The evening times., 1899-07-17
A SNAKES REIGN OF TERROR.
An Escaped Anaconda Roams About
at VIII.

An Escaped Anaconda ROams About
at VIII.
Doyiestown. Pa. July 17.-Peeple living
around the Sunnyside school house, about
a mile west of this town, who have been
kept in constant terror the past few months
by thirteen-foot anaconda snake at large
in that locality. now rest easily, for the
giant reptile has been captured and ship
ped away.
The anaconda, it may be said was not
native of Bucks county, but beautiful and
vicious South American specimen brought
here by a snake charmer, Mrs. George
Kelly, who was on visit TO the family OF
her brother-in-law, Ed Smith. She had
number of exhibition snakes in her coliec-
tion, but kept the big fellow in a separate
cage. with closely-set iron bars in front
One night the anaconda thrust his slender
tail between the bars and winding il arouna
a couple of them, by his wonderful con-
stricting power managed to bend them.
This made an opening large enough for
him to crawl through, and in the morn
ing he was gone.
A few days later some boys were taking
an early swim in the ice pond of the
Fordhook Seed Farm. One of them saw
what he thought was the twisted root OF a
tree under the water near the bank. and
stepped upon it to dive. Suddenly the
thing began to slip out from under him
and threw him off his balance. He fell
squarely on top of the anaconda, which he
had mistaken for root. and for a little
time there was lively mix-up- The snake
half wound around his bare body. and the
youngster shrieked with fright His cries
probably alarmed the serpent as much as it
scared him, and unwinding itself it glided
away. The boy and his companions seized
their clothes and ran a quarter OF mile
before they dared stop to dress. hunt
by men for the snake around the pond was
fruitless.
For month nothing was seen of the
snake, but his presence in the neighbor-
hood was made known from time 10 time
by depredations on poultry yards. He
took from two to half dozen fowls fo- a
meal, gulping them down whole. co pie
OF three-weeks-old pigs went down his ca
pacious NAV cne day, the old sow in the
defence of her young nipplng a piece of
mottled skin from his back which was
found in the pen and tod the sto-y o, the
feast and encounter. eHeClao ftsf
A farmer driving to Castle Valley the
latter part of May saw the anaconda glid-.
ing across the Lower State road, its body
extending from the fringe of weeds on one
horse whirlea around With snort and
dashed Of. breaking a wheel by the sharp
turn.
Again, few weeks ago. the anaconda
was found reposing in the clear water of .
springhouse by a little girl who had been
sent there by her mother for pitcher OF
milk He had emptied three milk pans
of their contents and cleaned up nine
pounds of butter. The child tore back to
the house and cried to her brother that
there was snake in the.springhouse as big
as a telegraph pole. The-head of the fami-
ly was called in frenr aiiR sbarn, and the
two men went down toiloek the snake in
the springhouse, but just as they got there
saw him gliding cut of the haif-open door.
He got clean away.
/. This visit of the big;snaie to the spring
house proved his undoing. for ftSwas sus-
pected that he might come back sfor an
other feast, and the door was left open
purposely. A couple OF days ago he was
found there again, and this time he was