Year: 1879




The prevalence OF snake stories
this season, and the seeming favor
with which they are received by the
intelligent public, induces the Jour
nal to print the following narrative.
II the story seems improbable we can
only say the season has been prolific
of improbable stories. This one Is
respectfully dedicated TO the editor
OF the Cincinnati Commercial, who
has lately intimated more than once
that Indiana snakes are not up TO the
average of those in other States:


Robert Sculin is country peddler
and huckster, who makes his head
quarters in this city and travels
through several adj ling counties.
His business is selling tinware, in ex-
change for which he takes rags, old
iron, and anything which he thinks
has merchantable value, however
small. He is a cooper by trade, but
has been peddllng ever since the pan
ic Of 1873 His father is an elder in a
Presbyterian church in jefferson
county, and the family were reared in
that faith. Ia his business he some
times accuInulates considerable
quantities OF farm produce butter,
eggs, and the like-which he sells 10
city grocers. He is so we'll known as
an honest man that the grocers who
deal with him are in the habit OF
taking things almost wholly upon his
representation. About three weeks
ago be sold TO a Massachusetts, ave-
hue grocer basket OF eggs, said to
contain seventeen dozen. When
counted out there were only fifteen
dozen aud three eggs, leaving twen-
ty-one unaccounted for. The next
day when he called for settlement,
the shortage was mentioned, and he
denied il. One word led 10 another
until he and the grocer nearly came
To blows. and Scullin finally drove of
without a settlement. His business
took him to Hendricks county. One
day last week re stopped TO water
his horse, and as he was getting into
the wagon his attention was arrested
by a peculiar singing sound. AT first
he thought some wandering child
was playing on a jewsharp, but he
soon became convinced this was not
the case. The sound seemed to pro-
ceed from the rear OF the wagon. and
Us he walked around, it seemed TO
conc nitrate in an old stove which
was lashed on behind. The stove
was one procured from farmers
wife near Noblesville III exchange for
tinware. Not having q: convenient
opportunity to dispose OF 1t, Scullin
had been hauling it around for some
time, AS the sound seemed to pro-
ceed so directly from the stove his
curiosity led him to open the door.
While doing this the singing, which
hitherto had been OF a rather spirited
character, changed 10 low, monot-
onous sound between the cooling OF a
dove aud the pnrring OF a cat. Soul
lin says his first thought was that
swarm OF bees had taken pos session
OF the stove, but as he saw none OF
these in the air this supposition was
soon dispelled. Meanwhile, he had
unbuckled the leather strap which
confined the stove and opened the
door. Here We quote his own Ian
guage: Il declare 10 you l never
was so scared ia all my born days us
l was when i opened that stove door.
What dye suppuse it was? There, In
"A nest scooped out in the ashes. lay
black snake at least five feet long,
and nearly as big around as my arm,
with his head lifted up right in the
middle of coil and looking at me
more like devil than BEAST Be-
fore Scullin had recovered from his
surprise the snake commenced gill
ding into an upper compartment vi
the stove, and as it did so he was
dumfounded To discover the nest full
OF hehs' eggs. He had presence OF
mind enough 10 count them, and was
further amazed 10 find there were
twenty -one-ju Just the number missing
from mis- basket fortnight before.
This accounted for the shortage.
Scarcely had he finished the count
lug when the soake glided down
again and coiied itself on the nest.
Scullin has a nervous affection In the
left eye, which, sometimes causes him
TO wink involuntarily. He says as he
gazed at the snake after the latter
had comfortably coiled itself again
on tie eggs, he felt his left eye lid
drop and. immediately the snake
winked its left ye at him with an
expression altogether unhuman.
Scullin says they winked at each
other as much as minute and half
or two minutes, though it seemed like
half an hour or more 10 him, when he
closed the stove door mounted his
seat and drove on. That nil. ht he stop
ped at the house OF a Quaker named
Hamilton. All night he saw the Wis
ion OF that snake, and was framing
an apology to the Indianapolis grocer
with whom he had had high words