The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-08-02

Won a red rose and broken heart.
HUNTING RATTLESNAKES.
Odd Experience that MAY Be Had in Penn
sylvania.
Correspondence New York Sun.
The party was to start from the cabin
of Jake Smith, whose home is 4 miles
from Snipe Creek, on spur of the
Blue Ridge that juts out from the
northwest boundary Of Lehigh county.
Three miles from his place is barren
tract known as Rattlesnake Ledge.
Smith had three friends, Henry Lar.
kins, Budd Hemple, and Hiram Endy,
of whom he is the acknowledged lead
or. He is tall, raw-boned six-footer
with face covered with short black
whiskers. The three others are rough
woodsmen, yet full of fun and fond of
adventure. They seemed to be elated
at having Il stranger in the party.
s'Just come along.' said Smith, s'you
won't be getting into any harm. Put
on a 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
half.hour he called up from the rocks,
and we went to him. He stood smil-
ing, and exclaimed, ssHere's an early
bird out for an airing.'' On the rock,
and pinned to it by forked stick.
writhed reptile about 4 feet in
length. Jake told Endy to hold the
prong down. Taking out a small phial
from a vest-pocket, he saturated a
piece of black wadding with the H.
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.
s.That'l do" said Jake. stake the
prong off. He's dosed like 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 fully-developed rattles.
These were 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.
81 just did that to let you know how
mad a RATHER gets when he is clipped, -
said Jake. ssYou see how blue the in.
side of his mouth is? Well, that's the
way they all get. That pronged long
tooth of his is not dangerous. Behind
that long tooth is a small bag that l
will show you after awhile. It is a
kind of a bag about half as big as a pea.
In that is the poison. When a RATHER
gets mad, and just before he strikes,
he'll give his teeth bath of poison
and then drive in the fangs. The
teeth are hollow on the ends, and no
matter if they go through a man
clothes, the poison won't wipe off, but
1t 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 stout hickory stick, with
prong at the lower end. Each put
on his feet rubber bottoms made out
of cast off shoes, in order to get over
the rocks without making a noise.
Each took different direction, with
the understanding that they should
meet at spring, 2 miles over the hill
at 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:
eve 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 but
sleep. On these hot rocks they be-
come full Of poison. Look there at
that dog will you?'' *sMaj'' stood on
a ledge of yellow rock about so yards
from where we were. His body was
silent as a statute, and his tail wagged
with the regularity of a pendulum.
We approached silently, and when we
were within S feet of the rock the dog
left his post and got behind his master.
Jake pointed ahead, and there lay !,
rattlesnake 7 feet in length sleep.
ing in the sun. II, law