
harvested as well as the crop of snake sto-
ries. At the Glenolden snake farm. In
Delaware county, Dr. Mcfarland, OF the
| Medco- Chirurgical College, has an ex-
| tensive and interesting experimental CO.
| lection OF living copperheads, rattlsrs, and
other yenomous serpents. One of his rat
| tlesnakes measures eight feet in length
and foot in diameter. Once week DR..
Mcfarland manages TO obtain from this
monster snake enough poison to kill a
| thousand people. Capturing snakes for
| DR.. McFarlan has become q business on
! the Loyalsock, where rattlesnakes are SO
numerous this season that many woods
! men have quit work for fear of being bit
| ten. As many as sixty rattlers have been
killed near one camp in that reg On.
| Most shipments of rattiesnakes from the
! Loyalsock are made from Pine Station.
but over four hundred rattlers and cop
| perheads were recently shipped from Fay
| cite county TO the snake farm at Glenol-
| den. While catching snakes on the Loyal
sock for DR.. Mcfarland j. j. Garris was
bitten on the hand by rattler. He plas-
| tered with wound with ehewed tobacco
and, putting the finger in his mouth, sue
cessfulIy drew out the poison.
| This years snake stories nearly all re-
late some eccentricity on the part of the
reptiles Benjamin Vannoy, OF West
Falls Township. Monroe county, while
| driving TO Milford, came across rattle
snake four feet nine inches in length. 1t
| had eleven rattles. This snake was evil
IDENTIFY fond of spring chicken. for, after
killing it, MIR. Vannoy found that it had
| its fangs fastened in young fowl.
| At Pine Grove Church, Perry county, a
! snake made its appearance among the wor-
| shippers while they were at prayer. II was
| not a dangerous reptile but il caused a
panic in the church. Near Salladasburg
the four year-old son of Luke 0lmstead.
who was picking berries in field, COM
| planned that something had stung him. The
| swelling soon showed that it was the sting
of rattler. Mrs. C. II. Bussom, OF South
| Williamsport, was attacked by five-foot
/ Tattlesnake while wheeling a baby carriage
! in the street. This huge snake coiled itself
| around her ankle and was preparing to
strike when she thurst a parasol through
the squirming coils and thus loosened its
| hold. AS soon as she was free she ran
! screaming down the street, but a number OF
! boys took up the battle and succeeded IN
! killing the snake. Near Hanover, how
ever. a woman, Mrs Anna Hayerstock, had
| the courage to kill huge blaeksnake. Less
| fortunate than either OF these women, MISS
MarV4 kpSeTTeiS, OI dlllStN5bOl AetilhtAii
| county. was so unnerved by seeing snake
| crossing her path while she was making
! her way across the mountain on bicycle
| that she fell from her wheel and may be
| crippled for life.
| In the South Montain. over which Lees
army crossed on the way to Gettysburg
| there is a famous blacksnake known as the
Mont Alto monster II was already good
! sized snake at the time OF the battle oil
| Gettysburg, and now it is described b. tbs
| mountaineers as being as thick as stove
pipe and long accordingly. The monster
| was last met by DR.. W E. Holland Of
| FavettsviIle while driving along the Funks-
town road The reptile was stretched in
! the dust across the road. AT the sight OF
il the horse Or. Holland was driving be-
came frantic, but instead of attacking the
plunging animal the snake curled into the
| underbrush and slowly crawled away. When
| the doctor told OF his encounter posse of
| mountaineers started in pursuit OF the
monster. Armed with guns they vowed
| that the snake would not escape them this
| time and they succeeded in finding the
| reptile. The snake was evidently expect
| ing them for it received them standing
erect on It's tail end, menacing them with a
noise like thar OF q ''crazed bull in fight.
| One of the posse "Bill'' Smith, fred, and
| then the whole party beat a hasty retreat
| At last accounts the Mont Alto monster was
| still unhurt.
! After reading the story of DR.. Hollands
encounter with the Mont Alto monster,
one of his neighbors wrote TO The Cham
bersburg Repository in defence @ that
much abused reptile, the biacksnake. In
deed. this authority on blaeksnakes does
more than defend the nonster-he points
out its virtues. He says the blacksnake
| is the mortal enemy OF the raJtler and the
eopperhead, and declares that if it were
not for the fact that in ninety nine cases
out hundred the 5lacksnake is the vie