Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1909-08-19
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ChlorOformed The Snakes.


called at night to 90 into what was known
as the Black Forest Region, where Weed
& Co., have several large lumber camps.
The Doctor owns velocipede truck,
which he rides over little narrow guage
railroad used to haul logs out of the
woods. He can ride within two miles of
the camp, these last two miles being COW
cred on foot by way of zigzag path
through the woods.
He always carries small lantern, which
when he rides his velocipede car, he
hangs on the front as headlight. One
night he received a telephone message to
come TO the forest TO attend a woodsman
who was very i'll. ltwas almost midnight
when he left home. Al the end OF the
run where he left the car he detached the
lantern and carried il in his hand. In his
other hand he carried medicine case,
which contained, among other things, a
pint bottle OF chloroform.
AT a point along the way the path runs
through small clearing, where once the
stable of lumber camp stood. This is
now grown over with crop OF grass
nearly foot high. DR.. Delaney had just
stepped into this graSS-covered clearing
when he was startled by the sound of a
snakes rattle al his feet. Involuntary
he leaped forward, landing almost in the
center OF the grass plot, when to his hor-
ror he heard a chorus of rattles. The
sound seemed to come from all sides.
He dared not move lest he step on the
venomous snakes, and to stand still
seemed almost as perilouS.
Lifting the lantern above his head so
that the rays be cast in radius covering
the grass plot, the Doctor found himself
practically hemmed in by snakes. He
saw no less than dozen of the Serpents
and every one of them had risen TO a
height so that their heads were from 6 to
10 inches above the top of the grass.
Turn in any direction he might, he foun d
himself confronted with the ugly head OF
one of the venomouS creatures. Some OF
the snakes were within four or five feet
of him, but none appeared TO move, ex-
cept as they swayed theirs heads in a
rhythmic movement that set the Doctors
head awhirl.
He dared not move, yet he found him.
self growing sick and faint from anauSeat-
ing odor that arose from the ugly reptiles.
The snakes evidently were drawn to
the clearing from the woods and il was
his luck TO walk into this charmed circle
and become prisoner.
But bright thought struck him. Ly-
ing within reach OF him, half-concealed
in the grass, was piece of bark, proba-
bly, three feet long. Wrapping a hand
kerctief as while he still held aloft the
beacon light, he saturated the cloth with
chloroform from his bottle. Then
cautiously poking the bark at the heads
of the rearing snakes, one after another,
again and again-occasionally renewing
the satMation-he finally had the satisfac-
ton of seeing the snakes begin slowly
and drowsily TO descend into the grass.
Their rattIing, which had leSSened from
a shrilI whizz TO lazy buzz. finally
stopped altogether, and inside OF 10 min
utes the Doctor had conquered the whole
Gordon Of reptiles. Then he proceeded
TO the camp.
From there three men with torches
were sent back to the grass patch to dis
patch the snakes. They found the rep
tiles in half-dormant condition. When
they cleaned up the bunch they had just
10 rattlesnakes, among that number two
Of the variety, each Of which measured
over five feet in length.