River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-07-07
A POIsON-PR0OF SNAKE CATCHER
His Quaint Tales About southern
Reptiles. and Their buyers.


Reptiles. and Their Buyers.
A correspondent of the St. Louis Re
publican writes: Scott county, Missouri,
has queer character in the person Of
young man whose real name has
been absorbed III such euphonious IL
ties as "Snaky," "Rattle," 'Moccasin."
Cotton Mouth" and the like which
considering his peculiariUies are
not altogether inappropriate. Snakes
of any variety or any size are the most
congenial companions he can find, and
his leisure time is spetn in ferreting
out their favorite haunts and handling
them after they have been captured.
He, nor any one connected with him,
lays claim 10 his being possessed of any
hidden power over the serpent creation;
on the contrary, the snake family in gen
eral seem to have for him a particular
aversion, and his SCARED hands bear
evidence that the stories told by the
natives of his bitter contests with them
are not without foundation. The as
founding claim made is that the bite or
sting of the most venomous reptiles af-
feet him no more than that Of a mos
quito, and heal even more quickly
than an ordinary wound.
In explanation of this strange freak,
he said to the writer few days since:
81 hate to see the pesky critters
sneakin' around as though they was a
hull team, and boss to let and no
body dast touch 'em. | haint got no
grudge against them only til 1t, and /
don't generally kill 'em onless they
act too consumed ornery, but I Jest
like to gether 'em in an tote 'em
round for while till they get chance
to sec who's boss"
When asked if he ever made any
money out of the business, he replied:
eyes, sometimes. Four years ago,
when was down in Alabama. caught
q six-foot RATHER, for show Teller, and
got 81 for it, an last summer | got
copper-head for a Teller mp in Saint
Levy" And here he laughed immod-
erately and added: ~ never heard
whether he got him or not, or how he
he liked him, for you see, was this way
bout the critter; he wanted him to
stuff, he said, an wanted me to send
him on not the least bit ruffed up, but
dead for ALL reckon | tried a thous-
and ways to shet off his wind kender
nice, but he didn't weaken with a cent,
and then | tried to starve the consarn-
ed critter to death, but I'll be hanged
eff he didn't seem to be Citing fatter all
the time, an, bimeby, as | got to think
in as how the teller might not take MIN
a tall eff didn't git him started n fore
long, packed him up in a LOT Of cot
ton sose he wouldn' git damned up, an
sent him on G. o. ID, jest as ne told me
to do. My five dollars come back and
| was satisfied, an eff he want faint my
fault"
"And is this all you have ever rea-
liZed on your captures?"
ooh, onct or twice I've come acrost
women folks that have give me bit or
two for KILN the pesky critters when
they'd got into the woodshed, or suthin'
of that kind, but reckon I'd got quite
stamp out of that circus Teller that
showed in Saint Louy a while ago eff /
hadn't been so darned busy on the
farm that | couldn't git away. heard
that he wanted some snakes, so ! went
out into the swamps an got five VOL
lopiD' ones-two rattlers, cotton
mouth, copperhead an a moccasin,
but | WAS so all fired busy that /
couldn't take 'em to him, so ! busted
their heads an sold the ratt.es for ten
cents to teller that was visitin' here
from the east. He wanted to take 'em
home an show his folks what he'd
killed while he was out here, Ireckon."
"Snaky," as he is most commonly
called, is naturally quiet, unimport
ant-appearing parsonage in spite of his
eccentricities, who is employed as a
farm hand during the summer, while
in the winter he roams about the woods
and streams, enjoying his favorite pas
time, together with shooting and trap
ming.