| Show another snake story the following snake story was told to us by a gentleman in whom we have every confidence and we hope our readers will not reflect u ion upon pon his veracity by doubting its accuracy although though we will not ourselves our ours elres selea vouch for it farther than as we said before that our informant form ant has too much respect for truth to endanger himself in those sulphurous flames unto which hamlet and doubtless several other others since have been commuted by relating a miserable canard he hadaa wras aras called upon the latter part of last week to visit st louis and on ois his return home stopped at a little station known as ramsey about twenty miles west of terre haute on the terre haute and alton railroad the second day after his arrival in the village a man who had been hunting brought in the news that he had discovered a huge hue ge snake but 0 on n discharging his gun at it h his is retreated to his abode within a cliff of rocks this statement confirmed what had bad previously been related by an old settler in the village which was that while gunning near this identical spot thirty years ago be he also surprised an enormously large snake which at approach had bad sank away in the same sarae manner the latter story has been repeated so often that the villagers regarded it as a fabulous narration inasmuch as the reptile bad never been seen but once and then by only one person the second time however had its effect and the truth of the matter the vil lagers la 0 ers resolved to settle A detachment of young men accordingly visited the locality and by dividing their force into squads they commenced the work of watching the hole bole out of which the snake if snake there was had in case he wished to enjoy the beauties of the outer world to emerge for three lays days and three nights 11 a biblical coincidence in the case of jonah did they keep their weary vigils and dis heartened they concluded that unless something should turn up or come out by the evening of the fourth to abandon the search and credit themselves with being hoaxed individuals but bat ere the allotted time had waned they were gratified by the appearance of the foul thing which they had come ia in search of slowly it arett crept from its hiding place and as it aware that danger anger was lurking near thrust out his tongue in a defiant manner and in a language peculiar to snakes hissed a warning that be he was monarch of all he lie surveyed but a ball sped from the rifle of an unerring marksman proved the superiority of the human to the brute creation and without a moments notice the monster was called upon to give up the ghost the excited detachment drew him forth and judge of their at surprise ir rise at finding him twenty one feet in lenaw length the old farmers story was verified and the snake now dead andin and in captivity was wait without doubt the same be he had seen thirty years ago ao it was found to be a rattle rattie rattlesnake inake and its extreme length from head to tail tall was twenty one feet six inches and the greatest diameter of body eighteen inches it had bad one hundred and eleven rattles which would make its age one hundred and 14 years as they get a rattle annually after attaining three years the snake was conveyed to town and has since been visited by tremendous crowds anxious to satisfy them selves of what at first seemed to be an abshir absurdity our informant further states that after being skinned and stuffed it was eighteen feet three inches in length and can be seen by any of the passengers on the above road if th they thet y choose to step on the platform at the station C cincinnati commercial very large but bat our readers must remember that these are not the days of small things and ordinary tales attract little or no att attention elation |
