The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1879-07-29

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From the Philadelphia Times.
FIemiags..s. a. j.. June 26.-The
Blue Ridge passes in its upper end
through the northern part Of Sssse.
County. It is very Wild and dense
there: The roads which .lssd over il
are narrow, stony, and very difficult
| to travel. Over. one at these r.nds
10 particular the rambler will find
only q few houses and one small
tarvern, perched near the summit and
Kidding defiance to every species OF
the animal kingdom. It. Is FROM those
who live on this range that the
inquirer will hear accounts as large as
the make skins be will discover
around the walls Of the room where
his informant lives. The keeper Of
the inn was ut home o. the euhject Of
snakes. Rattlesnakes were his
speciality. According to his say there
were rattles,,akes and rattlesnakcs.
After taking the listener out 70 Q shed
where rows If skins we're hanging
skins marking nine. ten. and ELEVEN
rattles-the stable was visited and q
man called 'Rattlesnake Pete" was
summoned. His appearance was
rather more modern than the similar
characters described in the dime
novels read by the writer while boy !;
still, he was a peculiar looking
individual. He made his living by
picking berries and selling them in the
towns in the lower part If the county.
His family aided him in his herrying,
while he w:ls the sole retailer. His
face lit up very enthusiastically as
he said:
"Talkin' bout rati:es. bless. Why,
HESS yer. my daughter. only III.
killed a Teller with thirteen ratti.-s
t'oil,er day. She heard him call.
They call three times, yer know,
Mister, before they bite. Yer want
10 look out for the thirl call. Il
| means death purity quick If We don't
move on right away. Well. she
waited I'LL the sec"nd call then she
>natcl,ed up the big stick we alters
carry when out picking. and running
behind the reptile hil him a wlack.
The snake TUNED ON her qnickcr'n
bIazes. hut she MAS thar, tas.. AMI
fetchel him another. That se,tle.i
the business. lie wrigglesi. as they
alters do. till sunslown, and then ht
died. Ill slnw yer the critter."
Sure enough, h- br,",ght from "a
Wagon n is-autiiul specimen. II
gIisteue.l in the sun, and there we're
thirteen distinct rsttles, easily
counted.
81 carry it with me- when ] sell
berries. said Pete. land quite often !
get orders for skins in that wav.
Better let me sell you fine SKIN. saw
ten ratiles. ln,Ss."
So much for North jersey. Now
for some snakes that can he found
over in Mercer County. While your
correspondent was a student at
Princeton, about two years ago. there
was class mate from Piti.hurg who
had regular mania for snakes. He
was never 50 happy as when he had
three or four in his packet and over
dozen in his room. He had two
rooms in Reunion Hall. and they
were a curiosity. Go in any time
and you would he greeted by a large
black snake coming from under the
sofa. while another would cnme down
from over the bODkcaee. Unless one
was free from nervousness he cSuld
not sit still long. Gsrter-snakes,
yellow snakes. AMI juvenile rattle.
snakes were all around. He turned
his fireplace into a snakery. put q
glass case about it. and kept quantities
Of snakes aud frogs there all the
time. These we're all collected around
Princeton. He used to carry snakes
with him all the time. He had one
up his sleeve. and when he shook
hands with freshman would let the
snake slide down into the fresh's
hand. He used to form procesrnns,
furnish each man with small snake.
and then all would proceed into some
students room whom they knew to he
afraid Of the reptiles, and then they
would let them loose about the Annr.
You can imagine the fun and uprar.
l have seen him stand up before one
of the Professors to recite. and during
his recitation he would have . garter
snake crawling around bis neck and
collar. He would do one up neatly
in paper. address it to some basl,fnl
man in the first row. and pass it along.
When the victim opened the parcel
the agony can Be better imagined than
described. Once be placed . snake on
the Professors desk before lecture,
and rs there was no need Of q speci-
men Of that sort, an Undesirable
scene ensuetl.
The greatest thing this Pittsburg
fellow used to do was 20 have .
snake fight on the campus early in
the summer, and as the boys we're
returning from mail after supper. He
would generally select two large
black snakes five feet long. and then
so annoy them that they would rush
upon each other. The cry Of ''Snske
fight !" through the campus would
draw a hundred fellows in less than
five minutes. The reptiles usually
fought until one or both were mortallv
injured.