Year: 1874

Death, In n RattIesnake.


From the Springfield Republican,


Across the Westfeld river, where il
rolls down among the rocky hills oi
Berkshire, just before it sweeps out
upon the plain to join the smooth Con-
necticut, there is a mossiye stone dam.
The vexed waters beat against it; il
never trembles. They seek to burrow
beneath; its bed is upon the very bones
of the everlasting hills. A few of the
topmost waves look over the brink and,
pushed by those behind, fall white and
shivering down the abyss below But
those that brawled the loudest as they
rushed down the mountains, and rallied
at the stony barrier with many noisy
echo, just bruise their sides against the
steadfast wall and glide submissive
through hidden culvert, glad to escape
by toilsome service, working an under
ground passage for themselves through
the iron wheel of Jessup and Lahin's
paper.mill. Here is one of those rug
ged Businesses that seem more and more
out of place amid our allconquering
civilization, but which will remain wild
and rugged till every valley shall be ex-
slted, every mountain and hill laid low.


AMONG SUCH soLlTUDEs,


rough, rocky and unsubdued slowly
sinking crests of dead and dying noun
tain chains-are still found, from time
to time, dark witnesses of creation fate
full mystery, loathsome reptiles bearing
death in their fangs, malice in their
hearts and rattles on their tails While
the workmen were building this mill at
Salmon Falls, on the Westfeld river, one
of these crawling outcasts of creation,
descendants, no DOUBT, of that "pesky
sarpent" renowned in Springfeld's 8 an
cient ballad, crept unawares within
reach of his hereditary foe. AS his
great ancestor was merciless, so we're
his captors. He was beaten with clubs
and mauled with stones till he lay limp
and lifeless, but horrid STILL Brought
thus near the building, be was laid prone
upon a piece of timber, an object of Gu.
riosity and merited disgust At length,
moved by that caution which breads a
fallen foe, or by strange though not
uncommon spite, one of the men chop
ped off the head-the fiat, evil skull, the
hard flmy eyes, the jaws closed grimly
upon the cruel fangs within-chopped it
off and brushed it away. Later, the en-
gineer coming out thought to save the
taper chains of rattles, a CHASTITY me.
mento But those had just been severed
from the lifeless trunk which still lay
bruised and bleeding where it had been
thrown.


AMONG THOSE LOOKING on,


boy stood near in homespun dress,
stout boots enveloping his pants. A
gray-haired denizen of the region, draw
ing nigh, bade the youngster stamp on
the serpents tail Nothing loath, the
heavy boot came down where the rattles
used to grow--came down and, straight
way up it came, while a sickly pallor
blanched beneath the tan and wholesome
dirt. No wonderl The spirited, sly
snake" had been drinking sunshine, as
he lay outstretche1. and, mangled as he
was, had gatheaed strength to resent the
insult, as instinct prompted him.
Quicker than a liberated spring his
headless trunk struck the offending boot
with the same malicious violence, as
when the poison fangs were set erect to
do its fatal bidding Happily, the head
was quite severed from the body, and
lay in the dirt several feet away.


It'snot pleasant to tread on a sprightly
rattlesnake, even though one wear thick
boots and the reptile has neither head
ror tail. So these unscienti6c investi-
gators


PURSUED THEIR EXPERIMENT


with a piece Of board, but twas quite
conclusive. Every time the smaller end
of the body was struck the other retail
ated with a spiteful blow. Surely
strange phenomenon, from which many
interesting theories might be drawn
aside from the obvious caution-don't
handle rattlesnakes till their heads are
taken off; but who shall say what occult
law of life's deep mystery is shadowed in
a fact like this2 AS often as that ghast-
ly carcass coiled and struck the offend
ing boot, so often, and at the selfsame
instant, the grim, repulsive head, lying
discovered in the dust, opened its jaws,
the deadly fangs protruding, and closed
them with a snapl Again and again,
this was done till the broken and divided
or was it the Indefinitely extended2-
ghost OF the reptile, at last departed.


Whoever wishes to satisfy himself of
the truth of this relation can easily do
so. Always the belief or unbelief of
those who do not care to investigate is a
matter of no importance.