Evening journal., 1910-08-05
HUGE SNAKE IS
TAKEN ALIVE
Montana Sheepmen Have Hard
Fight to Bag Is Foot
Reptile
IS NEITHER BOA
NOR AN ANACONDA

BUTTE, Mont, Aug. 5.--The story
OF a sensational battle between two
sheepmen and a mammoth snake.
cmanatng IRON Laurel, a remote sec
ton of Montana I'm the Little Pryor
Mountains, has caused statewide in
teIest among naturalist and 9TH
ers.
The huge reptile. larger than any
ever before located In this region aud
of a species as yet emit ely unidentl-
fed, was taken alive after q thrilling
hunt In wild mountain ravine wither
L. N. O'Dell and j. W. Vaught had
been guided by a number Of terror
stricken Indians whose superstitioua
fright sent them fleeing from the
neighbOrhood long before the actual
capture OF the snake was accomplish
ed. The reptile Is IS feet in length
and weighs 200 pounds. Around the
body it measures more than Is inches.
J At different times In recent years
/ 0'Dell had heard from the Indians of
/ the strange monster that made ito
home in a wild canon a few miles
from Laurel, but until three braves
returned recently from the vicinity.
bringing and terror-stIicken, he
thought the story had its birth in
the superstitious imagination of the
redskins. Their fear, however. was
so sincerely genuine on this last occa-
sion that he became impressed with
the remarkable tale and, after enlist
ing the aid Of Vaught, started forth
last Thursday with a party of In
dams as guides.
Caught In q Gunnysaek.
Arriving at the entrance to the
canon the swarthy guides, deserted
precipitately. and O'Dell, with his
white companion, ventured into the
narrow ravine where a large hole en-
tering near the top of a ledge covered
with slippery shale rock and innumerr
able trails leading In all directions
from its mouth gave unmistakable
evidence of the presence Of some Gre
ature Of unusually heavy proportions.
Cutting a square hole several feet
back from the entrance to this wild
abode, they discovered the coils of q
monster even larger than they had
been led to except by the supposedly
exaggerated stories OF the Indians.
AS the snake started to leave the
entrance ODell threw a gunny sack
over its head while he clasped his
arms about the throat and one Of the
weirdest struggles ever recorded in
l Observation-Disclosures AllMdlN WdH On Dath
! aud forth over the narrow ledge the
| huge brute writhed and twisted, final.
! ~ tightening its sinuous coils abou
\ the hips of ODen until he WAS hfte
= several feet from the ground. Waugh
r answering the shouting instruction
of his gasping cox1npanion, seized u
IA snake by the taif>2nd forced II
81 release It's hold up6N ODeh. 4
ut strange contest continued for alm'
rs three-quarters of an hour >nsf1ore
I'd two men succeeded IN tirirs--~--s
ma snake. Then they bundled him into
is sack and took the wringing creatu
Ie- TO Laurel as living proof oil The
Is- strange story.
ne Eighteen Feet Long.
Ist When measured it was found th
ly the reptile is slightly more than
es feet in length, eighteen inches In eli
n conference and weighs 1856 pounds.
II. is marked by large dark mahogar
le spots, outlined with lighter colors an
10 extending across its back in oblon
10 shape. Its sides have a mingling {
g brilliant brown and white. and its bel
e " Is white. Its method Of KILN
prey Is apparently by construction. bu
> the spots are not the shape aud col
or Of boa, nor is il an anaconda, a
its body is much too large.
O'Dell, who has had long exper
fence with snakes Of all varieties does
not believe the reptile Is a native
of Montana. but thinks that II has
drifted here from the Sierra Nevada
Mountains, as he has heard that sew
eral such snakes have been seen here
The Indians claim the snake has been
seen IN the Little Pryor Mountains for
more than 20 years and have asso.
ciated its doings with the actions OF
the EVIL one" O'Dell does not be.
lieve another snake Of this size can
be found in the state and will present
the huge pet 20 the Society for the
Preservation of Natural History IN
/ Montana.