The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-09-15
SOME SNAKES.
A Bold Attack on RattlesnGlSos ~402
Rattlos Secured.

APoint Jervis lettor in tho Now
York Eaul says: Harrison Van
Deuzer anl Dan Tompkins haul
cordwood over the Monticello turn
pike, betwoen that place and Wurts
boro. On Saturday, as they were
jogging along by McNIunn's, three
miles from Wurtsboro, three big
rattlesnakcs lay coiled up in tho
middle of the road, and set up a
chorus that made tho teams rs
stop A stone thrown at the rattlors
drove them into the woods. It's
bad luck to let u rattlcsnako get
away from you. ~ Sullivan county
mountaineer would sooner miss a
circus than go home and say that he
had seen rattlesnnllo and then
couldn't pull ita rattles out of his
pocket to prove it, SO Tomplins
and Van Dcuzer left their teams
aid followed tho snakes. TEo
rattlers led them chase Of two
miles. but tho excitement that fol-
lowed paid for it The men had
bcon taken plum to Matt Talmages
! famous den, The snakes lay about
in scores, taking in the merry sun
shine, and reyrctting that the
hucklebcrry pickcrs had all left the
woods. This was a picnic Van
Denzor and Tomplins had not
hoped for They got clubs and
went at the snakes. The fight
lasted about ten minutes. More
than half the best ones got away
and hid in the assures of the rocks.
But tho men gathered the rattlcs off
of tifty-six very fair specimens,
Some of the snakes they killed we're
three feet long. They took home
492 rattles, and expect to get at
least four gallons of oil for linimcnt
The den was II favoritc one Of the
celebrated snake catcher, Matt
Talmage. He used to take hun
dreds out of it alive. I[c lived in
Wurtsboro, and Il rattlc~snnko bite
never had any effect on him. He
followed snake raising, and he had
some of the most curious and rare
specimens of the snake family over
collected. In 1878 he captured Il
large pilot or coppcrhead. Hemado
: a great pet of it, but finally it bit
him on the thumb. H. paid no
attention to it, although 4 pilots
bite is especially dreaded, being
f very deadly. Ialmagc's thumb
began to swell after some days. His
arm then commenced getting larger
and by and by he got blind and
+ suffered untold agony. He lived
several weeks, continuing to swell
! all ovor, and at last he died His
den has, probably, not been visited
before Slnco lilo death.
! The Columbia correspondent OF
tho Neacs and Couier gives the
following as the substance of the
| agreement with Jones and Woods
l ruff. tho late clerks of tie House
and Senate: A nolIe 7ros to be
I entered on the indictments against
| them they to testify in behalf of
tho State when called upon to dc
- so. Each surrendcrs twcnty-cight
thousand dollars of bonanza war
rants and all claims against the
= State printing, &c. Jones also
surrenders his Beaufort property
valued at twelve thousand dollars
8 and Woodruff surrcnders tho Re.
publican Printing Company's build
k ing and fixtures in Columbia, valued
D at about sevon thousand dollars
and also claims against the Bank o
tho State for one hundred and
:. thirty thousand dollars. Both
: Jones and Woodruff saved THEN
= respective residences in Charleston
-, as settled upon tho wife in Wood
. ruffs case, and tho children in that
. of Jones.
e A machine has been invented in N
. Y, mounted on wagon wheels, which
i ia intended for use on farms in the
West. 1t deluges tho ground
f behind it with smoke from burning
chips and birthstone, and holds tht
smoke down long enough to sutfo
G cate evcry potato bug, locust ant
\ other insect that comes within it,
q influence.
The Harrisburg Telegraph ha'
:, made up an issue for the parties il
: Pennsylvania this fall. 1t has con-
cludcd that it Will go back ani
fight the war over again, which is {
# valorous thing to do, particular,
l.