The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1876-08-04
HUNTING RATTLESNA * Els.
Odd Experience that may Be Had in Penn
sylvania


Odd Experience that may Be Had in Penn
syvania.
Correspondence New York sun.
The party was to start from the cabin
Of Jake Smith, whose home is 4 miles
from Snipe Creek, on a spur OF the
Blue Ridge that juts out from the
northwest boundary Of Lehigh county.
Three miles from his place is Il barren
tract known as Rattlesnake Ledge.
Smith had three friends, Henry Lar
kinS. Budd IIemple. and Hiram Endy,
Of whom he is the acknowledged lead
Ell. He is tail. raw-boned SiX-foOter
with Il face covered with short black
WHISPERS The three others are rough
WoodsInen, yet full Of fun and fond of
adventure. They seemed to be elated
ut having 4 stranger in the party.
Just come along. said Smith, You
won't be getting into any harm. Put
on heavy pair Of boots, and keep
your eyes open and your wits about
YOU. The party started early yester-
day. The Ledge reached, pipes were
smoked until sun-up. Smith went
away, and after he had been gone a
half-hour he called up from the rocks,
and we went to him. He stood smil-
ing, and exclaimed. Here Snn early
bird out for an airing" On the rock,
and pinned to it by forked stick,
writhed a reptile about feet in
length. Jake told Endy to hold the
prong down. Taking out small phial
IRON vcst-pocket, he saturated a
piece of black wadding with the IL
quor it contained. He placed the wad-
ding on stick, and then put it into
the serpent S mouth. 1t operated like
magic. The snakes body dropped flat
on the rock.
-That'll do, said Jake Take the
prong off. Hes dosed like q charm"
Jake then held the snake by the tail,
and said that the stuff would keep it
unconscious for ten minutes. The
reptile had six ly-deyeloped rattles.
These We're cut off. The ten minutes
had scarcely Ella sed before the snake
revived. His throat began swelling,
his eyes prOtrude. and he shook his
tail, but the rattles were gone. He
tried to shake again, and then sank
his fangs deep into his body again and
again, frOthed at the mouth, and died
apparently in agony.
Il just did that to let you know how
mad a RATHER gets when he is clipped, :"
said Jake. You see how blue the in
side of his mouth is! Well, that S the
way they all get. That pronged long
that long tooth is small bag that |
will show you after awhile. 1t is a
kind of a bag about half as big as pea
In that is the poison. When Il RATHER
gets mad, and just before he strikes.
he'll give his teeth a bath of poison
and then drive in the fangs. The
teeth are no low on the ends, and no
matter if they 90 through a mans
clothes, the poison won't wipe off. but
it will drop when the teeth touch
blood.
The sun was very hot. and~ the bar
rem ledge, exposed to the full rays, was
getting scOrching. Each man was pro.
vided With a stout hickory stick, with
4 prong ut the lower end. Each put
on his feet rubber bottoms made out
of east off shoes, in order to get over
the rocks without making Il noise.
Each took different direction, with
the understanding that they should
meet ut 4 spring. , miles over the hill
IL noon. You come with me-" said
Jake, whispering to the dog. and the
hunters separated among the rocks at
a distance beyond hearing, so that
whenever one might want help the
other could come to his assistance
without losing much time.
We generally find 'em stretched on
the rocks. They're naturally lazy,
and they take to the sun like ducks to
the water. They don't do much hut
sleep. On these hot rocks they be-
come full of poison. Look there at
that dog Will your Maj stood on
ledge of yellow rock about 30 wards
from where we We're, His body was
silent rs a statute, and his tail wagged
with the regularity of a pendulum.
We approached silently. and when we
were within feet of the rock the dog
left his post and got behind his master.
Jake pointed ahead, and there lay Il
rattlesnake : feet in length sleep
ing in the sun. 1t lay
stretched out. The hunter walked up
carefully. placed the pole in position,
and IN tWinklng it descended on the
neck of the reptile. making it a pris-
oner. 1t took all the strength of that
hTaWny man at first to keep the snake
last on the rock. RattleSnakes do not
curl rs other snakes do. When pinned
down they simply lash the ground or
the rock with their bodies.
">tand back. said Jake let him
lam that tail until he gets tired.
The horny chain on the snakes tail
ratified, but the prong was too small
for him to slip his head or body
through. 1t pinched just enough to
madden him. In three minutes he
seemed tagged out, when Jake was
eneoled to dose him and lay him out.
Inc body was beautifu in gold. dark
brown, and black. The belly had
graylsh white With black stripes. On
the back there We're black spots. Jake
TOOK out the poison sack. which looked
very much like :, water-blister ON
human flesh.
That stuff in the veins of twenty
men would Kill every one of EN-. !" said
Jake. 'Some people would say this
fellow was II years old, according to