Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-11-30
Snake skimeree.

S"Nhe Skllneree.
IN the north side of the long stretch
rounds that belong to the Seamen.s
VI p.,7eas, at stapleton. Staten Islan uin !; >
LEGALITY known as ''Rocky Hollow"
Were there are hundreds of cabins occu.
Ned by colored people.
! In n retired part of Melwen street re.
ccutlv a venerable, white-haired colored
NAN was seated in a camp-stooi. while
On one side of him was d Kettle hanoing
from, three upright iron stakes over ?
hlazing wood fire, and on the other was
perforated wooden box. The old ger.
tle,man was humming a plantation tune.
and his flat nose, thick lips and ebony
SLin showed him to be a full-lloodaa
African. He was sk;nning what at first
sicht seemed to be eels, but a close jooE
slowed that their skins were LIGHT. viii
Stripes, OF else black and differently
colored, Some had cross stripes, some
had II They We're all alive and
vriggling as they were deity caught in
the LETT hand, their head went back. the
throat exposed, a knife slipped across
the neck below the head, and the skin
peeled Off in the same manner that an
eel is skinned. They were snakes.
Every time his hand came from the
box the fingers held a snake. The old
man chuckled as if he undoubtedly en-
loved his work. AS SEQ as he had
skinned the snakes they we're dropped
into 4 large iron pot, where they would
sQuirm for some moments and gradually
knot themselves up until motion
ceased.
The reporter stepped closer. There
we're probably forty snakes in the box.
The mass was all netted and twisted to-
gether, crawling over n another and
darting their tongues out s%avagely.
"What will you do with them?" was
asked, after all had been skinned and
the skins carefully laid out across a fence
to dry.
"Make skimeree,' said the old gen.
tleman, who was cutting the carcasses
into pieces about two inches long.
"Make what?"
"Skimeree-soup-stew," replied the
aged Ethiope, as he removed the steam
ing kettle from over the fire and
dumped some potatoes, cut tomatoes,
onions, celery, small pieces of bacon
and fat pork, turnips and other yegeta-
bles into the pot where the minced rep
tiles were, and then stirred the whole
up together with his knife and poured
in boiling water. Then he placed fresh
wood on the fire, and the mass was soon
steaming.
"Now, den, we will add some Dump
links to dem, an de dish nm COM
pleted,' he said. It is a lobely dish, if
yer only knowed how to make it. I
learned to eat dat dish down in St.
James Parish, in Louisiana, on Master
Rockwell's place, thirty years ago.
Down there, though, we got somepin'
worth cookin'-not desc little things.
Down dere de snakes grows bigger
thick es yer arm.
'.De SKINS" he continued, ave sells
to Voudoo women in Sullivan and
Thompson streets, OF aroun' here. Dey
give us twenty-five cents apiece for 'em,
an sell 'em again fur charms. De col
ored people wear dem aroun' de arm or
ankle. l know an awful pretty yeller
gal who had a splendid place on Fifth
avenue, and her mistress had KEEP her
ever since she was a little girl. One
day she see the girls arm, an there,
ASoA OhC NStCClutUloh 1udIh, WdS G1C Shlu
\ Of a little snake"
He barred his own arm, around which
was the skin of q beautifully-colored
snake, the bright hues of which had
been brought out by oiling and curing.
"'Taint everybody dat knows how to
cure dem right, but 1 do. Well, dat
gal got packed ter onst. 1t nearly gave
her mistress a fit. Some skins is wuth
twenty..dollars an more if it is a large
snake. Dey comes from Virginny, Ken
tuck and Louisiana. De head mus alters
be KEEP: with the skin. Some high
toned coons who is in favor in the
big faro-banks have lubly skins about
EN-"
"What does .skimeree' taste like?"
80, nice. 1t has a gamy flavor, like
Dis'll soon be dun-taste it yer
sell. It's nice, 1 tell yer, bossee," and
the old man seemed a trife indignant as
the reporter departed.-M. Y. World.