AT WEDDING SUPPER.
A O i-. . . i . .
"oooaiiM I LU BY BRIDE'S RE
JECTED SUITOR.
A GIRL GAMBLER.
ALL
nH inarco from a Shotgun Kill,
Frank Wnllter nn.l Illn llrlilv, n,cn
tho Murdcrrr, Chnrlc ICiuihln. Ink
llln Own Life.
went In search of the assasFtn. but nr.
traco of Jihn could bo found. Soon nttor
Cook returned to tho houso tho renort
01 a snot waa heard. It sounded no If
it was u quarter of a mile away. Short
ly afterward angry and excited farmcm
arrived and oreanlzcil n. nnean An.
other shot was heard, apparently com- ''"""Jr Timt mm
irom 1,000 tn 93,00(1 mid No Amotion
Will Klio Meet tlm Unl 13ml iif
I'mruiuanly Women T
SHE HAS ASTONISHED
HANDS AT DAWSON.
(Special Lcttcr.i
A girl gambler Is tho latest sensation
lng from near the gate, but In the ex
cltement of tho moment no Attention
was paid to It
As Bnllev Hall n nrlrhlnf
1 , - n wv , 1 uni, m
i1 rank Walker anil Ida tirMn nt n tho hansr liU imran ctniMn.t
, 11 I ' "Mimuau it
nouns wero nssaRslnntoi. iiv nimHni dark oblont which tho man tnnu
. . - - - - " j uiiKi ivj-i " - - - - - .. uun i 1 . a I v v I'll,
fiiiuur tor 1110 vol nir "us uijuii uihiiiuiiiiuuz no (lismrflrpii in nnu-c,. o, i 1.. ...
woman's hand, whltn i,nt. ,.,, that It u-nH n,n i.n.iv nt i.im .." u" . ' ,a..u'" 10 cura
Inn nmi tni.i ' '. . : n -.T,:.. .... ' . . . . . . . ' . . "ur Ica ai "o earning tables
.j Hniiit iiii-rrv nr r n i unii. niii iiiiu liiiil 1 11 1 wnn n nn rir ma hni 1 iitrritti ..
ing supper at MontgimVr Mo., the -as blown off. He had "kiiiVd "hlmiolf reXs Zing SSSZtS hardS
uw t-tcning. a chi.d sitting next to wm cunning ingenuity. Ho removed sinner who has made gambling his life
HhHCn ,.WM h,Jl,red by tho fatal J 0 81,00 "ni1 8tockl"B frn 'ls loft long profession stands by In wonder
nnot. Rankin fired tim nnninm. .if n foot, tore tho rim from hi tmi iinL.n,t tvhiin m. -i-i ..
nimin.... .1. . .....o .. - - - ...... ............ w u hlll llila ficiinuaiir.cu
niioigun through a window opening ono cn over "Is urcnt too, fastened tho Dawson wins and loses by turns Tho
.-w... ,u,g roo:n mio 1110 yard. Ho UU,UI ' l"u trigger or ins otiotgun. namo or thl3 pcttlcoated plunger Is
tnon committed sulcldo with tho l'laceJ '"c muzzlo of tho gun to his Hoso Francos Ulumnklu. Miss Dlumn-
......pu.. n,i,cn 1:0 nau ti3cd with such '"'""m ,nnu pui;cu tno trigger by "in is n plunger in very truth. Tho
terrible effect. It was well that tlm moving his feet. other dnv shn lost s.mnn nt n, in,r,in
H.U11UJ1 ns a iormcr suiter of Mrs. ""i exceedingly risky gamo called
Walker and It Is surmised that he was 'craps." And that samo nlchl slio
actuated by his lnpa.no lovo -mid Jcnl- "lcnt tho bank" by no less a sum thnn
ousy. After committing tho murder 15,000. Two thousand dollars won or
ho wandered away nnnarcnlly undo- lost In a nluht Is nothing nntiatmi mr
emeu ns to wnoro 110 should kill him- mo girl rambler, whoso loams mid
self. Finally ho returned to the scene Bains nro Just now tho nbsorblng themo
of hb crime. All of tho victims came 3 conversation In tho frontier town
irom promlnant and highly resnccto?
families.
