Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1888-11-24

A few thrilling incidents relating
to snakes will be seasonable at this
time of year.
Every incident related is matter
OF record, with place, date and names
of witnesses, the object being to fur
nish accurate information from facts
based upon reliable data.
The first contact with a snake is
an important epoch ip anyone's life,
especially in the case of boy. In
1912, when only small boy, unused
to woods and snakes, / was sent on
a quick errand and, running along an
old path among hemlock and maple
trees, barely escaped jumping up
on raltler six feet in length. | had
never before seen a snake, but the
natural instructive dread peculiar to
everybody asserted itself in my case,
aud paralyzed with terror, fear and
fright / allowed to escape what 9TH
erwise would have been brilliant
trophy. This was in Cambria coun-
ty, and my next experience in that
line was near the same place-where
Shirley Station is now located. /
happened upon four-foot RATHER,
but this time my father, who was
near at hand, came to nay relief and
killed it with a pole fully ten feet in
length. A few years later I learned
to kill "rattle-hugs" with a twenty
four inch twig not thicker than a
lady's finger.
l noticed Mr.. Thompson's method
of extracting the poison from the
glands of q rattlesnake, and before
proceeding further | will describe
what is generally considered bet
ter and safer process. Place the
head of your snake on solid rock
and, with a good-sized stone, strike
it gently-not too gently-and you
may be assured that the extraction is
perfect and complete.
The rattlesnake is a slow creeper
and very easily killed. In my third
adventure, in differene part of the
county, then nearly all bowling
wilderness, threw stone about the
size of walnut and cut off a rattler's
head, except a'small portion of liga-
ture or skin. Surprising the enemy
to be dead, / took hold of the rat
tles-the woodman's trophy-when,
quick as lightning, the snake violent.
ly recoiled, the head part of the
neck striking the back of my hand.
A slight scratch was made and my
hand spattered all over with blood.
The first thought was almost para
lying, but l soon recovered my com
posture on seeing that the snake had
thrown its head far out of sight, and
that the slight hurt and the blood
was occasioned by the wounded neck.
HEADLEss REPTILES.
This experience early taught me
that the brain of snake is not Who'll
ly in its head or skull. but in the
ganglia distributed along the vsrte-
bra. From further experiments /
learned that serpent retains its bod
ily vitality and Sensibility long after
the head is cut off. On one occasion
l decapitated a big RATHER and al
most instantly reduced its head to
ashes. The body meantime crawled
away several rods, and when it's tail
was touched the head part or neck
involuntarily flew back with the We
locity or quickness of a steel trap.
Such movements result from invol-
untary muscular action.
1t is not generally known or be-
lieved that rattlesnakes can climb
trees. In an adventure with that
class of reptiles, had sought shell
ter under hemlock tree from rain |
shower. Feeling something unusual
about my face and neck looked
around and saw rattler coiled about |
the branches of a limb. / was not |
greatly startled, supposing some one
had killed it and placed it here, but
seeing its nimble tongue darling in
and out | struck the snake with
stick, when it fell down and attempt
ed to escape into hole, which seem
ed to have been its former home.
To demonstrate that these deadly |
reptiles are slow to use their fangs |