The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1907-10-03
MOTHERS LIPS SAVE
SNAKE BITTER CHILD

st. Louis. Sept. Soften three times
by a copperhead snake. one of the
deadliest of American ophidians, little
Gertrude Waters. the 2-year-old daugh-
ter OF DR.. HI. B. Waters. Of 3o41 Nor
gan street, owes her life to the devo-
ton and rare presence OF mind Of her
mother by applying her lips to the in
juries.
Mrs. Waters and her little daughter
were on a visit to the home OF Mrs.
John McMakin. Mrs. Walters mother,
ION a farm a few miles south Of Dixon,
Mo.
Mrs. Waters was sitting on the We
..randa OF the house. talking with her
mother while b little girl played in
the garden.
For a monen the child wandered
around the corner Of the house and
WAS out of sight OF it's mother.
Suddenly the creams OF the child
brought Mrs. Waters to her feet in
terror. She ran around the house and
found Gertrude on the ground and
close to her a snake coiled, striking at
her repeatedly. It's head shot forward
with deadly precision, u Its TAI IS. by
good fortune. did not enter the child's
flesh at every stroke, else there would
be a different tale to tell.
Attacks the Snake.
Z Frantically the mother dashed at the
snake, which glided away, and Mrs.
Waters graspsd her daughter up and
ran to the house.
There mother and grandmother barred
the child's leg and above the shoe top
found three punctures In the tender
flesh, where the snakes fangs had en-
tered.
The leg was beginning to swell, and
the agony caused by the poison made
the screaming child writhe.
Without hesitation Mrs. Waters APP
piled her lips to the fang wounds and
drew forth blood and serum. AS she
spat 1t out 1t was discolored with he
venom, which had hardly had time to
enter into the circulation.
Time and again she sucked the
wounds until she was exhausted by the
effort and the emotion the terrible
event had caused, when her place was
taken by her mother.
Meantime doctors had been t~elephoned
for. but before they arrived the child's
limb had begun to swell, and this con-
tinued until 1t reached her body. when
the skin began to turn black.
Two Chickens Used.
Mrs. McMackin had two chickens
killed and split open, and the warn and
still quivering bodies were bound upon
the wounds
DR.. w. F. Rolens and DR.. l.. E. Rolens
of Dixon galloped from town to the
farm, and saw at once hat heroic meas
ureS were necessary to save the life of
the child, as It's breathing was begin
ming to be labored and the heart action
had almost ceased.
They We're afraid to administer whis-
ky to a child so young. but resorted to
other powerful stimulants, in the mean
while lancing the punctures, when
again Mrs. Waters heroically applied
her lips to the wound and drew the
venom out.
For several hours the child did not
rally, but gradually under the powerful
medication it recovered until now it is
well out of danger.
Remarkable Recovery.
This is the more remarkable. as the
venom of he copperhead is generally
deadly, even when Il enters ::tc tie
circulation of an adult in such a guam
bite.
While Mrs. Waters was engaged in
Withdrawing the venom from the bites,
Mrs. McMakin went in search of the
snake, which she found hiding beneath
a rose BUSH.
Aiming herself with a stout switch
h bravely attacked 1t. the usual an
tipathy and fear which a woman has
for a max giving way to anger. The
copperhead coiled itself and showed
fight, but the brave woman drove It
from cover n attacked it again and
again. and although the reptile re-
turned the attack she succeeded in kill.
ing If