"UMU men rounu nankin dead. A
more determined nnd angry crowd
never gathcied In that section. On tho
body of tho sulcldo was a photograph
i mo woman he had slain and tho fol
lowing note:
"T.'rlr.,,,!,
""""" '"'i may mink mo
strange, but It is nil my fault that this
nas Happened tonight. It is my own
unwuruuness that causes this rash act
W I M 1 ri frifl .1 1... . . . .
CHARLES ItANKIX.
I will close with a request that
brother Odd Fellows bury mo by the
1 lies or that sacred fraternity. Good
my
SAW A DEVILFISH LEAP.
The Sight Was Hit llnrrlblo IIo lU-rnmr
Uii('onrlnii.
When a youiisster I was homeward
bound from Santa Anna with a cargo
of mahogany and when off Capo Cam-
pceho was 0110 calm afternoon leaning
over tho taffrall looking down Into tho
blue profound on tho watch for llsh,
writes a world-wldo traveler In tho
Pittsburg Dispatch. A gloomy shade
camo over tho bright water and up rose
a fearful mon3tcr, somo eighteen feet
ncioss, nnd In n general outline moro
llko a Bkntc or ray than anything else,
nil excopt the head. There, what ap
peared to bo two curling horns, about
three feet apart, roso on each sldo of
tho most horrlblo pair of eyes Imagin
able. A shark's eyes as ho turns sliln.
ways under your vessel's counter and
lOOK.S llll -tO E00 If nnv OHO Is cnmlnr
uy iu an.anii especially my homo folks aro ghastly, sreen nnd orno lint 11, ic
for I expect I shall ko to hell for this thing's eves wero nil this mill nm nli
deed, as it makes two lives unhappy, more. I felt that tho Uook of Hovola-
uhu 1 win cna this world of misery for tl0 v.-ns Incomploto without him, nnd
us both." his gnzo haunts me vnt. Aitiinni,
Walker was a younsr nnd Industrial flulte sick and clddv ct tlm skriit nt
mniier nnu .miss .Maude CJoshort, his ehcij a hogoy, l could not movo until
bride, was tho daughter of W. a. fio- the awful thine suddenly waving whnt
short, a prominent farmer living near I seemed like' mighty wings soared up
nellcflowcr, a small town near Mont- out of tho water soundlessly to a
sundry, u ney camo to Monteomerv neigiu or about six feet, fa nc ncnln
In the afternoon and wero married with a tremendous splash that mlirht
nt the Methodist parsonage by Rev. B. nnvo boon heard for miles. I must havo
fainted with fright, for tho next thing
I was conscious of was awakening un
der tho rough doctoring of my ship
mates, bince then I havo never seen
oiiu leap upward in tho day t me. At
night, when there is no wind, the
sonorous splash is constnntlv tn im
ieui in mo heads of Doth Mr. Wnlkor "cnni, although why thoy mako that
nnu 1110 nride. Neither uttered a sound hat-Hko leap out of their proper ole
mr woven a muscle. Their lianas meni is not easy to understand. It
dropped on their breasts nnd their des not seem possible 10 believe such
bodies remained rlrtldlv iinrlcht in awe-lnsnlrlni: horrors rnnniiin nf i,in..
... ' " ---0 - . . ..
uivir tnuirs until lomnvpii ninn,i nil ramboiinir.
