Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-10-19

| bN " NNhAuAVu opiAN"AAta
closer, assured by the sluggish movements
of the snake. and the evident mastery of it
captor With its rattle erected and con.
stantly going. its head slightly raised and 1T
inky. forked tongue playing about its heaC
and bead-like eyes, it glided cautiously for
forward, seeking to reach the cover of the
woods close at hand. The old fellow con
tinually got in its way, sometimes turning
it with his forked stick or with his boot, and
thus keeping it in the open space in front o
the visitors. This was continued for awhile,
when the reptile was imprisoned again 10y
means of loop of loop of twine, and the
owner shufiied off with it to the photograph
gallery. stationed between the Water GaI
and Kittatinny houses, where it is still an
object of curiosity to the visitors. 1t is con-
fined in a wooden box, with glass cover,
and. whenever desired, the owner turns il
| ont to crawl and rattle for the delectation OF
visitors. II is something over four feet in
length, and has had IA rattles, several OF
which were knocked off against the box.
| During the three months OF its confinement
it has not eaten a mouthful or drank swal-
low. A toad was placed within its reach,
| and was Immediately struck and killed. but
the reptile would not touch it further. 1t
has shed its skin twice. and appears to have
lost somewhat in flesh, but there seems to be
snake eats nothing at all during hot weather.
John Vanscoten, the old fellow who cap
tured the reptile, is nearly 20 years of age,
and has killed and taken so many of the
venomous reptiles that he has been known
for years through the Water Gap section as
"Rattlesnake John"
Il seen the reptile asleep on the fence, -
said the Old fellow, after placing himself out
side of stiff drink of whiskey, land just
shared him, that's all
How was that done p
THE easiest way in the world. Just
made a loop of twine, slipped it over his head,
and there he was.
Did you ever catch any OF them before p
The old man, who Is never known to laugh,
turned a sort of reproachful, solemn look
upon the qnestioner and heaved prodigious
sigh
"The fust one ever catched :" he mutter-
ed to himself that's worse than bite from
one of the serpents. Young man I've catch
ed and sold more than fifty, and I've killed
eighty in one day with the help of a young
darkey. There amt any rattlesnakc or cop
perheads around here in the Water Gap, but
there's plenty of 'em 'mong the hills over
there in Jersey. When l feel hankering
arter the reptiles, that's where go, and al
ways fetch EN-. The first yarmint | seen
was about fifty years ago when ! was plough
ing. didn't know what it was and killed
it afore | learned. Arter that | sort of took
to the business. and | couldn't begin to tell
a half or a quarter of what I've done. That
introdooced me to tine profession, and | be
longed to rattlesnake family
Being asked to explain what he meant by
this, the old man said
IAN uncle of mine, 80 years of age, and
revolutioner, stepped on snake one day.
and it bit him BY that time both were mad,
and my uncle kept jumping on it until it was
mashed from head to foot. Afore that. how
sumever, the snake bit him three or four
times. But the old fellow hadn't lit through
the revolution to be killed by Il rattlesnake
SO he belted down about gallon of whiskey,
and was all right in few days"
Some years ago | WAS hunting sheep with
my step son over in Jersey, when all of
sudden he let out yell loud enough TO wake
the dead. l went thrashing through the
bushes and when | reached him there was
sight such as a man don't often see i'll life
time. There was den of rattlesnakes, and,
as it looked to me, about IL 900 of EN-,
rafting and crawling about. Howsumever,
my boy and me sailed in with long sticks
and went to slaughtering them. 1t don't
take much Of blow to kill one
o: em, and We never struck one EN-
twice. Often they was SO close together tina;
one belt would knock the stufiing out of Il
half dozen. We Kept it up until the smell
of the pison made us both deathly sick, when
We went home. The next morning was Sun
day, and went out to see the prospect. We
killed four more, and there was a mighty lot
that got away Altogether it was over eighty
that We laid out
"Howsumever, the rattlesnake is square,
up-an-down reptyle. that gives you notice
afore he strikes but the cOpperhead Is an
ornery cuss, that1l sneak up and sting you
without the least notice. One hot day l was
moving near Bethel, when | cut the tail off
of one of the critters, and the other part got
out of the way, somehow, so couldn't find
it though | looked long time. | don't sup
pose you'll believe it, stranger, but the next
summer found that identical tail growed
fast to the rest of the snake, and nothing but
a scar TO show where the wound had healed.
