The New Orleans Bulletin

A BOY CHARMED BY A SNAKE.

A WOODMAN'S SON ALLURED TO THE WOODS EVERY DAY—THE FATHER SEES THE BOY FEED THE REPTILE WHILE IN ITS COILS.

A correspondent of the Reading Daily Eagle, writing from Windsor, Pa., gives the following remarkable story of a large black snake charming a small boy.

The writer says:

For the past two weeks a son of Allen Rogers, aged 11 years, a wood-cutter on the Blue Mountains, about three miles from Hamburg, has been in the habit of leaving his father's house every morning about 9 o'clock and not returning till noon. The parents of the boy have questioned him several times as to where he went, and the boy would reply, to play with a neighboring boy named Springer. On Friday last the father watched his son, and followed at a short distance, and when about a half mile from the house the boy entered a piece of thick sprout land, in from the road some 200 yards, where he seated himself upon a large rock, and in less than ten minutes the father was horrified on seeing a monster black snake crawl on the rock and put its head in the boy's lap. The father states that the snake was the largest he ever saw on the hills. He states that it was really fifteen feet long, and as thick as his arm, which is well developed. The boy had taken bread with him and was feeding the snake, which at short intervals would stick a large tongue out as if hissing for more to eat. Then it would coil itself around the neck and body of the boy, and play with its mouth and neck with the boy's hands.

The father had often heard of snakes charming children, and that if they were disturbed while they were in the act, they would kill the child. As the father turned to leave his boy with his deadly companion he looked back, and the snake, hearing a noise, at once uncoiled itself and raised its body at least four feet from the rock and looked in all directions, and then it returned to the boy's lap, and the father returned home and awaited the boy's return, which was, as usual, at noon. When told that he had been seen playing with the snake, the boy said the first morning he met the snake he liked to play with it; then he took it food, and he was so much pleased with his companion that something told him he must meet the snake every morning. One morning he said he was late, and when he reached the place the snake was standing up, and it came to meet him, then followed him to the rock.

There is something very strange about a snake charming not only children, but I have read of adults coming under their charms. There is certainly some truth in the fascinating powers of snakes.

On Saturday morning the father and two of his neighbors went to the place with guns, and at the usual time the snake made its appearance, when all fired at one time, killing the charmer. On taking it home Mr. Rogers found the above measurement to be nearly correct.