1 town, by the way, so accustomed to
sambllng topics that heretofore it haa
aot roused itself to unwonted Interest
:n them. Miss Ulumpkln Is unmarried,
mu was an actress before becoming
io mratuated with faro that she nad
glittering eyes turned to tho stacks o
gold beforo her and the cards an they
aro dealt out upon tho groa, Will
tho girl gambler of Dawson contlnuo
in her reckless devotion to tho god of
cuanco, or will sho provo tho ono cx
ccptlou to tho rule of women gamblers
and forsako tho haunts of dissipation
ocioro mind and morals aro lrrctrlcva
bly wrecked? Which fato Is In storo
for Miss Ulumpkln tho suicide's fare
well to tho world, tho lonely cell of uu
asylum, or timely rescue of mind, body
anu sour;
JAPANESE CRACS GAME.
Som tn tlrenm f Nothing Hut Flghtlnc
ntiti Htiumoty l)ctlRlit In It.
Tho most savngo specimen of tho
crab species Is found In Jnnan. seem-
lng to dream of nothing but fighting, to
aciignt in nothing half so much. Tho
mlnuto ho spies another of his kind ho
scrapes I1I3 claws together In rago.chal-
ienging him to tho combat. Not a
moment Is wasted In preliminaries, but
at It thoy go, hammer and tongs, it
sounds llko rocks grinding against ono
another. Tho sand flics ns tho war
rlors push each other hither nnd thither
until at last ono of them stretches him
self out in tho sun, tired to death, llut
ho does not beg for mercy or attempt
to run away, only fcobly rubbing nis
claws together In deflnnce of the foe.
Thnt foo comes closer, nnd with his
claws trembling with Joy nt his vic
tory, tho conqueror catches hold of one
claw of tho vanquished crab, twists It
D. Slpple. They then returned to tho
uomo or Mr. Cook, nn Intimate friend
of tho groom, where thoy were tendered
a reception. At tho supper hour.whllo
tho wedding party was In progress, n
shotgun was Ilred through tho window
or tho dining room. Tho shot took ef
flowed In a stream from tho head of tho
bruie and llllcd her coffeo cup beforo
her body could be taken away. Neither
regained consclousnesj. Doth died al-1
most immediately.
Mr. Cook's child wa3 only slightly
Injured. .Mr. Cook took his gun nnd
ROSE BLUMP j
A MAN OF IRON NERVE
WAS RICHARD FISHER, A MINER
BURIED ALIVE.
Inil Hmnthornl lijr Falling M.iit, Which
n ill i-inioniil Mntn. lie Cnnlil Not
Itomovo Until Drnth Cxme Ho
Cticcrrd Woulil-llo Itetcntr.
This Is tho story of n bravo man,
who was burled allvo. Ho lived for
nearly two days whllo entombed 300
.cot below tho surface of the earth,
ivlth thousands of tons of debris nbovo
aim. Too courageous to despair, ho
hoped almost against hope for resciir.
Too Iron-willed to give way to foar,
ho maintained a cheerfulness almost
phenomenal during U1I3 ordeal, tho
norror of which cannot bo surpassed
oy any other mnn'n experience. Ho
even so far controlled himself as to
actually say to hla resrucrs when thoy
nnu ,iug within 50 feet of his lmprla
iiu'd body, "Tnko your tlmo, boys."
Ho wns suffocated at tho end of .10
hours, without having uttered a com
plaint nt tho rnentnl and phyclcal ng
Uiiliupiiy Cnlnoltluiicc.
urcuuor 1 wouldn't ask for tho
money ir I wasn't awfully hard un.
Debtor And If I wasn't awfully hard
up, you should havo It. Curious co
incidence, Isn't it? Boston Transcript,
EAST INDIAN HORROR.
SWINGING UPWARD.
Many of the moro Ignorant classes in
Cast India hold that their sufferings
md slcknesa como upon them bc
;auso their deities aro displeased with
them. So, In order to propltiato thoso
:ruel deities, tho relatives of the sick
will visit tho temple nnd by offerings
try to appeaso their wrath. Bloody
offerings aro bollevcd to bo specially
pleasing to these deities.
At certain festivals held in honor of
tho goddess Bhndra Kail, In Travan
coro, South India, tho most strango
md striking form which theso sacri
fices tako Is known ns hookswlnglng.
