Charmed by a Snake.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3494, 6 March 1880, Page 1

Charmed by a Snake.

■ A very rare psychological phenomena was related to us by Mr Campbell, about ' a snake's influence over a young lady living east of Mr Vernon, by the name of Bertha Miller. For some.weeks the parents bad noticed that their daughter was showing marks of failing health, evinced- by an increasing paleness and - emaciation and accompanied by a melancholy mood. So marked was the change becoming that they began feeling great solicitude concerning her, and consulted a physician of this city about the matter. The physician visited the girl, but was unable to explain the cause of her/decline or to render ber aid., It also fell under the observation of her mother that, each afternoon, abont three o'clock, the* girl would leave the house and remain away from . one to two: hours. This fact being- communicated to the other parent, it was decided to watch the young lady and discover if possible the reason for such habitual absence. Accordingly, on the day following when the hour-had about arrived the father left the house and watched for the going of his daughter. In a few minutes the young girl was on her way through a wood and up a ravine leading from the house to a small stone quarry, some half-mile distant, reaching which she took a seat on a flat stone, under a smalt dump of trees, and remained there quietly for several minutes, her head held in one position, and eyes evidently fixed on one spot. The father had gotten up so near by' this time that he could observe allihat would happen. In a few moments, to his amazement, there proceeded from the direction in which the girl was looking a snake about 4 feet in length, and known to him as our common black snake.or racer. So astonished was he at the peculiar manner of his daughter and the appearance of the reptile that he lay quiet in his concealment to observe what .would happen. The snake crept slowly along towards the girl until it halted at her feet. After, remaining there motionless for a minute or more gazing fixedly^ into the face of the girl it slowly and stealthily began creeping towards her. The girl remained perfectly motionless, apparently not the least alarmed at the presence of her visitor, but gazing intently at it. After lying in that position for a short while.it slowly uncoiled, crept down to the ground and back to its hiding-place in the rocks. The girl remained sitting, motionless for. a considerable time, and then got-up and retraced her steps to the house. On the next day the father, at the appointed time, took his gun, and proceeded to the scene killed the reptile. Tbe girl, startled at the report of the gun,. sprang to her feet, but immediately recognising her father, proceeded without further ado back home with him. She, when interrogated, could give no intelligible reason why she visited the spot, except that at a certain hour she felt strongly inclined to go and sit there. . She has rapidly recovered her health, and appears in no wise affected in ber mind. Experts can offer no solution to this strange proceeding, the most intelligible, being that thr animal possessed a powerful mesmeric influence, and had so wrought - upon the mind of the, girl that she went automatically to tbe place." ~ Thjs,"To — connection with an accumulated inherited disposition to be beguiled by the serpent — transmitted from our first mother, Eve —offers the only rational explanation.— ' Cincinnati Commercial.