St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-12
RATTLE WITH RATTLEsNAKEs.
Perilous Adventure Of n Party of
Young Men.

Port Jervis IN W Cor. n. Y. Times.
Last Sunday morning a party OF
three young men, w. p. Hall and
two brothers named WeStfall, had q lively
encounter with a lot of rattlesnakes
and blackSnakeS at Roses switch, about six
miles west of this village. The locality is
Wild and romantic. 1t is i'm the center of a
limestone country. and every spring the
quaTymen, in blasting the rock, come across
large quantities OF snakes which have en-
sconced themselves in the blue stone lodges
10 escape the rigOrs of the long winter
months. They emerge in the spring, and
AFTER basking in the hot sun for few days
they leave the spot for feed and water.
just above Roses switch is 4
tmck ledge or succession of
lodges Of rock known to almost
every quarIyman as the snake den. The
Young men had this place in view when
they started out. Providing themselves with
stout green clubs. they advanced cautiously
upon several large TattlerS found sun
ming themselves, and quickly dispatched
them. not, however, before they had given
the peculiar rafting noise for which they
are so well known. This had the effect of
bring out countless numbers of reptiles. and
before the young men were aware of it they
were surrounded on all sides by a
Kissing, rattling lot of snakes that
made them shudder with fear. For
tunately they had on stout boots, and
the snakes were not in as good con-
dition 10 bite and do harm as they
would be later in the season. The
number OF snakes kept increasing to
such an extent that the young men in
their terror maintain that they must
how 1
ratueSnake and blackSnake variety. Finally
it was noticed that the snakes were fighting
among themselves, and on inspection it was
seen that the blacksnakeS were attacking
the rattleTs, and vice versa. both being
warmed up 10 their work by the beat
ing they had received from the young men.
Although blackSnakes and Tattlers mingle
with each other during the long cold winter
months, yet on the approach of spring they
separate after deadly combat, wherein the
blackSnakes are sometimes victorious and
the rattlers on other occasions. \
SpitZ dog which followed the young men
was an object of especial hatred. and was
soon covered by the reptiles, which wound
themselves about his body and bit him
TO such an extent that he swelled
TO twice his natural size. After
a fight of about fifteen minutes the
men had everything their own way, and
over fifty were gathered up and carried
away as trophies of the affray. They
were sold to an old medicine man,
who extracts the oil from the fat to
sell TO persons afflicted with rheu-
matism, neuralgia, sprainS and other
ailments. As high as So per ounce is paid
by those who believe in the wonderful
curative qualities of the snake oil.
The young men cut of the rattles
of many of the snakes. some having
as high as fifteen or twenty, and
the snakes ranged in size from sixteen
inches TO six feet, one large black snake. Il
perfect specimen, measuring a trifie over
six feet. Had it not been for the fight be-
tween the rival snakes, the young men
might have been dangerously bitten.