Tho devotees have Iron hooks Inserted
Into tho fleshy pnrt or their backs, and
aro then swung up in tho nir beforo tho
goddess. Tho Rev. Joshua Knowlcs, a,
representative of tho London Mission
ary society, witnessed several of theso
festivals, and tho 'following Is taken
from his descriptions of them:
" Tho whole nrrangemont
of the car was such that, by lowering
ono end of the long beam to tho ground
and fastening a man to It, and then
pulling down tho other end by tho
ropes, tho man could bo raised Into tho
f-V ilr a height of somo forty feet or moro.
v ) Tho whole cir, with tho man in tho
lr. could tlinn lin rirneepil hv thn thlclr
cablo ropes around tho temple. Soon
louowoii me heating of tom-toms, tho
screeching of nntlvo flutes, tho hhoua
of tho crowds. The canopied end of
tho long beam wns now lowered. The
devoteo lay prone on tho ground below
tho end of tho boam. Tho priests took
hold of tho flesh part of tho raan'a
back, squeezed up the flesh nd fast
ened two Iron hooks Into It. A rudely
fashioned native sword and shield
wero then given to tho man. Then,
whllo tho people shouted, tho ropo
fnstened to tho other end of tho
long beam was pulled down and tho
man swung upward Inlo tho air, wav
ing tho sword nnd shield and making
convulsive movements with his legs
as If dancing In tho air. With shouts
and cries, loud beating of tom-toms,
nnd screaming flutes, tho people took
hold of tho long cablo ropes and
strained and lugged till tho car moved
forward and mound tho tomplo. Somo
of tho men woro suspended whllo tho
car was dragged round thrco or four
times. I should think thnt from tho
tlmo tho hookB wero put In till they
wero tnken out half nn hour passed.
Finally tho dovoteo was lowered to tho
ground, tho ropes unfastened and tho
hooks taken out of tho flesh."
neither tho nmbltion nor tho will
power to forawenr tho demoralizing
Influences that hover over tho croon
cloth. Four months ago. before alio
went to Dawson. Miss Blumnkin con
ducted a diamond storo In Seattle. Sho
Uad appeared In vaudeville, and dc
elded to contlnuo her theatrical caroer
In tho Alaskan mlnlnir town, where
salaries wero said to bo dazzllnclv
high, and money ensler to mako than
at home, so tho pretty, adventurous
young diamond dealer betook herself
to pastures new. Snow pastures taty
were, but remunerative, nevertheless.
Then tho gnmbling fever got into her
veins. Now when this fever Hilda its
way Into a woman's veins. It Is iii-
vaTlably fatal that is, fatal to peace of
mind and tho moral sense, for It coos
straightway to tho brain of its victim,
minding her to tho consequences or
her folly, deafening her cars to tho still.
small voice of conscience. The con
firmed woman gambler Is a moro pltla
blo object than' tho mnn gambler, be
cause sho is certain to sink oventunlly
lo even lower levels of recklessness
and despair. When a man gambles ho
becomes as coldly metallic In his nerv
ous system as tho coin he covets. His
nerves, In fact, aro norve3 of steel.
When a womnn gambles sho becomes
hysterically excltablo In her ncrvoua
Bystom. Tho eventual result Is ono of
two things: sho either commits sui
cide, or Is herself committed to a mad
house, for gambling Is sure to shnttrr
her nerves. Which, then, will bo tho
fato of pretty Roso Blumpkln? Dawson
Is not concerning Itself with the des
tiny of its girl gambler. Dawson has
not responsibility In thn matter. If n
woman chooses to do startling things
that lead to mental, moral or financial
disaster, whoso is tho blamo? Sensa
tions of-tho girl-gambler kind aro rare,
even in Dawson, whoro sensations of
various kinds aro by no means lacking.
