The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-08-14
A HARVEST OF SNAKES.
This Years Stories Threaten to Break
 All Records

|
 All Records.
 The harvest of Pennsylvania snake | stories this year promises to break all
 previous records, but the snake crop is
 being harvested as well as the crop of
 snake stories At the Glenolden snake
 farm, in Delaware county, Dr. McFar-
 land, of the Medco- Chirurgical col-
 lege, has an extensive and interesting | experimental collection of living cop- perheads, rattlers and other venomous | serpents One of his rattlesnakes
 measures eight feet in length and foot | in diameter Once a week Dr. McFar- | land manages to obtain from this mons | ter snake enough poison to kill a thou | sand people, Capturing snakes for |, Dr. Mcfarland has become a business | on the Loyalsock, where rattlesnakes are so numerous this season that many woodsmen have quit work for fear of being bitten. As many as sixty rattlers have been killed near one camp in that
 region. Most of the shipments of rat tlesnakes from the Loyalsock are made from Pine station, but over four hun dred rattlers and copperheads were re-
 
 the snake farm at Glenolden. While catching snakes on the Loyalsock for Dr. Mcfarland J. J. Gardis was bitten on the hand by rattler. He plastered the wound with chewed tobacco and, putting the finger in his mouth. suc- cessfully drew out the poison.
 This years snake stories nearly all relate some eccentricity on the part of the reptiles. Benjamin Vanuoy. of West Falls township, Monroe county. while driving to Milford came across rattlesnake four feet nine inches in length. It had eleven rattles. This snake was evidently fond of spring chicken, for, after killing it. MT Van- noy found that it had its fangs fastened in young fowl,
 At Pine Grove church, Perry county, snake made its appearance among the worsblppers while they were at prayer. It was not dangerous reptile, but it caused a panic in the church. Near Salladasburg the four year old son of Luke Olmstead, who was picking ber- ries in field, complained that some thing had stung him. The swelling soon showed that it was the sting of rattler. Mrs. c. H Bussom, of South Williamsport, was attacked by five foot rattlesnake while wheeling a baby carriage in the street. This huge snake coiled itself around her ankle and was to strike when she thrust>a parasol through the squirming coils and thus loosened its hold. As soon IS she was free she ran screaming down the street, but number of boys took up the battle and succeeded in killing the snake. Near Hanover, however, q | woman, Mrs Anna Haverstock, had the | to kill a huge blacksnake. | Less fortunate than either of these wo- | men, Miss Mary Kegerrels, of Fannetts- | burg, Franklin county. was so un nerved by seeing snake crossing her | path while she was making her way l across the mountain on a bicycle that she fell from her wheel and may be crippled for life.
 In the South Mountain, over which Lees army crossed on the way to Get tysburg. there is famous backsnake known as the Mont Alto monster. It was already a good sized snake at the lime of the battle of Gettysburg, and low 1t is described by the mountaineers IS being as thick as stovepipe and | ong accordingly" The monster was ast met by pr. w. E. Holland, of Fay ,tteville, while driving along the Funkstown road. The reptile was stretched in the dust across the road At the sight of it the horse Dr. Hol- and was driving became frantic. but instead of attacking the plunging ani- nal the snake curled ito the under rush and slowly crawled away. When he doctor told of his encounter a posse f mountaineers started In pursuit of | he monster. Armed with guns, they owed that the snake would not escape hem this time and they succeeded in nding the reptile The snake was evi- ently expecting them. for it received hem standing erect on it's tail end. lenacing them with noise like tlJat of I 'crazed bull in fight" One of the ( osse Bill" Smith, fired. and then the ,, hole party beat a hasty retreat. At c lst accounts the Mont Alto monster | as still unhurt. f After reading the story of Dr. Hol- q nd's encounter with the Mont Alto Il onster, one of his neighbors wrote to The Chambersburg Repository in de- ,nce of that much abused reptile, the