The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-09-29

She called to her father to come
kill it. He came with a hoe, but
after seeing the snake decided it
was too big and serious looking to
tackle with a hoe, so called to Mr..
Patterson to come with his gun. After
being shot, it acted like the others
and stuck it's horn into the earth.
Both these snakes are described as
being six or seven feet long and as
large as a mans leg at the knee.
Their bodies resemble a rattlesnake,
except that some six or eight inches
below the neck there were stripes
! that run up and down, and their
heads are thick from top ITO bottom
instead Of being broad from side to
side. The horn on the end of their
tails are something like a cocks spur,
except larger, and in the end of the
horn is stinger. Without exception
every person who has seen one of
these snakes describes it's horn and
stinger exactly alike.
Fight With Tail.
County Auditor N. A. Christopher
once killed a horn snake and his wife
also killed one. While their son..
Ernest, was hoeing in the field once,
he dug snake from under root
The snake Immediately wrapped It
self around the hoe handle and struck
the handle with it's tail several times:
This is the one that .Irs. Christopher
killed. Ernest Christopher is now
manager of Benson's store in Pick
ems and he also distin city remembers
this incident that happened when he
was a boy.
Mr.. Wade H. Chastain killed
horn snake when be was boy.
Sheriff Roark killed a small one on
Wolk creek near Pickens last July.
W. W. Aiken saw one that was killed
on his place above Pickens several
years ago.
Mr.. Aiken also tells us that he dis
tinctly remembers hearing his moth
er tell of seeing snake rolling like
hoop. Mrs. Aiken did not hear of
| this snake but saw it with her own
eyes.
Mr.. Alonzo Pace tells us that
when a young man he was fishing on
Twelve Mile river with several COM
panions and they saw: snake rolling
| like hoop. When the snake reached
the shrubbery near the river bank
it Strengthened out and was killed by
Mr.. Pace and his companions. 1t was
horn snake and Mr.. Pace described
it's horn exactly like others have de-
scribed them.
| Fastened TO Tree.
]. L. LaFoy, who is now an old
man, says he killed horn snake in
the Travellers Rest section of Green
vile county some 80 years ago. The
snake was after a dog, but was
crawling. Mr.. LaFoy also saw a
horn snake fastened in a tree on
Mr.. Marion Hunts place on the Cox
bridge road about 20 years ago. The
snake had thrown its horn into the
tree and could not release it. When
! Mr.. LaFoy saw the snake it was
dead and the leaves of the tree, which
was known to have been alive short
time before, we're withered.
All of the above testimony is by
Pickens county citizens who are abb
solutely honorable and reliable and
whose veracity can not be questioned,
and we submit that it is absolute
proof that the horn snake does exist.
! We have heard of others who have
! seen these reptiles, but we are not
publishing any hearsay evidence at
all, and, besides, we believe the evil
QoQce We nave pIOUuCeu IS SuLlCieul.
! There is no doubt but there is such
a serpent as the horn snake and that
it has been known to make hoop of
itself and roll like one, notwithstand-
| ing the fact that so-called herpet-
ologists fail to mention it in their
books, and the learned editor of the
| Columbia State has never seen one.
We trust that this evidence is also
sufficient to make believer of the
editor of the Greenville Piedmont.
He is a good fellow of Pickens coun-
ty and he should give us credit for
| our snakes, too.-P5ckens Sentinel.