The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-09
BIG SNAKE IN DEPOT
REMAINED OVER FROM FES
 TIvAL SIDE-SHow.
Colored Porter Found It and Assis tant Baggage Agent Mckinney, with Iron Bar, Killed It
 Measured Seven Feet.

"Oscoe," the dainty snake-eater who charmed rural visitors during the Fall Festival last week by snapping on the heads of coacn-whips and testing her pearly teeth on elastic in the garter snakes, did not altogether deplete her pantry of reptiles while hero. one' at least, escaped her pearly teeth to fall before d commonplace iron bar-to die an ignominious death in the mus;y baggage room at tho depot yesterday morning.
 Alas, that d snake should thus die who once let slip an opportunity to expire upon the altar of fastidious feminine ap- petite in the full glare of the gasoline lamps-amid the plaudits of cheering thousands!
 When "Oscoe" departed last week from Montgomery she carried With her basket-a large hamper basket-closely covered and apparently very weignty. Porters who handled the basket at the depot conjectured as to the contents. One said it held the lady's wardrobe. Another vowed it contained the money taken in at the box office where "oscoe" had per formed. Neither guessed right The basket held snakes. Of course, the parties didn't know the basket held snakes--they handled the basket.
 One porter put the basket on trunk In the baggage room. Another orusR@i by and inadvertently tipped ie over .at fell to the floor. The cover wis derEffhfg ed. Of course, they didn't know sSse cover was deranged-they picked the basket up and sat it again upon the trunk.
 Then they all departed from the room. Departed and left the basket with the deranged cover.
 Not longer thereafter the cover of the basket began to move. It was a deranged cover, you know It moved some more. Then a pair of beady black eyes, urged with red, peeped forth from the basket. Followed an instant later a diamond shaped head, which opened anon to emit a forked tongue, darting in and out like miniature lighting. Followed another in stant later twelve inches of slate-colored body, round and gistening as though it were bespangled.
 More body. More, and yet more glided over the edge of the basket and down upon the trunk. silently. like stream of dark liquiG. Seven feet Cf this swarm ed out of the basket Then the bull snake was free. He paused for breath a moment and. silent yet, glided from the trunk to the floor. And vanished.
 "Oscoe" came for her basket. The porters put it aboard the car. One de- clared 1t had grown lighter while resting upon the trunk. The others lauBneu.
 This was days ago. Yesterday porter the same, perhaps. who tipped the bas- ket and deranged the iid-opeGed ,H0br to the storage room above the baggaRe office-opened the door but closed 1t agatn Quick There was something in thel storage room. Not the porter. Oh, no. tI was the bull snake, torpid from feast of rat and doZing full length upon the floor.
 Ten minutes later the porter regained control of his voice and limbs. and his hair resumed it's knks-the icicles having unchanged from his veins. He shouted to Assistant Baggage Agent William Me Kinney from the end of the depot opposite the baggage room. It was hoars fearful shout, but the agent made out Snake up stairs." in the cry.
 Armed with an iron bar the agent eau tlously entered the storage room. Seeing the bull-snake asleep he attacked it and soon had it slain.
 The ambulance came and hauled the porter to the hospital where new black was put on his face. The depot police man uupllod the riot in the colored wait ing room. The bull-snake's carcass was put on ice and "Oscoe" was notified by wire that she could, at her convenience, send the butcher to draw and quarter it into outlets.