Connecticut western news., 1911-07-27
THE BIG SNAKE
Monster That Terrorzed Sandtown in
 the Old Days.

l Falls Village, and which not only fright ened the dwellers in the neighborhood of Sandtown, but even terrified the rail roaders who used to see it dragging its awful length across the tracks.
 The sequel to the snake story came out in February, 1879, when the skeleton of the snake was discovered in the hollow of buttonwood tree by a couple of wood choppers. The New York papers sent reporters up to write up the circumstance and the following is the Suns version
 The 22d day of February is day that never passes unnoticed by the people of Falls Village and the several adjacent Canaans. Every recurring birthday of the man who could not tell a lie fills them with wonder, and even astonish- ment The secret of this feeling on their part probably lies in the fact that the present generation of inhabitants is an exemplincation of the results of careful education in the art of telling snake stories aided by capabilities transmitted from father to son, through successive generations. This art reached its culmi- mating point some twelve years ago,
 
 story teller came forward and distanced the Puny efforts of all competitors. He Is still living, but his subsequent efforts show that he touched the zenith of his power only long enough to tell one story. The story was told all over the country, and was translated into every language that has a literature, but it will bear another repetition.
 The champion was going to visit his sweetheart in one of the southernmost of the Canaans and had got as far as crossroad that runs from a point near the burying ground to the road from South Canaan to Falls Village. This road skirts the edge of a large swamp. It was dusk on Saturday evening. When midway between the two roads he was startled by rushing sound, like that produced by tornado sweeping over a forest. He glanced around ana saw the small trees by the roadside swaying, and out of the brush glided the black body of a monster snake. The head of the ser pent had disappeared in the underbrush on the opposite side of the road before its distant tail was dragged into view. This sudden appearance and the at tendant noise so frightened the horse that he dashed into an uncomfortable canter, and the driver had all he could attend to without paying further heed to the snake. Lest he should make some error in calculating the size of the ser pent, he did not tell his experience till he had seen by daylight the track the monster had made in the sand. This he did when he returned from the visit to his lady love; he gave it as his solemn Judgment that the track was as large as would have been made by dragging a ten-inch saw log across the way.
 The story was repeated for the benefit of the neighbors and before 1t was a week old, no less than three other per sons had seen a snake of gigantic pro portiOns-it might not have been this identical serpent, but it was a creature of extraordinary length and diameter. When the story appeared in the news papers all these observers had seen the monster.
 Some of them had followed it with guns. and spikes and an engineer on the Housatonic road had reversed his engine to avoid getting his train entangled in the serpent's folds and each of these observers, including the engineer, was published as a candid and conscientious bperson who would scorn to stretch the truth. About six years ago his story was revived, with some. additions, though not improvements, and again it went the rounds of the press.
 Last night the New York newspapers arrived containing a sequel to the story of the long distance champion. It went on to aver, in modest way, that as two wood-men in the swamp were saving a log, the saw struck something hard. The story continued that these two honest wood split open the log and laid bare some 2z feet of snake. 1t added that the tail of the snake occupied that part of the hollow of the log which would have been among the leafy branches had the tree been standing. The story was in the form of a dispatch dated Poughkeepsie. The people of Falls Village and the several Canaans read this story without comment. Several of them assembled at the village bar room to exchange opinions and specu- late.
 "Rearin' and plungin,' tail for'ard into buttonwood tree, and penetratin' so far that he stuck thar till he starved to deth. By gum I'd like to git a sight at that PoughkeePsie feller," exclaimed the one who was first struck with the improba- bility of that part of the story.
 The Sun reporter could find no one who knew anything about the skeleton until he came to the railroad repair shops, where a man was found who prom ised to prove a bonanza of information.
 Snake! Oh yes. He was found in the swamp in the holler of a buttonwood tree by Kelly and Smith-tail for'ard :; measured about P feet-Prob'ly backed in thar when he was chased-bones six inches through an hard as a stone-sent to the museum of nat'ral history"
 Good who told you about it3 When did they find him?"
 Last Saturday-Read it in The Sun"
 The reporter will be permitted to de part from this town tomorrow, now that he has solemnly pledged himself to re turn by way of PoughkeePsie and make diligent search for that PoughkeePsie feller" and send photographs of him to 1 the prOminent-and it should be saip not wholly Crushed-snake story tellers in the several Canaans and adjacent ham lets.
 "Yes; was once engaged to a duke.