To Dawson Bho Is merely a new di
version. MIes Blumpkln is ono of tho
best-dressed women In tho vaudeville
world, and her good looks attract at
tention wherever sho appears. Her
luck as a patroness of tho green cloth
ennbles her to gown hersolf expen
sively nnd to wear many Jowcls. Her
winnings and her losses, however,
when bnlanccd, sometimes show a
heavy deficit; but that does not dis
courage her. When did man or wom
an, onco In tho fatal thralldom of tho
gambling table, tako warning from tho
downfall of others, and .break In tlmo
tho chains that drag them downward?
Well might the mother of this strange
ly deluded girl weep, could sho seo her
Jaughtor sitting tho wholo night
through, and seven nights In tho week,
it a table, surrounded by dissolute
characters, her feverish cheeks nnd
until It comes off, and bears away tho
palpitating limb ns a trophy of his
prowess. Such is a battlo between war
rior crabs.
PIKE MONUMENT.
Washington Letter: A memorial
statue Is to bo erected at tho national
capital as a testimonial of tho ScottlBh
IU'. Order of Freo Masons of tho
tveutheru Jurisdiction of tho United
States for General Albert Pike, who
devoted nearly half a century of his
llfo to their Interests, nud with whoso
namo tho order In America Is insepara
bly associated. Tentanove is at work
on this stntuo at Florence, Italy. Ab
far as may bo Judged from photographs
of tho model lately received from the
studio of tho nrtlst, this statue will bo
a noblo work of art and will long ro
mnln nn enduring monument of tho
great Mason whom It represents. It is
to be of bronze, royal size, belnir twolvn
foot in height, and mounted upon a
pedestal of granlto twenty-two foot
high, it will stand nt tho corner of
Indiana avenuo nnd D street, nnd It 13
estimated will cost, when comnloted.
nbout 415,000. It is to bo dedicated on
tho centennial nnnlversary of tho es
tablishment of tho first lodgo of tho
RICHARD FISHER.
ny of his fato. Surely this Is one of
ho most rcmnrknblo Instances of
aianly fortltudo over recorded. Tho
anmo of this hero wns Richard Fisher.
Io perished nenr Toinbstono. Ariz..
flctlm of a cavc-ln of tho Traunuallty
nine, whoro ho was working. When
ho crash camo Fisher was in an old
'stopo" of tho mine. Countless tons
Jf earth descended, carrying with them
Icutli nnd destruction, splintering tho
Jig mining timbers nH though they
xcro so many matches, and causing
tho ground in thnt vicinity to trcmblo
with tho violence of tho chock. Bc
acath this nwful nvnlancho poor Flsh
!r was caught. It scorned impossible
:hnt ho could havo escaped instant
leath, but tho minora Immediately
tfent to tho task of rescuing their un
.'ortunnto comrade. Dead or allvo,
:hcy would search until thoy found
ilm. After digging diligently for somo
hours they heard Bounds coming from
whero they had located ns poor Flsh
Jr'a tomb and toward which, thoy woro
working. Hope replaced tho sadness
In their faces, nnd they renewed their
sfforts with all possible speed. Could
Ihoy reach him beforo It was too lato?
Did and experienced handlers of tho
pick nnd drill woro there, nnd young
nen full of vigor. When 0110 worker
fell out of the ranks from sheer ex
haustion, nnother instantly look his
place. 'Ihrco hours more, and they
bad excavated through 20 fret moro of
fartb. Tho next four hours brought
thorn .10 feet nearer tho doomed mnn
ind then tho enve-in ground was en
Wintered. Headway hero was tedl
Diis, lietauso of the constantly running
land and dirt, which was removed a
last ns possible and "lagging" driven
jvorluud to hold tho superimposed
weight. Tho nenrer the miners camo
the inoro distinct wero tho sounds from
tho entombed miner. Tho men worked
Dii in desperate excitement. Twenty
four hours after tho cavc-ln thoy camo
within speaking distance of thrlr com
ado, now somo fiO feet or so away
Fisher, who wns a sturdy miner nnd a
typical Westerner who knew not tho
meaning of fear, said In his familiar
rolce, by way of greeting:
Hello! boys; you aro getting
loser. Tako your time." Asked If ho
was hurt ho nssuied his comrades thnt
ho was not seriously Injured, although
Partly crampsd. Rrnllzlng that In
tincertnlnty of his release from tn
blackness of Ills grnvo. During tbo
work of tho r iscuo nn occasional mes
sage of hope and encouragement wan
spoken through tho will to Fisher, nnd
each tlmo cm no n reply from within,
recognizing t lo speaker by hla volco
nnd calling him by namo. But thoro
camo not a word of complaint or Im
patience. Throo hours later 5'lshcr
said: "Boys, tho looao dirt and sand
havo been running down on mo con
tinually and gradually piling about
my head, but I think I can hold out
all right."
