Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-24
SOME SNAKES.
A Budget of veraciOus Tales from the
Back Counties.
Rr0Okluza Emile.

Brooklyn Eagle.
t'DO you suppose they Will ever get so
they can train snakesp asked one Of the
party, after the long pause that followed
an account of how a Wisconsin woman
had caught a rattlesnake by setting her
husbands false teeth for them.
Il kuewed of case" said the man
from Michigan. "a friend of mine in the
lumber deestricts found one in his pocket
one day and sewed the pocket
up until the snake was nigh starved.
Then he let MIN out and fed him, and
after that the snake would do anything he
told HIM to. He'd lay for a deer, and as
soon as il hove in sight he'd set the snake
after it, and the cussed snake would jump
through the deer's eye and kill him
deadp'
''Fve hearn of it bein' DONE" assented
the Iowa man. "When was in the mines
my chum lit onto one and brought it
home. The snake took to him from the
start, and in less than a week he had the
varmint drawing water"
How'd he work it?' demanded the
Michigan man.
Il never knew the right of it, replied
the Iowa man. "YOu know when we
were diggin' we didn't have no time to
waste. If a man got dry he grudged the
time to take a drink of water. He'd
ruther so dry. But this chum of mine
fixed things 50 that he had no trouble in
| keepin' wet all the time. That snake
would 90 off and fill himself up with
water. and then he would come back and
bite this chum of mine. The snake had
| arranged himself so that he didn't squirt
any venom drought his fangs, only pure
| water, and as soon as he unloaded. off he
went for more. He got so affecuonate he
almost drowned my friend one day. and
chummy had to put him to deathl''
Il had one" said the Illinois man, ''whO
was the best and wust snake l ever seen.
One end of him was all off, and the other
was the moral business in that neck o. the
woods. The wust of him was he'd steal
things around the house, bait when the
tail end caught the mouth at any crooked
business, it would rattle, and we ALWAYS
got there before he could get away with
the goods. You ought to see the grateful
wag of that tail when the mouth got
left"
How did the mouth stand it," asked
the Iowa man.
The mouth used to get mad,'' replied
the Illinois man; ''but it couldn't bite I'M
less II stood up on Ito tail, and the tail
'Got him YETI" asked the Michigan
man.
mo, he backeapped US, and we had to
kill him. One day he got caught, as
usual, and turned around and bit his tail
short off. That settled it, and we rammed
him into a rifle and shot Sheriff with
him."
Il had one a good many years ago." OBJ
served the Texan, but he got into all
kinds o. mischief, and we didn't take no
comfort with him. He used to crawl into
the chickens and eat the giblets, so there
weren't nothing left to make gravy when
we had a roast. AS soon as hen opened
her mouth in he went, and he'd stay there
until he'd eat up the crop, and heart, and
giZZard, and kidneys, and all them things.
The hens would lay well enough, but we
had no choice parts when it came to cook
ing"
"You never can tell what they're going
to do" smiled the Nevada man. MY
brother brought one up from Arizona
wanted him for the children to play with
He slept IN the clock nights cause he
liked to feel the works scratch his back.
1t sort % soOthed him.. But we noticed
the most curious thing about his rattles.
Sometimes they would be bigger than he
was, and then again he wouldn't have but
one or two little ones that wasn't no good
to a snake Of his size. When he had the
'bigs,' as we called it, he was the best
natured snake in the town, but when they
were small there was no getting close to
him."
Glow did you account for the change
in the rattles - asked the Texan.
at was long time before we got onto
it," returned the Nevada man. But one
night we followed INN. Where dye think
we found that snake? He was out in the
woods playin' seven-up, with three other
snakes, for rattles, and when we captured
him he had bushel of rattles ahead, had
caught the jack, and held the ace and low
IN his handv'
"WhO pays for these drinks, gentle
menu inquired the barKeeper sOlemnlv.
And then they got up and wandered
out, and were seen Of men no more.