Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-07-27
Daily kennebec 3ournaI.
Local Matters.
A SNAKE FIGHTER.
The Cat that Has a Reputation
for the Reptiles.
Another Romance In Which the History Of q
Pin is Told.

Plum Blossom farm, a few miles out
side a Kennebec county town. has a
cat that would rather fight snakes
third year and has killed 221 snakes
that Kitchen knows Of How many
more the cat has done away with on
the sly he doesn't know.
On the Fourth of July, 1898. when the
news of the destruction OF Cevera's
Eneet reached the Plum Blossom farm.
tCaleb Kitchen said that he never had
been exactly satisfied with the name of
the cat. and from that day he should
be know as Sampson.
| Sampson first distinguished himself
as snake fighter when he was about
. months old. His mother had brought
a new family into the world a week or
SO before and was out in the meadow
lod back of the barn giving her chill
dren romp in the grass. Sampson
had taken an afternoon nap on the
back porch and went into the field to
|
game. In his wanderings he came
across his mother and the kittens.
They were evidently in trouble. The
three kittens We're crouching in the
grass and wailing pitifully. while the
mother stood on a rock calling to them
in her most persuasive tones.
Samnspp looked ba situation a1.,r
and his eyes suddenly fell upon the
sinuous form Of a 5-foot adder that
was circling around the kittens draw
ing nearer to them every time that he
described the circle. Fully realizing
his responsibility as the big brother,
sampson Immediately prepared for act
ion. CrOuching in the grass he waited
until the snake came within few feet
Of him. then he made a leap that
brought him within a few inches of
the snakes head. Although apparent
~ surprised the snake was equal to
the emergency and pulling himself to-
gether he gave Sampson "a poke in the
side that knocked him flat. In a flash
the cat was on his feet and realizing
that he was up against a pretty lively
game. he began TO spar for an OPEN
ing. Round and round the snake he
walked. never taking his eye off the
shiny head that was reared above the
grass and turning as he Travelled.
| The snake was on the alert, and Samp-
son, seeing there was no chance to
sneak in on the enemy concluded to
mix UP with him and fight it out on
the rough-and tumble plan. He crouch
ed on the ground. and taking careful
measurement of the distance between
himself and the snake. rose in the air
and dropped squarely on the black
coils of the serpent. For a period Of
Of flying grass and hair and from the
midst of the confusion came medley
of Kisses and howls, then there was
STRENGTHENING out Of details, and Samp-
son was stretched on the grass with
two twists of the snakes body around
him.
Farmer Kitchen, who had watched
the fight from the top of a nearby
; fence. thought it was about time for
him to take q hand in he scrmmage,
and. grabbing a fence stake, he sailed
forth to the assistance of Samp-
son But the cat was far from
being dead. The snake was squeez-
ing the howls out Of him and
pecklng away at him with his nose
but Sampson kept his head and his
eyes open for opportunities to turn the
tables on his adversary. The chance
> came. The mother of the kittens came
down from the rock to gather up her
children. The snakes attention was
attracted to her and it turned its head
: That was all that Sampson had been
looking for. Like a flash his teeth
went into the snake neck. There was
vicious shake or two. the snake
BODY unwound and Strengthened out
= and the jig was up with him. For sew
:. eral days Sampson showed the effects
% of the squeezing that the snake had
given him, but a little careful nursing
. brought him around all right and he
lived to fight many times more.
Last summer, Sampson took flying
lean out OF the attic window of the
Kitchen farm house. Mrs. Kitchen
opened the window early in the day
for the purpose of airing the room.
Near the window stood an elm tree,
the branches of which touched the sill
Of the window. By the way of these
branches a monster milk adder crawl
ed into the attic and along in the af-
ternoon Sampson happened to be
prowling around that part of the house
He ran across the snake, and without
any preliminarics started in to ami
hilate it. The milk snake is an arranl
coward, and it was not inclined to give
bat tn tc SamDSOp