Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-08-23

OtD SITTER CAPTURED.-On Thursday
of Isst yVpek as Mr.. Thomas Keredgue IT lie
T,z was moving, he was suddenly startled by
a yaftI, and On looking forward he discovered
about a foot forward Of bis scythe, huge Kat
tlesnake. Procuring a club, he made an al
tack. and, after some twenty well aimed blows
which his snakeship managed to dodge, MI h
succeeded in hitting him, and hnally kllDng
him. The snake was about the size OF man
arm, measured fire feet and three inches IN length,
and had fifteen nrattles-cODsequently must nave
oeen IS years old. Mr.. X. stretched the SKIN
on a club, and has left it in our othce' where II
Will remain few days for the curious to inspect
1t is probably one of the largest, II not me iar-
gest Rattlesnake ever killed
We learn that another Rattle snake was
killed on Little Mountain on Saturday last
much smaller, however, than the one we nave
noticed above e.-PaHesriHe Advertiser.
These "old settlers are pretty much run out
in the Lake region, and it is now rare indeed
that one is captured. Forty years ago they
were very plenty, and pioneers can tell starting
snake as well IS bear stories. They specially
abounded in the vicinity of such lodges as oc-
easionalIy crop out along the sand ridges and
At the Little Mountain, where they made their
repular winter dens, AID in the warm, sunny
spr;ng days were killed by hundreds by the
snake hunters. Rattle, Massasauga, and Black
snakes. after passing the winter torPidly IN
heaps deep in the rock erevices and caves
would come out TO sun themselves, and while
bsskinp in the warm beams would be so slug
gish and harmless as to be easily killed with
club or gun Families living in the neighbor
hood of these dens used TO make it point tC
visit them at noon on bright sunny days, anC
it was not unusual to despatch from dozen Il
twenty sarpents" at "noOning." In sOm'
instances four or FIVE hundred were killed du
ring the early spring season at single den
They were watched closely Until the rephle
had been exterminated or had left not TO retu-I
until late in the fall as the safety Of the setter
during summer and autumn depended much ol
ridding the woods and fields of Poisonou
snakes as far as possible. Plentiful as wer
rattlesnakes and massasaugas IN early times
comparatively few persons were bitten, and bu
few died Of their poison. During the sPrln
the rattlesaake is not particularly vicious, an
in most cases had rather run than bite. Unlcs
suddenly disturbed or trod on, it gives warnin
with its loud rattles, and does not strike unles
closely pressed upon. Hot weather increase
its virus, and in dog-days the snake goes bin
or nearly SO with poison, and strikes NOR
freely and blindly at disturbing objects. Su
the warning rattle Is heard from the sPotte
coil, if opportunity is given, before the dreade
spring. The Indians and early settlers ha
several antidotes for snake bites, mostly yeg'
tables growing abundantly in the country, an
which if used Immediately were specifies
Sometimes binding the limb tightly above th
wound. or cutting out the flesh, was Practise'
especiaIly when the usual remedies were nj
Immediately at hand. In some instances IA
whiskey was relied on, applied internally au
externally; and we knew one soaker who aft'
having been snake bitten the third time, declare
he would have the fangs put into his flesh a
often as the snakes pleased for quart of b
favOrise beverage each insertion Whiskey
those days was the pure essence Of rye an
corn. Just as it came from the worm Of the 10
distillery, and was entirely free from moder
drugs more fatal TO the drinker than the COZ
tents of the serpents poison sscs. Snake
in the boots" were as rare then, as rattlesnak
bites are now.