The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-06-28
JERRY GREENING's SNAKE AID.
VENTURES.

IBhohoIa Falls (Penn.) Correspondence.l
81 kin take yur to place not nore'n
three miles from h'yer," said old Jerry
Greening, "where yur kin git all the rat
tlesnakes yur want"
Old Jerry Greening is the head of the
celebrated family Of that name, hunters,
fishers and trappers. His farm adjoins
Madam Ponisi's, in the garden spot OF
the Shohola region. was in no par
ticular need of any rattlesnakes just
then, and was content to take the old
hunters word for what he said.
"They's lots an lots of 'em, but faint
a good time to see 'em now. They're
scattered 'roun' the country, layin' low
for fodder. Yur want to come h'yer
some nice day in October if yur want to
see fun with snakes. They're holed up
then, but on sunny days they comes
out'n their dens n lays On the rock to get
warm. An they don't lay by their
sells, one by one, nuther. They roll 'em-
sells up in big balls, two n three hun
dred snakes in a ball. I've seen 'em
wadded together that way till they'd
make a pile's big g corn-basket. Some
times all kinds O. snakes III be mixed in
t'gether-rattlesnakes blacksnakes, pi-
lots, gartersnakes, milksnakes, an 1 bev
seed hoopsnake now n then in some
passels."
"why isn't that a good time to kill
snakes, Uncle jerry"
"a good time to kill 'em9 Wall, l
reckon tits. N mebbe we don't take
'dvantage of it, nuther. You know
snake lie e the best kind O. liniment
for roomytiz n all kinds O ailin's like
that. 1 alters carry bottle of it," and
Jerry produced two-ounce vial con-
tanning rich looking oil of dark yel-
low color. "That's pure rattlesnake lie,
N If 1 couldn't git no more O. that you
kin bet you couldn't buy it."
"Wall, when the snakes holes up we
watches for these nice days in October
an lays out TO git in our snakes for lie
We takes fails n goes to their dens Pm
tellin' you Of, up long the Rattlesnake
Thar these sarpints lays in the sun
an at 'em we goes, thrashin' into 'em e,
II they was bundles O. rye. Then the
fun commences. The snakes amt got
much vim in 'em, but they kin rattle 4
hiss, N Squirm, an if they don't make
music l 'aint tellin' ye. Now'n ther
some ole sockdolyjer of a rattler III try tt
git hisself in shape to strike. The fesl
is willin', but the spirit 3 weak, an h,
gives u up. We don't care bout an.
thing but the rattlers, but we hit
promiscuous, and when we IN through
we sorts the blacksnakes and other wuth
less varmints out, an buildin' fir
fries the grease out'en the rattlers, =
takes IL hum.
"I dunno where all the snakes come
from. I've been bit more'n once by RAJ
tlesnakes, but 1 amt dead yet. Pve Gu
chunks's big IS yer hand out'n my leg
where snakes had bit me. Mebbe yo
won't b'lieve that, but it's fact. use
TO be reckless when were young. Wun'
were mowin' bog medder on my farl
in my bare feet. My ole woman cam
down n fetched my boots, n sez, 'Jerr,
for the Lords sake, put these on. Ye'
git bit by rattler, surep Jes' then
sees three O. the durndest rattlesnakes
ever see, a-layin' on a log not fur ahes
o. me. They war gittin' ready to tur
up. The ole woman didn't see 'em, ar
thinks /, I'll skeer her. So mows alon
an when were but five feet away Il
rattlers sung out. Lord, you orter heel
'em, an you orter heerd nay ole woma
Look out, JerryP she hollers. Loo
out, err yer goner.' / didn't say not
in, but gin leap an come down ke
flop right on ter them snakes with n
bare feet Whether / TUX 'em by s'pril
or whether l struck 'em 30 they couldr
git their selves in shape to strike
dunno, but didn't get bite. The G
woman were near crazy, n comes o
N puts on my boots. A little yallar dog
had were in the field, an he tackled t
snakes. Fore he got through with q
he were swelled up like bladder,
were 80 full O. pizen. thought,
course, he were as good Is dead. But
stuck to 'em till they war all three kill
Then he struck line for a swamp h
close by, where the mud were black
tar. He buried hisself in that, all
his head. Think, ses /, that won't 81
you, old chap, n left him there. T.
night he came home as well as ever.