Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 July 1878 — A Snake Story. [ARTICLE]

A Snake Story.

Jennie Wurtz, a German girl of New York City, who is summering at Shohola Creek, and her cousin, Miss Wolf, went trouting in the Shohola on Tuesday last. At about four o’clock in the afternoon, having caught nearly one hundred trout, they started for home by the way of “Ball Hill,” a place noted for its rattlesnakes. After they had walked about half a mile, Miss Wurtz stepped upon an object that moved and threw her down. Regaining her feet, she saw two large rattlesnakes, ctawling into the rock and underbrush. She had stepped upon one of them. With a stick that she had seized, Miss Wolf cut one rattlesnake in two. Miss Wurtz struck at another, but missed it. The snake that Miss Wolf killed was five and a half feet in length, and had thirty-two rattles. The girls took the rattles and continued on their way to the summit of “ Ball Hill.” Hefe, while resting, they heard frequent and distinct rattles from the foot of the hill. They walked to the edge of the summit and saw that the rocks beneath them were covered with rattlesnakes. Gathering together a pile of -stones, they threw them in quick succession among the reptiles. Ten minutes later not a live snake was visible. The girls descended, and found ninety-eight dead snakes, measuring from two and a half to six feet in length, and from three to thirtyseven rattles. Tying a string to two of the largest, and, dragging them along, the girls reached home at about dusk. On the following morning two neighbors brought from the den the remaining Falla {.Fa.) Car. N. Y, Sun. —Bishop Burgess, the newly-elected Bishop of the Diocese of Quincy, 111., is a stately gentleman, In freight an inch over six feet, and of commanding presence. He is now fifty years old. « —Dr. Haley, in advocating spelling reform, sa y ß that 30,000 duplicated consonants appear in every copy of the London Times, exactly one-half (15,000) of which are totally useless. —Miss “ Little-Women" Alcott is said to be suffering from overwork.