A REAL SNAKE STORY

AUGUST PIPER SEES STRANGE, LARGE SNAKE ON HIS FARM IN BENSON COUNTY.

We are in receipt of a communication from August Piper, of Penn, relative to a large snake seen on his place recently. It seems that this reptile is considerably out of the ordinary in this locality. The letter follows:

Editor, Inter-Ocean, Dear Sir:—

On July 19, as I was haying on my new farm, I seen a snake such as I never saw before in my life. It was white with yellow spots along its back. I could not tell the length of it because I could not see the whole snake, as it got into the high grass. I seen about four feet of the tail part but I could not see the head. It measured about six inches through the body and the end of the tail was about two inches thick at the end and as square as if it had been cut off.

I don't think the snake seen me or it might have killed me, as I did not have a thing in my hands. The next day I took the gun and went looking for it but could not find it. I also seen a young black snake this spring on the same farm.

Truly yours,

August Piper, Penn, N.D.

Devils Lake Inter-Ocean, 7/30/1909

Editor: Sounds like it could be an albino bull snake or albino rattlesnake, which are native to western North Dakota and can both get to be five to eight feet long; the square ends sounds more rattlesnakey.