Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-18
A KENTUCKY SNAKE FARM.
Josh Abs'Iom's Place in Campbell County
The Money Value of Snake Leather
and Snake OIL.
From tAe Ne,O YORK. Sun.


Is my best friend, sonny, and that's So :
remarked old Josh Abs'lom, the snake
farmer-so they call him through the
counties OF Campbell, Kenton, and Roont
-"snakes and turtles. If it wasn't foI
them, old Josh'd have to hustle hisself a
blame sight harder'n he does before he
could raise enough terbacker and hos
meat to keep his soul and his buddy in
the same gaIt."'
He fixed the second fingers OF his
right and left hands into the.side straps
of his heavy cowhide boots and pulled.
''These yer is my snalIin' boots he
explained 81 only put them on when
Pm geln' hustin' through the erik after
snakes. They re good aud thick and water
tight
The force Of his exertions made him
short-winded, red-faced, and pop-eyed,
but the boot failed to embrace his loot.
lie stamped with all his strength upon
the floor. braced himself against the door
frame. and pulled again.
Il wonder now IL they amt something
In it," he said at last, kicking the boot of
and vigorously shaking it. 3-foot
garter snake crushed so that the skin was
broken in several places, fell out on the
floor of the cabin, where 1t Writhed vigor-
ously.
II thought So" said Josh, as be pro-
eeeded to climb into the boot once more.
"You see, the weather is getting so cold
that these critters Is looking around for
winter quarters, and you'd be reg lar
surprised If you knew how many OF 'em
make for the house and crawl in under
the floor. That minds me, I've got
something TO show you before we start
out"
He led the way TO a heap OF compost in
the rear OF the cabin, where he used
twO-pronged fork vigorously for a few
minutes, finally uncOVering heap OF
yellowish-white eggs each about the
size OF the egg or 3 blueDird. There
were IS of them lying together in
a space about as large as the palm Of
child's hand, their tough and flexible
covering permitting them TO live in a less
compass than if the shells had been
hard.
"What do you say ~ asked Josh.
Turtles eggs"
mary turtle. Snake. and laid mighty
late in the year, too. Pm afraid they
won't hatch; but if anything will bring
them out the heat in that there manure
pile is going to do it. After she's
once got rid Of 'em the old lady
snake never trubles her head any more
about the eggs; but must say she always
picks up the warmest place she kin
ind far to drop 'em. The water snake
like my turtle-hunts up some good hot
place in the sand, 50 as when the little
ones come out they kin tumble oupn
the shell into the water; but with the
blacks, the racers, the mills, and the
garters, good warm manure pile is got
the call"
He covered the eggs carefully, and then
proceeded TO take up his mornings work
in earnest. With a canvas bag about II
1..ff
from a strap about his neck, nd,carrying
a stout walking stick fOrked at the lower
eEd, he set Oh from the cabin toward
ravine which was literally choked
with a heavy growth Of blackberry
and elderberry bushes. Before walk
leg 40 yards he stopped short and pointed
with his stick to the grass at his feet. A
blacksnake as thick as broom handle
WIS cooled ready for a spring, its
undulating NECK rising 6 inches above
the glitterng mass Of its body, and its
iorked tongue playing in and out Of its
mouth.
Josh made feint with his lift hand,
and, as the reptile sprang to meet him,
caught it just back Of the jaws in the
fork Of the stick, and pinned
its head TO the grass. With
his pocketknife he cut of the head close
10 the stick, and then tossed the squirm-
ing body into the canvas bag. A smaller
snake which glided through the grass
moment later was unmolested.
That's young black, and never touch
a black under 3 feet; feet is about the
average. You see, il we Kill of the
young ones, we're going TO run
mighty blame short on old ones,
and old ones is the only kind whose
skin Is worth picayune. Sometimes
they amt much call for skins, but Just
now Im selling fair skins for bit apiece.
" here do / sell them3 In Cincinnati at
the tannery. TheS skins that l capture
to-day will be in pickle before night and
it wall be a mighty short time, sonny,
before some gilt-edged dude will be
using them for tobacco pouches. book
bindings, or maybe giving them to his girl
In the shape OF slippers Or-Or-what do
they call these little boxes that they
keep their yearrings and gimcracks imp
''Jewel casesr
That's it. Besides the steady call for
them kind o. things jest now, the tanner
tells me that he's got an order from a
New ork man who 10 binding whole
library in snakeskin morocco. 1t makes
q mighty purity leather; but it's too thin,
for old Josh's wear"
A half-grown green frog leaped out OF
the raVine, and landed within an inch of
JOsh's right foot. 1t came down
clumsi!y, and rolled over twice be-
lure ItRaiuink us leet. IL seemed para
lyzed, and at its next jump covered barely
feet OF ground. Josh held up warn
ing finger and stood still. The frog had
not taken two more Of its awkward Jumps
before notified brown snake slipped out
OF the ravine, and came sliding after in
hot pursuit, with its triangular head
clearing the tops of the sun-burned grass.
1t caught the frog in the act of leaping by
single foot. With a vigorous effort the
quadruped might have broken away; but
u seemed benumbed with terror, and
made no motion whileit WAS being slowly
drawn into the snakes mouth almost as
lmperceptibly as tho hour hand
Of q clock moves round the
dial. There was no preliminary
crushing Of bones or smearing with
glutinous saliva, a. is reported TO be the
case with larger serpents, but the single
Lex Was slowly absorbed until the
body began % 20 the same way, with
the other hind leg awkwardly bent for
ward.
"Thars moecasin," said josh; "we
can't waste no more time on him"
The snake WAS apparently powerless TO
move, and without troubling to pin il TO
the grass Josh slashed Oh its head, cut
ting away the foot Of the half-swallowod
frog, and added one more capture TO his
game bag.
A sluggish stream OF water crawled
through the bed of the raylup damned iu