Life — November 11, 1886 — page 11: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

* LEFE - WORTH TELLING. Ove esteemed and veracious contemporary, the Americus Scien- tifican, in giving a most graphic description of the disastrous floods at Sabine Pass, contains the following blood-curdling report : Captain F. A. Hyatt and William Guy report that they had a singu- lar experience as members of the relief committee, on their way to the Pass. The train in which they were traveling stopped on a dump five miles from thetown. The water all round this neck of land, on which was placed the track, was fully 8 feet deep. The hands of Messrs. Hyatt and Guy are blistered from fighting snakes which literally cov- ered the dump for a distance of five miles. There were thousands of water moccasins from the overflowed district taking refuge on the narrow stretch of land, and every step across it had to be fought through the twisting serpents, many of them the deadly stump-tailed moccasins, larger than a man’s arm. Wild cats, also, frenzied at the water's fury, rushed pell-mell upon pedestrians, while raccoons and ‘every variety of animal snapped at passers-by with hydrophobic rage. Many times the pedestrians left the dump and swam around the angry reptiles rather than try to pass them. Captain Hyattalone killed over 150 snakes during his walk of five miles, which consumed about ten hours. Mr, Guy says that no money ‘could tempt him to make his trip over again. In stepping about in the dark he was tripped and thrown by a snake two inches in diameter and fully five feet long. ‘We regret to say that the admirable journal from which we quote has, perhaps from the desire to soften the horrible story, for the bene- fit of readers suffering from an attack of ‘‘ snakes in their boots,” re- frained from giving the true story, which we have from our own cor- Tespondent (a total abstainer) as follows : Brig.-Gen. Highyet and Mr. Guyus report a singular experience on their way to the Pass. The train on which they were traveling, stopped and dumped them fifteen miles from town, on a neck of land ‘surrounded by water eighteen feet deep. Although they were entirely 295 unsupplied with the regular Texas tanglefoot, they were continually tripped up and overthrown by the millions of venomous snakes, moc- casins, copperheads, rattlers, cobras and garter snakes which encum- bered the ground for the entire r3 miles, and writhed and twisted, and fought and screamed in their efforts to escape the advancing floods. The boots of Messrs. Highyet and Guyus were worn through, and their feet were blistered, from walking over the scaly reptiles. Every step had to be fought through these writhing serpents, many of which were the deadly stump-tailed, swill-milk moccasins, larger than a man’s leg, so that they cou/d not have had snakes in their boots. Wild cats, tame cats, raccoons, tigers, alligators and every kind of animal known to the “jim-jams,” rushed upon the pedestrians and snapped and howled at them in demoniac frenzy. Many times the gentlemen were forced to leave the land and wade four or five miles through the angry waters, which had now risen to 37 1-4 feet. The General estimates the number of snakes killed by him alone in his ter- rible experience on this night at 147,268. Mr. Guyus says it was the biggest spree and the worst whisky he ever had in his life, and that money could not buy him to do it again. In the middle of the night a snake 10 inches in diameter and 14 feet long, grasped him in its arms and dragged him from his bed. T is stated that funerals cost three times as much as they did forty years ago. Still, we must be buried. Funer- als may come high, but people will have them. * * * R. S. S. COX will return to Turkey on Thanksgiving day. IENTIFIC THE CAMERA EAR-RING. OCIAL scientists think that a law should be passed, doing away with private betrothals, and compelling the suitor to make his vows before a mixed assemblage of from one to three thousand people, thus insuring to the woman the nec- essary witnesses for any breach of promise suit which she might have occasion to institute at a later date. Unfortunately, the betrothals of this country are made at an hour when 60,000,000 of competent witnesses are deep. in slumber; conse- quently, no one hears the binding words, save the two contracting parties, the fancy lamp, and the sofa. If, afterward, the man proves false, and the woman sues, what has she to support her case? Simply her own word. She may make the allegation in three dead languages, and swear to it in two living ones, yet if he but deny it in one— business United States even— the jury is at fault, and just as liable to decide in his favor as in hers. What though justice is represented as a woman? She only operates with laws devised by men, and this means that in cases of Man vs. ‘Woman, the former gets the benefit of the doubt. What woman needs in this matter is tangible proof to back her statement against that of her faithless lover. The few breach of promise suits show only too clearly that broken vows, in many cases, have no market value, simply because the fair plaintiff cannot substantiate her claim. Modern photography, in its marvelous evolution, has reached this social want; and, henceforth, Man may make his vows IN OPERATION, in the secrecy of a dungeon—if there be but a ray of light present, the act will be witnessed by an agent so impartial and reliable, that the woman who brings it forward must win. Two diminutive cameras, shaped like ear-rings, are suspended from the fair one’s ears; and, as the lover kneels to make his proposal, she carelessly raises her hand to the side of her queenly head, and focuses the lens upon the man below. comicbooks.com