\ half-brother of mine was bit in the heel by
one of EN-, and cut the bite open and wash
ed it out about forty times that's all that
saved him.
al used to sell the snakes for from 81 to
$50 apiece. A few years ago ! caught big
black spotted e-that is n iemale-and 1t
had Is small ones which used TO run down
its thoat when scared let Mr.. Reading
see this performance several times. and he
was so pleased that be gave me s2i for the
family, which is the largest price | ever re
ceived but sold a glass-blower from Glass
boro couple of snakes which cost him
1000
''You see the way OF it was this He want
ed to buy couple that had, and l was
afraid cause the man was generally half full
of whiskey and liked to try and plny smart
before his friends. But he insisted, and |
let him him have EN-. warning him that one
Of the snakes WAS ugly and would bite. Sure
enough, he hadn't had him more than a week
when the chap WAS bit Oh the hand. i sup
pose the whiskey in HIM helped matters, for
he didn't die. But his doctors bill war $500.
and he lost his whole summers work, worth
$500
Il was over in Jersey one day when | came
upon IA couple of speclled beauties summing
themselves. | found an old hat near by, and
1t didn't take me long to scoop en- both IN.
Then put my hat over the other, and had
EN- nice as you could wish 1t was ~ ascorchiug
day, and after had walked II couple of miles
sat down and waited for the stage 1t come
along purity soon. and climbed IN and took
a seat all quiet like. The stage was nearly
full, and bime by got to nodding, when
heerd the blamed snakes rattllng. | trled to
soothe EN-, but they wouldn't stop and some
OF the passengers sXcd me what they WAS.
said, nothing but It couple OF rattlesnakes
that | have Just catched. Well they bounced
me out Of that stage in such hurry that 1t
makes me disguised whenever ! think of 1t.
81 was never bit but once, and that's 40
years ago. had three in II box, and used to
take em out every day for exercise like.
WAS Just putting the lid on arter shown EN-
back, when one of the cusses turned like
lightning and zip he took me right there,
close by the second INT on my mlddl" fin
ger. yanked him out agin and shattered
him into half-dozen pieces before ! was
through with him didn't tell my mother
anything for fear OF soaring her but | poul
ticed the finger with indigo and tobacker, and
took IA gulger OF gin. and then glass of
milk. kept that up all night. 1t panied
like all creation, but ] wasn't the least drunk
There was lump ON my nnger about the
size Of hens egg, but the pain was so near
ly done that concluded to take only one
more drink, which did. and in 10 minutes
| was so drunk / couldn't eat breakfast"
Rattlesnake John has probably caught and
sold half hundred rattlesnakcs during the
last 80 years The number which he has
killed cannot be conlectured. He seems to
be careless in handling them, and yet he un-
derstands their nature SO thoroughly that he
runs comparatively no risk at all. He has
frequently kept "A number IN his cellar and
under his bed for weeks at time waiting for
good opportunity to sell them.
II is a singular fact that among all the per
sons whom the old gentleman knows to have
been bitten during many years past, not n
single one has died. Many came within
hairs breadth. but they managed to pull
through by some means. Plentiful hbations
Of whiskey answered in many cases. while an
herb known az lions heart assisted in others
D I 81. l. Al.
loudest alarm when about to strike. They
climb fences and trees, and the grease OBJ
tanned from trying them out IL regarCed as a
sovereign specific for rheumatism, sore eyes
and other ailments Hogs grow fat upon
them. and care nothing for their poison.
| The Indians, and occasionally II negro. eat
them. The most rattles that the old gen
tleman ever saw upon one snake was - but