THE CLIFTON CLARION — JUNE 13, 1888
A SNAKE STORY ♢ South Carolina Paralyzes the Seaside Serpent Business.
Columbus (S. C.), May 31st—A remarkable story of a flying serpent comes from Darling county. The report is that on Sunday evening Miss Ida Davis and her two young sisters were taking a walk in the woods, when a huge serpent appeared above them, moving through the air with the speed of a slow-flying bird. It did not seem to be very high in the air, and moved without any visible effort. It appeared to be about fifteen feet long and ten inches thick.
The girls stood spell-bound until the formidable looking object was out of sight. The flying serpent was seen by several other people in a different part of the county early in the afternoon of the same day, and they tell all sorts of stories about its appearance.
[*** A remark concerning the alleged superstitious nature of African Americans has been omitted. Be assured, even today, there is nothing so superstitious than prejudice in any of its forms. ***]
At, the village of Grasslands ten miles to the southeast of where the aerial monster was seen by the Davis sisters, a panic was caused among the inhabitants by the approach of the creature. The steeple of the Methodist Church is crowned by a weathercock in the form of a gilded dove. The last rays of the sun caused this dove to glisten bright, and the eyes of the serpent were attracted by it. Descending in its flight, it soared to within a few feet of the dove, and
