The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-18
How 1t Is to Be Bitten by il Decapitated
Rattle. make.

Learning that 1Ir. Charles Dury who na,rowl
escaped death from the bite ct a rattlesnak,
white on a scientific expedition in Florica, hat
returned home, one OF orr reporters ca led OF
that nrbane gentleman at his fathers residence
i'll Avondale last esening, and there found him
examining untold quantity of epistolary
matter from all quarters OF the country much
OF which being, as he informed Us, on the subiec!
OF his accident, brief account of which ap.
peared in the Commercial making earnest in.
curry concerning his physical condition.
| After making known the object OF our GILL, we
were politely inform. that he had been so much
| interviewed that the story to him had become
| somewhat stale, but being assured that a
brief narrat on by him Of his accident w.uld
prove not only interesting to his personal
| friends, bat also to he petOlogists throughout
the eouotry. he said: mir. Clay Culbertson and
| were out deer hunting, five miles back of Port
Orange, Florida. While the men whom we had
employed with hounds to hunt the thicket for
deer were thus engaged, came across an enor-
nous ra;tlesnake, of the species LrotdIus Ho7Ti
dus. 1t wss in the bbnd, just previous to the
mOuit consequently more vicious and venomOus
than otherwise.
1t was about six feet in length and fifteen
inches in circumference-the largest one of its
species that had ever seen. The snake, on per-
ceiving me. started to crawl into a gopher. hole
IA gopher, in Florida, is land turtle they dig
very deep hole, and one well adapted to their
wants, and which is taken possession of by
snakes Of various tinds). | then shot at and
blew it out of the hole, cutting it almost in two
two more shots were almost immediately fred
into it, one Of which cut Off the head, leaving
stump of neck attached about three inches in
length. Desiring to secure the head for a medl-
cal friend in Cincinnati, who wished it for dis.
section l cut Off this stump Of neck, and fear
climbing over logs, fences, etc. might be pune
tured with the fangs protruding through roy
clothes, took from my pocket wad of cotton to
cover them. In forcing down the lower jaw with
stick six Or eight inches long, was astonished
when the head made a spasmodc jump or spring
striking the thumb Of my dexter hand with one of
the fangs, making slight and seemingly insig-
niticant little wound like PIN scratch. applied
tourniquet to the thumb, and
caused deep incison to be made at the wound.
ed spot. and then thoroughly sucked the wound,
starting at the same time for the nearest whisky |
which was two and half miles away, on reach |
ing which l partook thereof copiously. and re-
taxed the tension around the thumb. Up to this
toms were apparent: but on releasing the liga-
ture the swelling commenced. We then proceed |
ed to Port Orange, two and half farther on,
taking an occasional pull at the whisky on the |
way, the whisky being the viIest Of the vile, and
which was difficult for me to worry down. never |
having before in my life tasted that articl
'Oa the following morning my arm and back |
were enormously swollen, and presented black
ana coneested appearance. The treatment fol-
lowed from this was liberal doses of much i'm
6ibron's Antidote and cold water applications to
the wounded part I confined closely for
about week. receiving every attention from Col.
Len. A. Harris and D. G.. N. Wallace, a very
skilful surgeon, of Daytona, Florida. At the ex
oiration Of week, convalescencs manifested it.
self i'll my making small sorties on unsuspecting>
bugs and butterflies. l have steadily improved
,ver since, and the only probable results of this
novel but rather unpleasant experience with
attlesnahos will be the loss of the end Of my
humb, though I am consoled by my surgeon
With the assurance of the possession of a beau
iful stump. -Cu.ci,tltaii Commercial.