Snake-handling minister dies by snake bite, just like his dad

Churchgoers at an outdoor festival in rural West Virginia beseeched to "Praise the Lord and pass the rattlesnakes brother!" were jolted into despair when one of those rattlers bit serpent-handling Pentecostal minister Mack Wolford, who died 10 hours later. It was an eerie echo: Wolford, just 44, saw his minister father die in the same fashion 29 years ago, but kept up the practice born out of a verse in the Book of Mark because "I promised the Lord I'd do everything in my power to keep the faith going." That included keeping a den of poisonous snakes in a spare bedroom and even taking journalists on snake-hunting expeditions to promote his faith.