Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 November 1874 — How They Played It on Dougherty. [ARTICLE]

How They Played It on Dougherty.

One day last week four or five Detroiters went into Macomb County to shoot squirrels and kick their shins against logs and fence-rails. They had just eaten a cold lunch in the- woods one noon when one of the party, a young man named Dougherty, stretched out on- his back, pulled his hat over his eyes and gave his mind up to the work of assisting his body to catch a little rest. The remainder of the party, having an understanding beforehand, quietly withdrew, one by one. One.of them passed around to a bush near Dougherty’s feet and took a tin rattle-box from his pocket. Another stood close to the young ifr&gi’s legs and in a suppressed voice, when was given, whispered: “For Heaven’s sake! Dougherty, don’t move so much as a finger! A big rattlesnake is right under your leg!” Dougherty was flat on his back, eyes covered, arms sprawled out, and his voice trembled as he replied: “ My God! what shall I do?” “ Keep perfectly quiet! It is your only hope! If you even raise a finger he will dart his fangs into you!” The man with the rattle-box gave it a shake, and reached out and laid a club across Dougherty’s legs, while the other man moved off about twenty feet and exclaimed :

“ Heavens! What can we do? If we shoot we may kill Dougherty!” The club was rolled off on the ground and the victim whispered: “ For mercy sake, kill it!” ‘ The club was rolled over his legs again, the box shaken, and the man whispered back: ”Be quiet or it is instant death! I think the snake wants to go to sleep, and ■if you will keep still you will be all right.” , „„ • , f *4 - The box was shaken, [the club moved jarounef, and finally the “ snake” seemed to Dougherty to settle down on his breast. He dared not whisper for fear of rousing it, but one of the men called <out:‘ ' - ■ “ There! it is asleep! We*ll move away and wait for it to glide off!? The whole crowd moved over behind a bank ancTlaughed and. tolled and tore up the dfrt until they Were exhausted,* while, poor Dougherty lay there like a log, not even daring to. draw an ordinary breath. The sweat ran down his -face and started out from his body until his shirt was wringing wet. The fellows took their guns and tramped away, leaving him,thus, and were gone an hour and a half. When they returned Dougherty was sitting up,’ having discovered the jokfe about"five minutes previously. He didn’t have a word to say, but there was a whole unabridged dictionary in his eye. Thejf spoke to him. hut for an answer he rose up, shouldered his gun and made ar bee-line for the highway, and none of the party has met him since.— Detroit Free Preet. ~

An Aberdeen preacher recently commented in the following complimentary way upon the conversational value of men and, wo men: “ There is the same difference between their tongues as between the hour and minute hand—one goes ten times as" fast and the other signifies ten times as much.” —The tea -crop of Japan last season amounted to 19,854,000 s all of Which the United States imported.