At this tho faces of his comrades
grew pale. They knew thnt ho was
being burled nllvc. Slowly tho sand
about Fisher plied higher nnd higher.
Presently It reached his neck, crept to
his chin, reached hlu llpa and then his
nostrils. At this supremo moment tho
workers without heard a sudden moan.
Repeated calls failed to bring any re
sponse. Fisher's soul had passed tho
portals of death, nnd a braver mnn
never nnswered tho final summons. Six
houra Inter tho minora rcaclud.hls
dead body. So compact nnd solid wns
tho looso dirt about tho Inanlmato
form that It required four bourn or
ccnsclcss labor to extricate it. Tho
funeral which followed mm attended
by every miner In camp, and waa 'tho
most Impressive one over known In
Tombstone.
GEN. ALBERT D. PIKE,
order, which wns Inaugurated at
Charleston, S. C and tho orntlon will
bo delivered by James D. Richardson,
member of congress from Tennessee,
ono of tho most distinguished Masons
In this country,
Hunt Indium I.uiirn i;n(;isi.
Ill many Indian schools now tho Eng
lish languago 1b being taught to tho
llttlo dusky subjects of tho omproas
queen. G. Gill & Sons of London havo
designed a chart for helping tho pu
pils to acquire tho Inngunge. Tho pro
nunciation of tho English characters
13 given in both Persian and Nngri.
HEARD A SUDDEN MOAN,
sndergronnd workings it is especially
hard to locate tho direction of the
human volco, ono of tho men asked
l-'lsher to tap tho wall with a rock that
his exact whorcabouts might bo better
traced, Then camo an answer which
ihowed the undaunted spirit and mar
velous fortltudo of tho impiinoncd
ainn: "I can't movo: am nressod
against tho wnll, with dirt un to my
ihouldcrs; can't stir my hands or
.'cot to make a sound; but havo plenty
Df nir and enn hold out until you
rench mo." This from a man who had
been for moro than 21 hours without
!ood or water, enduring tho cruel
jnngs of hunger and thirst: suffering
xcruelntlng pain from his crainned
poBltlon, without iiho of nrm or limb;
writhing from contortions of bodily
pain from tho crushing pressuro upon
him while pinioned to tho wnll; under
going mental anguish nt tho frightful
PLAYED SEVEN-UP
tin Ilia llody of Tlulr lliutl Comrniln
Thin Kocplnc 11 -,iniiiiit.
Washington i'ot: ' l hnvo ccen
gambling In nonrly all Its forms.'
said an old employe of tho postolllco
department tho othor day, "but 1 think
tho moat unique performance I ovor
witnessed along that lino was n gamo
of soven-up during tho civil war. 1
waa a member of 1111 Ohio rcclmont
thnt had a part In somo of tho llorecsst
fighting of tho whole four yenrs' strug
gle. Among my comrades woro throo
privates who wero devotedly attached
to ono another. They wero tho ArnmlB.
