Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 199, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 August 1910 — SNAKES IN SPORTING CLASS [ARTICLE]

SNAKES IN SPORTING CLASS

Pennsylvania Reptiles Make Good at Fishing Trout—Also Attack Farmer’s Pigs. Altoona, Pa.—Two recent incidents prove the Blair county snake to be in the sporting class, though not always quite lucky in his hunting and fishing experiences. Before returning to the city from his summer home at Royer, Postmaster George Fox of this city went down to Piney creek to look for trout. j As Fox was crossing the bridge he heard a commotion at the water's edge and, looking down, saw a water snake trying to swallow a seven-inch trout. Procuring hlB landing pet, for he is a noted fisherman, Fox, assisted by George D. Cook, a Harrisburg merchant, who has been his guest for several days, landed both the snake and the trout. The snake never let go of the trout until a cudgel landed on its neck. The trout later made a nice meal for an Altoona friend. Only the day before an Altoona railroader discovered the same snake, an old inhabitant of the pool, devouring trout, but the reptile got away. Its chief diet for a long time has been trout, it being an adept at catching them. Hearing a pig emitting unearthly squeals, Harry Jones, a farmer, near Ebeusburg,, hastended to his pig stye and was astounded to find one of his pigs encircled by a blacksnake and slowly being squeezed to death. Jones grabbed up a rake and killed the reptile, which measured six feet four inches in length, four inches in diameter and 12 inches in circumference.