Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1879-10-25
RATTLESNAKES IN ARIZONA.

RATTLESNAku LIN AhAAONh' |"
In travelling through Arizona one IS
bound to see snakes in his boots. L doh Y
mean whiskey snakes, but real SNAKES t
Not that Arizona whiskey is lacking III I
serpent -evoking potency, l took four {
drinks one evening in June, alter long
and ti,esoms day in the saddle, and saw
4 Chinaman pokng a 100-foot rattiesnake I
at mo all night Imagine it you can wha1
4 genuine case of tremens must be with
Arizona wliskey for y foundation! |,
Rattlesnakes are plenty III Arizona.
They reach their greatest age here' anu
are more savage than elsewhere. Inc
Arizona rattlesnake is ripe fer tight as
soon as he espies anything in the shape
of q man. Not rattling and then sueak-
ing off. like bis namesake in some Oh inc
colder latitudes, but with head erect anu
eyes blazing fury and defiance, no co''S
and springs at his enemy. These Arizona
snakes are especially fierce when met IN
the road never yielding the right OF way
nntil tbey are killed. They vary IN col
or, Ono SOFT is almost black, WITH !ei-
low spots from head to- tail; another is
{ t,vnv yellow; and still another is the
, color of tho country rock. From June
to september the thermometer on the
, pla;ns averages from 1109 to 1909 through
L the day. and often as high as llo0 at
+ picht. Snakes do not move mucn
! through the day in these months prefer
o r;nr TO enscouce themselves under the
Il friendly shade ola projecting rock or an
| I>;t <>f hpuSh. r.Hu
r. the poinr down of the sun. Then they
10 come out and stretch themselves IN '"e
n eco! dust Of the highways. Ihia Is very
as dangerous country for travellers at n'Sht
nt Horses are freau,n ntly bitten on the legs
N and die in agony. Their lives are some
IL times saved, but not often. There are n
he end of rattlesnake stories e1tant III AL
sh iona. Some of them are true.
c. A few weeks ago I saw Mexican
ut thirty years residence IN Arizona. M
ed MOI ice was attraced to him by lars
i'm ,nmp or bar of flesh hanging from IL
o+- f,ce inquired about it. He had bee
the captured by q lot OF Apache lnd'ans "he
The q child. They fancied him for his oea
,1lv tv and his well-knit frame, and oes't'
a. to keen him in the tribe, having preVlo"
,bs ,v nut it out of his power to return non
lav nv massacreing his parents ana nurhi'
we'd the house: they took him INTO inc Ino''
y in tains, where there was DO dahSer Vi ~
suit. There they caused Ia'''esnahe
trv bite him on tho left cheek. Ihey p
he m;t+ec the poison to take effect to a G.
Ct ta;n extent; then they applied an an
ao+o ,rd saved his life. But he has e'
s;nce carried about this nnshSntly
o,a minder of his strange experience
nus Nowadays the Apaches are are sal
n at NO" .""9 y -, ,+ ,..sarv,tio
,oo11 o1raield or Government reseiV"''o
c. and tho rattlesnake IS lei6 TO DIS
r,,vfo, fancies They generally kno'
any one is around, and make the'r
rssances known. IN some parts OF
t,,.+ Territory they ale 30 tierce.that 1heS
'''"' o++,cl q man on horseback it lie co
1o within striking distance. ION Il" III
E,,ncisco who erected several gu
,, ,;us in Arizona, was driving aiopG 9
l the day wheh Ills ro+t,esn
etray abrupt 'u'" ~ st,;clen nm
ition, HIS morse "oo""'0 f,rcsd to
o had he was nhariiie'' ho - ,,,o
.round and seek assistance ao w"
est station. Several men came ou'
,. s,otouus. and after fight, whleh
near Droving fatal to one OF them
W., W. 70 veuomous reptile was killed. 1t s'r
c.,, cd clear across the road, a o'slah
:, o,,m,.z fourteen feet three inches. 'u
O. from the number of rattles, his age
. oal not have been less than torty-two
N s;1an+ T do not vouch for this story, but
;a,, are mon in AiizonI who claim u
- l.;.a Seen the snake after he was killed.
~ t,uo on, of the traditions Of the Icrr'to'
Snakes from five to eight lee: III
h roh. are not at all uncommon. was
- Ora along through Salt River Nai'sS
10 c,ose of a tc, ,ribly hot day in July
, ,tbcr l came upon an oasis in the wi'o
. .;t1, ,,e home of settler NAMED Mar
~ ;n,,.nd had been so hot all day tha' no
o. 4,,n could lie done out Of DOORS an"
only a few minutes before my app,
-. t,,o that an Indian boy in Marks emp
~ ,-a+t1a. ~ zone to the upper end of II small
on";n~v u, Ile garden to do some necessary
laroni- lie hau peen 'A'