Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-16
rWo FAMors mUNTERs.
The s'TwO J0es'' and Their Queer sum
mer Occupation.


pied positions OF true '~iaess cir
cles Impelled, perhai restless
teeing OF adventure, they rac.ically re-
tire from the world during the warm
weather and occupy hut up in the
mountains, some five miles east Of mere,
and devote their time to hunting money
bees and mathematics. They are well
known to nearly every person IN Pittstou,
and the various tayerns in the town have
echoed their wonderful exploits. The
eldest of these hunters is Joseph Schooley,
at one time one of the most prominent
men of Luzerne county. Many years ago
he established what has long been known
as Schooley's brickyard and in later
years, after having made reasonable
fortune, be began coal operations, bUtnOt
with any great success. Business re-
verses followed him fast few
years since. and he apparently has no Oc-
cup8tiOn other than hunting on the noun
tains. His companion is Joseph BoWkley,
member of the famous family OF coal
operators. His father opened the first
mine at Pittston Ferry, as this borough
was originally known, and made for him
self a considerable income and left q
namesake IN the town of Port Bowkley.
One son is now a highly respected and
prosperous citizen of this place, who is
spending the summer in aCOlOrado cattle
ranch, which is owned by himself and
another Pittstonian. Joseph was formerly
the active manager of both his fathers
and brothers. interests and now enjoys a
sufficient income TO enable him 10 spend
his time as he sees fit
THE TWO JOEs.
The two companions are distinguished
as tUncIe Joe" and joe ] found them
sitting In front Of an inn the other even
ing. They bad come into town on one Of
their irregular lncursiOns 10 get the news
and necessary provisions. Both were MS
brown as berries and their appearance
gave but little indication Of entertaining
conversational powers, vet such they both
possessed to an unusual degree. | in
quired what in the name Of common sense
they could find attractive in Il rattle
snake.
o<'The excitement Of the chase and the
commercial value OF 50 per snake was
the response. There is an active demand
for them all the time, principally atz0Olog-
zeal gardens and museums, and occasion
ally a salOOn-keeper will buy one to show
70 his patrons the effects of drinking an
Other saloon-keeper's whisky"
scan you find enough snakes to make it
pEoftable"
''Well, that depends on what you con-
slider profitable answered joe sin '7S
my brother and l found two dens and we
caught one hundred and eighty. We sold
eighty of them around here and then we
started for the Paris Exposition with the
balance Of them. When we got to Liver
pool / sold thirteen to a saloOn-keeper for
922. On our way to London
we cOilided with another train
MY brother was laId up for three weeks,
but got out with the snakes all right.
The railroad company didn't wait for us
10 bring suit, but gave us ESQ
for damages to my brother. The snakes
sold for good deal more than expenses,
although we had pretty lively time over
there for over four months. II | have my
health / shall 90 over there again next
spring an9 exhibit them. There's a for
tune ~ the business for a man with IA
handful frattlesnakes.
RATTLERS GETTING SCARCE.
"But rattlesnakes are getting mighty
seares," said Uncle Joe. Everybody
VINO sees one kills it, if he can, and taking
them with what we catch leaves but few
in the mountains of Luzerne county
There's no use in killing them, that l can
see. They won't hurt anybody, if let
alone. You might walk within two feet of
one and he couldn't hurt you il he wanted
to. All this talk about their jumping
through the air at you is all nonsense: a
snake, TO strike, must be cOiled up and
1oust have his tail on the ground. The re-
shlt Is that he can't strike
a distance greater than about
one-half his length. ! have seen
thousands OF them strike and never
saw one strike any different from any
other. Another thing is that he always
springs his rattle when he IS about to
strike. If the snake sees YOU coming he
will run for his den, but he won't make
any noise about it. If he doesn't see you
III you are right over him he will flatten
right out and try to escape notice, unless
he thinks you are going TO attack him.
and then he will coll and strike. Itls
when he tlattens out that he can be caught
by quietly but quickly placing the fiat
end OF stick or cane on the back of his
neck. This has TO be done carefully and
skillfully. II you press down too hard
YOU will break his neck, as that is his
weak point. 1t not hard enough be may
be able 10 bite you. After securing him
with the stick, you must catch him with
your leit hand Just back OF the head, and
then with pair Of short scissors cut out
his fangs. There are two on each side OF
the upper jaw, and they are hinged so as
10 lie along the roof of the mouth W hen il
~ closed. They drop down and are ready
for business when the mouth is open. 1t
= certain death TO touch the point of one
if''Nt ihuAH Mhlit cutting luein out.
t"eA are almost as sharp as a cambria
needle, aud still they are hollow and
through hole In the tooth comes the
poison. Once get the fangs out and they
can bite with their saw teeth. but with no
more harm than any ordinary suake.
Take away their fangs and they become
very much subdued and will submit to al
most any kind Of handling. Sometimes |
leave the fangs in for "A doctor who wants
10 experiment with the poison"
chow about their committing suicide
when they are getting the worst of a
1ightY'
REFUGE IN THEIR MOTHERS THROAT.
Il guess they only do that la natural
histories. have never known any to do
so. tell you what is fact. though. and
I've seen them do IL often. That is for the
little ones 10 run down the mothers
throat for protection. I've cut many a
one out that crawled m, Just as / have
many one before birth. You know the
rattlesnake is the onlyreptile that doesn't
lay eggs, but gives birth 20 It's young
They come IN litters Of from 1--WE To n
dozen and have heard Of as many ne
eighteen. What do they feed onY Mostly
mice ana birds and not very many OF
them. They generally come out of their
dens IN the spring and feed and sun
themselves until along IN August. AT
lhat time they begin TO shed their skins.
"HaHnH HaHHa u -.