The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1921-07-21
SNAKE STORIES.

..- 'niOt.l- after. supper cje.rs ani
Ii' subject tui.'O g. "~uaFo-." II fe
not ID .i..-.'t ~r't.ct. Hrt Il jlrlim-
snake .N n,.i told wiz hold one g
I>tt' ."n. 'N.r, i.N people know it.'
Iremark,d 'n' -,r'l,Wau. "blt uot
/ more ihan tnro" Out of our whol.
/ family of native snakes are posiuu-
.ous." John Dieblcr. an authority on
Isnakeology. challenged this state
mcnt promptly. THAT is all stuff
Iabout certain kinds of snakes not be
ing able 10 kill replied Mr.. Diebler
Ihey al" all dangerous, because if
one OF any kind ever bites me Tm 90
ing to he right down and die on the
spot"
"All snakes DO not kill with their
llanSs,' remarked Bob Oliver who had
Joined the crowd few minutes be
lore. When / was boy my father
sent me and 4 small colored bov down
IN 81 Held on the back of III. planta-
tion TO do some plowing. II was aIonp
about eleven O'Clock in the mornln.,
Whcn the sun was getting not. and as
plowed up and down the rows I
uled to think up some excuse to
knock off till later in the afternoon.
All al once the boy who was plowtng
/ III the opposite row gave a veil like
"a Conanche Indian. He broke into
4 1un and began yelling at the ton
OF his voice. Fer de- lords sake. looI,
what snake ! looked, and there
Just in front Of me between the rows
WAS the largest and longest snake l
ever behcld. | stopped my plow and
started toward him, when ms snake
snip seemed to give his body slight
SNAKE and before | realized what was
happening he was right in front of ne
not over six or seven feet. with his
head and body standing straight M
in the air at least four feet high He
had flat head and to this very day
| can see that sharp tongue of his
darting in and on, of his mouth fo,
several inches as he hissed at nae. II
vas TOO much and | backed away
Wien l had put a safe distance bc-
tween me and thar snake turned
round and l believe broke th,
worlds Sprinting record across that
, field. The negro was nowhere ir
sight. came 10 a rail fence and il
occurred TO me that could take q
good stout rail and kill that snake
BY this time my courage had return
ed. and Seizng a raIl ! Went back and
there stood the snake in the same po
sition in which | had left him His
head and body was four feet in IN,
air. supported 10y the lower end of
his body. which formed graceful curls
on the ground. He was in q bellec'-
eul attitude and as approached hm
with the rail | saw that he was pre-
pared for fight.
Again and again. like flashes of
lightning, his tongue darted in and
out. Pcrspiration began 20 pop out all
over my body in great big drops and
tE, thou-ht flashed through my
mind what Il fool J was 10 come back
there 10 do battl" with this monster
apprdachoG him cautiously and Just
as his huge body began to frCublr
and sway back and forth for what
concluded was to be leap toward m"
| came down on him with ihal rail
Tho rail broke. but when I'm, battle
was over his suaktShip lay dead ar
my feet. | tied rope around his neck
and dragged him home. II was coach
whip. and when. nay father measured
him he turned TO me and said.
ELEVEN feet and seven inches.'
The silence thar followed tl,
telling of This thrilling suak, story
was broken by Jno DieblDr -Th.
man who tells good snake story"
SAID Mr.. Dieblcr. subjects himself ,o
certain amount of suspicion. and .s
am known as truthful man J al-
ways hesitate to relate this thrillae
experience Some years ago when th.
water in Little Pee Dee was very low
Z | went down TO the river 10 catch
some fish in a lake had been watch
ing for some tune. The water in the
/ lake was so low that | went around
and took out from under stumps ana
logs with my hand some OF the finest
red breast you ever saw. ! was having
huge sport. II was pretty sight to
see those great big perch almost as
large as your two hands floundering
about on the bank. i came 10 an old
stump on the edge of the lake, and
running my hand under its roots
began TO take out some extra large
perch. They were SO large that ! had
tc exercise extreme caution in grip
ping them with my hands. All at
once one Of the largest water mecca
sins YOU ever saw stuck his head out
10 within few inches of my face He
was vicious looking snake. but |
took my hand and pushed his head
gently to one side. Again he swung
his head around to point where 1t
interrupted me in my work and once
more took my hand and pushed his
head gently to one side. related
this incident TO Mr.. w j. Carter
"NOW look ont John" said Mr. Car