The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-07-07

AND CAPTURED
MONSTER PYTHON, THE TERROR
or YEARS AT eARNssvilLE.
OHIO, IS DEAD.

4
being caught near GAINESVILLE is liter.
ally true. Mr.. w. H. Hague, OF the
East End. who spent several days
with his relatives in the Ohio town,
says the capture of the snake.created
a lot of excitement. 1t Is presumed
to have escaped from wagon of the
Van Arnberg circus wrecked thirty
years ago near Barnesville. Two py-
thons escaped. and one was captured.
For years farmers had been com
planning about loss OF chickens. etc.
One day last week farmer came to
GAINESVILLE and described to Harry
Ice Pearl. former circus man, now
employed in Reads harness shop. a
terrible incident he saw on his farm.
He declared he found monster snake
swallowing a chicken whole.
Pearl Declares Intentions.
Now Pearl. who Is cripple and
walks with two crutches. knows all
about circus snakes. He said:
Il will get Mr.. Snake. All want is
a buggy whip and a blanket"
Pearl drove out to the farm before
daybreak Sunday morning. because his
knowledge Of the habits OF snakes
told him that the monster would be
out at sunrise for breakfast. After
sighting around the premises few
minutes Pearl saw Mr.. Snake emery
i inp from a ctu~n ~ syraoc IIa III
lieved until that moment that the
story Of the farmer was an exaggera-
ton. He confidently expected to see
a big snake, but not one SO terribly
formidable as the monster python he
discovered. Realizing the futillty OF
his coping with the reptile unaided ne
called help, and sent farmers boy
to GAINESVILLE. two miles away for a
big bottle Of chloroform. Then Pearl
sat down to watch the snake and fol-
low his movements. The reptile
roved about sluggishly. and fortunate.
ly for Pearl did not seem suspicious
until the return of the farmers lad
with the chloroform. accompanied by
a young man who worked on an ad-
Joining farm.
Snake Grows Alarmed.
Suddenly becoming apprehensive
Mr.. Snake moved rapidly towards
two or three logs. He. crawled along
side of one of them and waited. AT
this juncture Pearl got busy. Drop.
ping to his hands and knees he made
for the snakes head, keeping his
movements concealed on the other
side of the log. Just as he reached the
creatures hiding place the reptile
raised Its head high in the air, and
with a shrill hiss darted its ugly nose
towards its hunter. Pearl, with an ex.
pert toss, threw the blanket over the
python's head. There was tremen-
dous struggle. and for time the
doughty man was in quandry. He
called Justify for the chloroform, and
succeeded in pouring the whole bottle
over the blanket where the snakes
head was enmeshed. After few sec
onds the struggle ceased. and present
ly the python was stlll. Pearl wrap
ped it in another blanket, put it in a
big sack and brought II to GAINESVILLE,
where he put 1t on exhibition Fourth
of July, charging 10 cents a peep.
Killed BY an Unknown.
The python was killed by an un-
known party with a club sometime
Tuesday afternoon. Pearl feels his
loss badly. His wife died about two
years ago. and he has been too poor
to buy a monument for her grave.
He said he knew exactly where he
could sell the snake for at least $3.50.
and It was his firm intention to dis.
pose of the reptile at once and apply
the proceeds to the purchase of suit
sble monument for his wife's last rest
Ing place. Why the snake was kill.
ed is not known. When Pearl went
to look at 1t about 6 o'clock Tuesday
evening he found a bar OF its cage
broken of, and the snakes head
crushed. A big club at the side OF
the. cage was found spattered with
blood, showing the manner of its
death. The python was over twelve
feet long and six inches thick. II
has subsisted on dogs. small pigs,
chickens and geese for several years.
Z 4 ;. &