The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-04-28
VOL. xII.-NO. 25.

again as the one we had just captured.
The dog was called away.
81 want this fellow alive" said Endv.
"and Jake, take hold of this until / run
up 70 the big hickory and get that box
In short time Endy returned with 4
soap box lined with leather. The lid was
rude affair, made Of heavy wire. He
set the box down, and then took hold Of
the prong. The snake was then made to
swallow wadding ball, and when Il was
under its influence it was easily thrown
into the box, aud the lid fastened with
staples. The snake measured nine feet IN
length.
Another start was made, and Ia about
an hour and half FIVE fair-sized snakes
were killed. ALI Of the party were on
time at the appointed place Of meeting.
Nineteen snakes had been captured. Jake
was asked what he had in that vial.
"That's the best thing in the world to
put any man or beast to sleep YOU ever
heard Of. We get 1t by stewing np Indian
turnip, hazel nut, dock, and one or two
other things that the women folks gather
on the hills. Old Granny Lippard first
gave it to the people 10 these parts. There
was fine horse got his leg broke for Gen.
Bridge, and they had an idea they could
set it if the horse could be put 10 seep
and out of pain. Old Granny stewed ,em
up some, and they give it to the horse,
aud it put him to sleep. We tried the
stuff on dogs, goats, sheep, and on fish,
and toward the last we got it on the
snakes, and it works like a charm. |
wouldn't like to give it to q human being
for fear it might put him 50 sound to sleep
that he'd never get over it.
The men cut off the heads Of the rep
tiles, extracted the poison sacs, aud put
them IN one box. In reply to d question
as to what the poison was good for one
said "In the first place it is not danger
Gus if you keep it away from your blood.
The women folks use it very sparingly
though. Sometimes they mix il with cam
phor to smell Of for headache. A little,
boiled with dock leaves and wild laurel Is
good wash for rheumatism. Stiff Joints
are limbered up pretty well when sac is
thrown into warm water with salt and a
little mustard" The skins dried are said
to cure headache, earache, rheumatism,
wiidire, or ringworm, il worn around the
arms
Last year these four men killed 327
snakes in three months, aud they intend
to exceed that number this year.
"The snakes we got here" said Endy,
"are the worst kind Of rattlers. They live
on mice and birds. There is NO such
thing in my mind as charming a bird. NV
opinion is that the snake comes on to the
bird 50 suddenly that it gets scared to
death. don't believe half the snake
stories | hear nowadays. But this can
give as a fact Last summer Squire Et-
ters boy commenced to behave strange.
He'd 60 off into the woods and stay ali
day, and when he got back he'd have very
little to say. One day that boy was fol-
lowed. He sat down on log, and ten
minutes after he got there big rattlesnake
crawled up on stone about twelve feet
from where the boy sat. The young fel-
low watched the snake, and never took his
eyes off him. We got tired watching that
sort Of thing, and we walked up slowly
and killed the reptile. The boy cried.
We led him back home. He got whip
ping, and since then he keeps away from
snakes. He was not charmed; he was
only foolish enough to go--that's all. Rat
tlesnakes never hurt anybody unless they
are first molested They live to be fifteen
years old anyhow, although have seen
twenty-eight rattles on one.