Waterbury Democrat., 1902-10-23
BATTLE " It'll ADDER
Rich Prize Secured by a Connecticut
& Snake Hunter.
when He Had the Reptile by the Tail,
and Three Other Men Took Hold
1t Still Put Up a Tremen-
dous Fight.

The largest adder ever caught IN
Connecticut has, according to the New
York Sun, been taken alive by Otto
lehman and c. E. Potter, of East
Glastonbury It is ten feet and more
in length and weighs IL pounds.
The East Glastonbury country is
very wild. Cat House Mountain, where
the adder was caught, has deep ravlnes
in which the sun never shines. AS
years sometimes go by without man
entering them they are a paradise lot
reptiles. The mountain gets It's name
from little log house where trappers
Lived years ago when hunting wildcats.
No man had entered the particular ra-
vine where the big snake was caught
in ten-years.
lehman found the other day skin
which measured eight feet IN length.
It had evidently been discarded recent
". Knowing that snakes with new
skins are tender and sore, he thought
that the time had come for capturing
the reptile. Sohe Immediately organized
a party which included Tax Collector
Douglas, farmland named Kinney
Potter and himself. Alongin the after
timber. 1t was just Is feet in front of
him.
About the time that lehman discov~
cred the snake the adder became ac-
quainted with Lehmann's presence. 1T
started to run toward the rocks ahead.
ST thought he was going mile min
ute" said Lehman. He made wild
dive and grabbed the adder about six
inches from the tail. The snake didn't
stop, though Lehman, who weighs TO
pounds, held on. It pulled him right
along to astone wall and went through
a crevice.
ST braced my head against stone
and got new grip said lehman,
s.and hollered for help. Potter is bit
| deaf, but he came to my rescue Z.
Potter got a hold on the snake just
below the head The Others of the
party got a good hold, too. The adder
/ squirmed and many times nearly got
away The four. men We're knocked
i over, but they held on. Potter kep4-a
tight hold effthe4s max e''s wind and in
time had him tuckered. Tie fight had
I lasted for an hour, when the snake was
4 put in a box III 5s
'sHe Kissed and screeched like sky.
rocket going off, Z said lehman.
"It sounded like escaping steam to
me-" said Tax Collector Douglas.
! eve would never have got him alive
in the world says Potter, 'sbit for
! the fact that his skin was tender and
| he couldn't stand being hurt like he
/ could if his, skin had been on months
/ time.
/ ssThe snake is fine buff color
marked with black. He is remarkably
/ strong and continually shows his re-
/ sentiment Of continent ent BY Kissing and
| splitting. All the scales Of his nose are
worn off Ay, ,hisraft eHpts to push his
head through steelswire netting over
/ his cage.
TO make the days sport complete
the party brought in three rattle
snakes. One had nine rattles, another
i II and the largest ~. These snakes
were four and five feet long. Lehman
is an old snake hunter. He has captured
j 200 rattlers in the last four or five
X years, and all Of them were taken on
i Cat House Mountain. Notwithstand-
4 ing the great number he has captured
/ lehman, believes the country is over
j run with them yet. "They multiply very
4 fast he says. 81 captured RATHER
recently that had 25y oung ones"
ut is a common belief that snakes
she'd their skins once a year" added
Lehman, .'but they shsl them oftener
than that. This describing of the old
skin always follows a hearty meal Let
snake eat rabbit, as they will, or a
chicken, and they take them into their
system with one bite, and Immediately
afterward they shed skin. I've killed
Y rattIers and opened them up and found
a whole squirrel. I've tried to fathom
It out how they could take SO large a
food morsel at once, but they cam
Several geological societies have
made offers for the big adder, as it is
believed to be the finest specimen in