Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-08-11
A JERSEY SNAKE HUNT.
Practical Use OF an limitation Mouse
At Close Quarters.
Letter to Philadelphia Times.

| "a SsOSC ~&uSaA SSASs
Letter to Philadelphia Times.
After the road came to an end altogether and
left the wagon iolting over an unbroken field.
the old horse put on remarkable burst OF speed
and turned into a narrow lane leading to a
small farmhouse.
''Look here" said, "didn't pay you to carry
me to Jerry Martins? '
"Sartin you did, sir"
''Then why don't you do it? Why do you
stop here at your own hOme!'
Done the best l could, sir. This is Jerry
Martins place. sir"
"And yOu?'
"l'm Jerry Martin, sir; at your Service Sir
quarter SO neatly earned surely was well
deserved, and, checking an impulse to say some
thing sarcastic, l laughed and told Jerry my
| Grand
"Snake huntin', is it?" he exclaimed, in some
thing like establishment. "Want to 90 snake
huntn? Well I never! Fine gents from the
city never hunts snakes, as knows on Coin
to start circus? Museum business, maybe?
No? Well never. Jest want to hunt snakes!
Maria!' he shouted, in voice that might have
been mistaken for a steam whistle.
A demonstrating little woman stepped out
from behind chicken coop.
deaf" -. -
Here's gentleman from the city as wants
to go snake huntin'." Jerry moved back to note
the effect Of his words Not muscle moved in
the careworn face under the sun-bonnet
| swell, she said. moment afterward, ''Why
| don't you take him?'
'I'lI do it-for half dollar"
In few minutes Jerry and were a..ain Jolt
ing over the unbroken field in the direction of
| forest OF scrub pines. ...- ,,...-
''Snakes is scarce around these parts this
year. Fire over to Hammonton way drove 'em
Off last summer. The big 'uns took to the pine
| swamp bout quarter Of a mile below the cearin
in the piney woods over to the right of us, and
the little ones was burned up. It's harder for
me to git snakes now, but when finds one he's
sure to be whOpper an big enough to send to
| a circus. The little ones l send to saloons an
restaurants for show windows. Billy Howe. in
Camden, he used to sell EN- for me- but he's
| gone out OF the business, and | have to ketch
em and sell 'em myself. 1 was up to the Zoo
Oligical Garden in the city last week to see
about selling big pney snake but Mr.. Brown,
the superintendent, was away, an the duffer at
the gate wouldn't let me in. Mebbe I'll go up
next week. amt seen the big snake for three
weeks an if he amt pulled up stakes an gone
on a vacation he's hiding in the swamp.
Can't stand the hot sun, dye see and only
comes out for any length of time on cloudy
| days. Not much chance for i'm to day"
| At the edge of the woods the horse WAS ur-
rOped from the wagon and turned loose. A COW
cred basket, prOnged stick, a bottle of chOro-
form. and small sponge were taken from
box In the wagon. In the basket was an imita-
IA.
and wound around the end of the stick was
small ball of Irvine. An old cloth apron com
pleted what Jerry called the ''outat"
Down to the edge of the big swamp, where the
Jerry walked softly, and. after five minutes of
| slow creeping, sat down upon log.
keep quiet now" he cautioned, 'there's lots
OF snake-holes around here. Here's where saw
| the big I'm three weeks ago. Now, you hold
the end of the string while fasten the mouse
| IN the clear spot over there"
| The stick upon which the imitation mouse
was fastened was forced into the ground so that
the mouse rested imam upright position about
| an inch above the sand. The string reached
from the mouse to the log. We lay down. side
by side, behind the log, with our heads up
| raised so that we conld command a view OF a
seml-circle thirty or forty feet in diameter
| We waited five minutes In utter silence Then
Jerry's arm moved backward quickly and the
| string huttered all instant In the sand.
| Squeak. The Imitation mouse cried out rs if
caught in trap bird stopped chipping over
head. Squeak-squeak! The bird flew away
AT irregular intervals for ten minutes the mouse
slrieked in anguish, but only the fitting shadow
| OF the swaying string disturbed the dull gray
surface Of the sand. Through an opening In the
! trees the sun blaZcd down in sullen furv. Out
in cleared field the heat throbbed upward like
| waves from furnace. The narrow horizon be-
yOund the trees waved like q banner and the
branches of the bushes hung motionless In the
| sitting air.
Squeak-squeak- The mouse was be-
| coming furious Over at the base Of a stump
something moved streak of yeow-gray
sand seemed to start into life. Jerry nudged
! me softly.
"a snake" 1t was but whisper, but the
snake heard it and stopped, with head appraised
and tongue darting back and forth like the
flame Of spirit lamp. The mouse became fran
| NC at It's danger. Jerry seized the CrOtched
stick. the chOrOform and the sponge and was
making ready for spring, when l saw by a
| sudden pallOr In It's face that something had
happened. leaned toward him and he nut his
lips close to my ear.
| ''There's q snake crawling over my legs" he
whispered. Don't move a muscles
Jerry bowed his head upon the log and be-
touched my legs twice Chill ran through me;
my veins ceased throbbing and my lungs
refused to do their work. The snake was feel
| Ing his way across me, second heightened
into minute the minute to an hour, seemingly.
and still the snake dragged his heavy length
across my legs. In that second of horror and
disgust the reptile was as long as q ships cable
and as heavy as tree. When felt myself
Tree OF the weight / turned my head. Jerry
had risen. and with stick In hand was stepping
over me. He made lunge at something and
when jumped to my feet l found him holding
the stick upon the snakes neck.
wet the sponge with chloroform, quick, and
| hold 1t down upon his uOse."
| While was doing this the snake wound him.
SELF about the stick and about Jcrry's leg twice
but In a moment the folds relaxed and the snake
was as limp as rope.
That's the way ketch EN-" said Jerry as
ne wrapped the snake in the apron and crowded
1t into the basket. mo trouble about that ia
there? Tomorrow That piney snake will stretch
| his six feet o length In a box that I've got up
to the house. an next week he'll go to New
York or to the new museum on Arch street.
Philadelphia. That mouse does the business
every time. That first snake skipped back to his
hole when the mouse stopped squeakin'. No
use tryin' for lin to-day any more. Wouldn't
! come out for drove Of mice. They're mighty
| sharp, snakes is"
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