Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-05-07
sMAKrs.
An Old Time monopoly of the Pine
Greek Region.

Greek AeEtOns
DIossBUro, Pa, April 1.-THE land of
Tiadaghton, once the property of the Six
Nations, but since the year 1854 owned
and controlled by the state of Pennsyl-
vania, and now known Ms the Pine Creek
Region, was for many years after its
acquisition by Pennsylvania the centre of
q thriving industry and commercial pros
perity. IL was fishing for rattlesnnkes,
extracting the oil from their Shiny car
casses, and marketing the same. The
Pine Greek region was the very hotbed of
rattlesnakes, and the locality produced
them by the million.
The mountains which lift their heads
thousand feet or more above Tiadaghton
or Pine Creek, were peculiarly adapted to
the cultivation and propagation of these
reptiles. The business of numbering was
also carried on at the same time, and the
timber and lumber RATS which at every
freshet were borne upon the waters of the
Tiadaghton TO the west branch of the
Susquehnnna, and thence to the Ohesa- |
peake bay, where generally loaded with
huge cans or barrels of rattlesnake oil, |
extracted by the native Pine Checkers, in |
their rude but economical way by lassoo- |
ing, sbinning, and hanging the reptiles
up by their tails upon poles in long rows
in the sun, with wooden troughs under
meath to catch and receive the oleagin-
Gus substances. Every snake farmer had
his hotbed or den, to which he would re-
pair yearly in June, July and August, and
harvest the crop.
The product of this harvest (rattle-
snake OILY, was either sold for cash to the
lumbermen or shipped on commission, or
bartered for whisky. There were rattle
snake kings, autocrats, and monopolists
in the snake-farming business then, as
there are now in the petroleum, railroad,
and mining industry. Complaints were
then made in relation to discrimination
in freights and corners in rattlesnake oil,
as there are now in petroleum, corn, wheat
oats, pork, butter, lard, cheese, and oleo-
margarine
Rattlesnake Tom, or Snakey Tom, a willy
and scheming old monopolist, bondholder,
and rattlesnake stock iobber, early in the
development of the industry secured valu-
able franchises, which ultimately made
him the Jay Gould or Standard Oil Com
pany of that region, and for years he
monopolized the catching of the snakes,
extraction of the oil, and the marketing
of the same. He was usually dressed in
rattlesnake skins from head to foot while
skulking about in search of some fearless
poacher who had invaded his premises OIL
trespassed upon his snakedom. To see
him gliding along stealthily and sinu'
ously over the rocks and mountain sides 0
thousand feet above the waters of the
Tiadaghton, wearing moccasins made Of
the skins of the yellow and blnck rattle
snakes, his brooches, vest, coat, ant
chapeau of the same material, each gar
ment festooned and trimmed with rattle
taken from the snakes, with sash o
snake skins encircling his waist and owe
his shoulders, after the manner of
modern brigadier, and carrying stron,
oaken rod in his hand, to which was at
tached linen lasso, he certainly mad
the impression upon the natives that h
was monarch in his profession and
terror to all evil-doers in the rattlesnak
farming business. His ranch, or shippin
yard, was about mile below wher
Marsh creek empties its waters into tn
Tiadaghton, while his plantations q
snakeries were ON the east and west side
of the stream, and covered an area of seN
eral thousand acres, the best adapted I
the natural and artificial propagation
rattlesnakes of any territory i'll norther
Pennsylvania.
Originally this large tract was owne
by some Is or 20 snake farmers, who b.
came involved in contracting for more o
than they could deliver, and were caugl
short. Tom discounted their paper an
advanced them whisky. Not wishing
do without that necessary article in the
business they pledged their snakeries
Tom for an advance. When they least e
pected it Tom entered up Pennsylyan
tight note against them and closed the
concerns. There were no preferred cred
tors i'll those days, nor receivers n
pointed, SO Tom had absolute control
their affects and wrested their snakeri
from them. They were, however, wedd,
to the business, and could not, or won
not pursue any other vocation, and /
came the tenants of Tom, working Il
snnkeries on shares. To prevent the
tenants from diverting the products fro
their legitimate channel and selling to
rival monopolist whose plantation "
located some Is or 20 miles below up
the Tiadaghton, was the reason that SUI
an unwearied vigilance was required
Rattlesnake Tom.
In June the business was most bris
Then the snakes came forth of their o'
accord in the greatest numbers, and We
lassoed by the shakers. What snaE
were not attracted by the genial rays
the sun from their dens were shaken fro
their rocky beds by the thousand by I
violent Chaps of thunder which occurr
in this month. The tendency then "
towards the over-production, and ma
the month of June busy season at {
snakeries. During this month Rattlesna
Tom never undressed himself a
scarcely slept an hour out of the "a, b.
ing his headquarters in the saddle. Nj
definitely speaking he tried to diff
himself over his valuable snakedom, a
be at every point where business v
most brisk ut one and the same tin
keeping his vigilant eye upon his era
and dishonest tenantry, In July the We
would get down to II reasonable work.
basis, but during the latter part of 4
days, when the snakes We're blind, bt
ness would revive again, and sometil
keep active until the middle of Septe
Der. ...--..-.-
kattlesnake Tom owned line of bu
which piled between his shipping d,
and Northumberland, touching Mt Jer
Shore, Williamsport, Muncy and int
mediate points. These, of course, W
craft suitable for the trade. When bt
ness was brisk they were kept busy ira
porting whisky into the camps of tn
employed ut the snakeries, and in tax
rattlesnake oil down to Williamsport
some other seaport, and banking the p
ceeds. Toms credit was No. /, and
was rated high in business agencies,
drafts always being honored by the liz
dealers down the river He would oC
sionally suffer from dishonest sea c
tains, who would forge his paper, hay
learned in n clandestine manner 1
many snake rattles Tom usually sent
. stead of greenbacks to represent an or
for barrel of whisky. When such
honesty was discovered, the whole
Toms tenantry would suffer. An emba
for the space of "a hours was issued
Tom, and no shaker could get droI
whisky for that space of time. This
indeed severe and capital punishment
Tom was honest with the liquor deal
and settled punctually every year wi
the rattlcsnake season had closed and
books were posted Although not skill
in the art of reading and writing and
manner Of keeping books, no man co
tell any better thnn he how many snn
il required to make n cord or how IN
oil could be extracted from them.
long experience he was enabled to
his eye over miscellaneous suuirn
mass of 5000 or 10000 snakes and ,
mate the number with mathematical
cision, or he could detect any attempt
the part of his tenantry to withhold
true Simon pure snake oil and substi
for it the baser oils, such as race,
skunk, bear, or woodchuck oil.
goods were ALWAYS straight and