Porthos and Athos of tho regiment,
with d'Artagnnn left out. Durlnir tho
dnys In camp thoy wero Insoimrnblo
and thoy spent most of their tlmo nlnv-
lng seven-up. They did not gamble,
for It Is doubtful If tholr friendship
would hnvo remained ns steadfast If
money had been laid on the cardB. Tho
trio made a compact, which was BWorn
to ovor a drumhead, that If ono of thorn
was killed lu battlo the remaining two
would play u gamo of seven-up on his
dead body. Of cour3o tho agrecmont
was mudo with nil tho daro-dovll 'care
lessness of tho Boldlor, but It wbb ns
binding ns if It hud been an oath
bound pledge ou a moro sorloua sub
ject. Poaslbly they never thought thoy
would havo to execute It. At any ruto,
it wns known throughout tho regiment
that tho contract had been mnrto, and
It wnB the subject of moro or less com
ment. But tho tlmo camo when tloy
wero called upon to perform tho agroc
ment. It was at tho bloody battlo or
Stone rlvor thnt ono of tho triumvirate
died with a bullet through hla heart.
Ho was ono of tluuo chosen to add to
tho awful enrnago of tho day. Then
camo tho opportunity to sco tho truo
metal of the soldier of that day. Tho
other two carried tho body of therr
dead comrndo off tho field when tho
fighting was over, and laid It In tholr
nt. I was thoro when thoy camo In.
They looked nt tho lifeless form for a
long, long tlmo, and at tho samo mo
ment each looked at tho other. 'Got tho
cards, Jako,' said ono. Tho pack was
produced, tho cards woro Khufllcd and
dealt. Tho faded blue coat of their
comrade, with tho bullotholo through
tho chest, was tho table on which thoy
played. Tho tears rolled down tholr
checks so that thoy could hardly seo
tho spots, and tho cobs ntillcd their
voices until they could not say wheth
er thoy 'begged' or 'gave.' Thoy played
tho gamo out, but I don't bcllovo either
knew which had won."
A SNAKE WITH TWO HEADS.
DlirurnnL
F.ucli of Which IIHnni; to
Vnrltity of Kiirimnt.
Gcorgo Sloan, u farmer living 011
tho knobs In Monroo township, brought
to tho city a snako, four feet in length,
that Is a curious freak of nature, Bays
tho Jcffcrsonvlllo (Ind.) correspondent
of tho Indlnnnpolls News. It Is hard
to tell whether Mr. Sloan'a cntch
should bo culled snakes or snako. It
has two heads and tvo tails and Is of
two different species of Hiinkcdom, One
head and ono tnll are thoso of nn ordi
nary hnrmloss black snake, whllo tlm
other head and tnll aro of tho variety
known 11s a cowsnnke. Back from tho
head of each reptllo thoro Is a growth
of body about a foot long and nn Inoli
nnd n qunrtcr In dlniuoter. Thou
comes a single body, somewhat larger
than tho forwnrd part and nbout two
feet long. This pnrt belongs to tho
cowsnako and out of this grow tho
two talis, each about a foot long, ono
belonging to tho cowsnnko and tho
othor to tho black sunke, Tho roptllo
Is harmless. It was captured by Mr.
Sloan In a novel way. Ho had been
missing jiowly hatched chlckons nnd
Hiippnsed rats wero at fault. Ono morn
ing ho henrd a nolso among his 'fowls
nnd ho ran to tho chicken house.
whoro ho found tho Btrnngo crenturo
writhing on tho floor nnd tho chickens
huddled In a state of terror. Tho two
hoadB had gono nftor tho samo chick-
on nnd each mouth waa dimmed 011
elthor end of tho chick and noithor
would let go. A bnttlo royal was 011
for possession nnd Mr. Sloan called
his family to witness tho affray. Up
to tills tlmo ho had given no thought
r capture, but on a boii'b siiecosIIoii
ho procured a two-tlnod hayfork and
pinned tho waning black Biinko cow
snnko combination to tho earth. This
caused both heads to Jet go and the
chicken, dend, of course, dropped on
tho floor. A box wiib procured nnd In
this tho doublo-hnador was placed
until a cage could bo made,