Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-09-30
THE MARTYR SNAKE.
He Swallowed a Stick of HallowelI
Quarry Dynamite
Then lie Allowed Pste Smith OF Manch, sief TO
Strike Him.

al hfi'N 49, sNHllAi. INA " III -
down ter the OIL cloth factory at Bailey
yIile, don't YEP asked maa from out
Manchester way. We'll. Pete won't be
in town for some time In fac he's pretty
close ter climbin' the golden stairs now
Pete, he's met with q judgment, an IL
mure'n half serves him right.
"Petes all thunder on snakes, an I've
known him to cut a whole afternoon :
work cause he heard there was lot uf
snakes somewhere aroun. waitin' ter be
killed. Pc.e clubs EN-, always. an he
amt ter be beat fer skill at snake club
bin by any man. woman OF child over
Manchester way.
We'll. Pete was comm home from
work. night before last. when he sees A
5-foot adder skin out OF the brush onto
the road RICH, In front OF him. Gee vol
lops,' almost yels Pete. You're my
meat, Mr. Snake Then he grabs n Big
club OFF the road and advances on the
snake. Mr. Snake lays there quiet like
just waitin' fer Pete ter come up. He
never even moved. which certainly DID
confuse Pete, who amt used ter seem
snakes take their execution so quietly.
So Pete manoovers a bit, and makes a
couple OF fake passes al the snake ter
learn his intentions. The snake wrggles
around some. but don't shown no fight.
In fac it seemed ter Pete as though that
snake was a would be suicide, an was
invitin' him ter put in the death blow.
"'Well. Mr.. Snake says Pete finally.
Yer game is a new one ter me, but Yer
determination is decided on, an Provi-
dence has Selected Pete Smith as the
humble instrument Of His will
Then Pete rushes up and brings that
club down kersmash on that snake :
stummick. The next Pete knew he was
sailin' through space. He heard ter.
rible noise like keg of powder explodin' 4.
an far he could reckon. he WAS
goin up and goin up like he was tach a
to a balloon. Pretty soon there was a
turnin point. and Pete began ter fall
again. He came down so hard he sho12
the very ground. an he declares he don I
know what KEEP his vitals in. There
wasn't sight of that snake. save his
head, an Pete says he distinctly MOTTO ii
a grin on il. He seen a big hole in the
ground, and then he rolled over an for
got everything.
When we found Pete he looked az
though he'd been stamped on by a he'd
of wild horses He was mashed most Il II
and was disgracefuly naked. Some Of
his clothes was still on him, but heap
more was ciingin' ter the branches 81
surroundin trees. He was cut up all over,
fun of bumps and bruises. and most all
the bones in his burned old carcass WAS
bust. When he was braced up sutiicie II
ter talk. he'd a been marked as the bi
49, f..,
that there hole in the ground and the eV.-
dences that he'd been mp i'll the air.
Il amt blamn' some of you fer the
looks yer wearin' at this precise minute.
cause | felt the same way when | heard
the story. but there's more comm that:
convincin'. 1t seems that down ter the
Hallowell quarry bout mile from where
Pete met the snake, the foreman left SIX
sticks Of dynamite in an open box When
he come 10 take a stick out for a bias,
he found there was only five. There was
a search but the missin' stick weren't
found. Now the theory is that that there
snake eat the missin' stick, Swallowin' i
whole, snakelike, an was digestin' il
when Pete come along with that fool no
ton bout bein' the instrument of Provi-
dence in his head. Pete himself has got
a theory that beats ALL though. He says
there amt a man in Maine that knows
more about snake character than he does.
an when l seen him, this mornin, he
said:
".Cy, I'm thinkin' that snake was the
instrument of Providence. not me I've
been a murderin snakes fer 20 years, an
it plain ter me that when an adder in
vites death without a struggle. like that
one did, it's with purpose. Cy,' he says,
lowerin his voice, that there snake was
a martyr. He swallowed that dynamite
and then come out in the road and laid
there fer me ter soak him. He sacrificed
himself fer the good of his race, KNOWN
me ter be the gold-dangdest best snake
hunter in these parts. His heroism ain
ter go unrewarded. Cy. fer | swear that
if ever git outer this bed. I'll never kill
another snake. an that goes. too, Cy.'