Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-06-28
YOUNG wOMAN,s EXPERIENCE


YOUNG WOMAN'S EXPERIENCE
To have been bitten by rattlesnake
and then chased by an infuriated bull
was the experience OF 17-year-old Sarah
Brandt, daughter of a farmer three
miles south Of Galeton, Pa. Miss
Brandt had been on visit to cir.
friend over toward the Kettle Greek
region, several miles from her home,
and was accompanied by'a fox terrier.
Returning toward evening her attention
was attracted by clump OF wild roses,
from which she was minded to pluck a
bouquet to carry home.
The flowers grew on an embank-
ment almost as high as the girls head,
and it was with considerable difficulty
that she gained position from which
she was able to reach the coveted
rosies. She was compelled to cling to
an alder bush with her left hand as she
reached to pluck the blossoms with her
right hand.
The little dog ran up toward the rose
clump, gave a queer little bark and
scampered back into the road. The
girl thought nothing of the dogs un-
usual action, however, until an instant
later, when, withoutwarning, n big rat
tlcsnakc sprang from its position near
the wild rosebush and sank its fangs
into her bare arm an inch or two above
the wrist.
The girl was fully mile from the
nearest house, and started on run
to reach help before the poison be-
came scattered through her system.
A few rods farther on she came to the
meadow of a neighbor, and by cross
ing this field she could shorten the
distance by almost quarter of a
mile. She scaled the fence and had
gained portion of the distance across,
when she heard the below Of 4 bull,
and, to her terror, found that she was
being pursued by the angry animal.
Her little terrier. however, saved the
day for her, as he ran toward the
advancing bull and put up such a
lively bluff that the attention of the
big animal was temporarily diverted
from the girl in an attack upon the
dog. By this time the screams Of
Miss Brandt had been heard at the
farm house, and several members Of
the household ran to the girls rescue
just rs the bull left off his unsuccess-
full attempt to impale the frisky little
dog on his horns and had returned to
the pursuit of the girl.
Fortunately for Miss Brandt. the
household in which she had sought
refuge was provided with q prepa-
ration to overcome the effects OF 4
snakes bite, and the administration
OF this saved her life, but she was
dreadfully sick for As hours.
Miss Brandt is peculiarly unfortu-
nate. She was with her brother on q
deer hunt last fall when at y point in
the woods where he had stationed her
on a runway" good-sized black
bear suddenly emerged from thicket.
She became alarmed at the bear, fear
Ing to shoot lest she should aggravate
it and it should attack her In scampcr-
ing from the stump upon which she
was standing watch she fell aud sus-
tanned a broken wrist, her rifle having
fallen upon it with violent force as
she pitched headlong to the ground.
In the meantime the bear had been
hiking away through the thicket as
fast as his legs could carry him, and
though crippled, Miss Brandt succeeded
in firing the gun the given number Of
times for the prearranged signal Of
distress, and her brother, who was
scarcely quarter OF mile below her
on another bench Of ridge, started to
find her. He came face to face with
the bear as the latter was streaking for
the tall timber, and one shot from his
rifle sent bruin to the dust.