Sharp County record., 1888-11-15
THE RATTLESNAKE.
Some Good Authenticated Stories
of This Reptile.
1t Does Not Jump at Its Victim, as Is
Sometimes Supposed - Wonderful VI
tally 1t Possesses-ThrillingE En-
counters and Escapes.


snakes are given below:
Every incident related is matter of
record, with place, date and names OF
witnesses, the object being to furnish
accurate information from facts based
upon reliable data.
Several writer's have asserted-one
of them in the Altoona Morning 1rtb-
une-that rattlesnakes can and do
jump at their victims positively
deny that assertion and ask them to
present their affidavits.
The first contact with a snake is an
important epoch in any ones life,
especially in the case of a 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 the hemlock and
maple trees, barely escaped jump
-izsg upon rattler six feet in
length. had never before seen
snake, but the natural in
stinctive dread peculiar to every
body asserted itself in my case, and
paralyzed with terror, fear and fright
| allowed to escape what otherwise
would have been brilliant trophy.
This was in Cambria County, and my
next experience in that line was near
the same place-where Shirley station
is now located. l happened upon a
four-foot rattler, but this time my
father, who was near at hand, came to
my relief and killed it with pole fully
ten feet in length. A few years later
learned to kill "rattle-bugs" with a
twenty-four inch twig not thicker than
lady's finger.
noticed Mr. Thompson's method OF
extracting the poison from the glands
of rattlesnake, and before proceed
ing further will describe what is gen.
orally considered better and safer
process. Place the head of your snake
on a solid rock and, with a good-sized
stone, strike it gently-not too gently
and you may be assured that the ex-
traction is perfect and complete.
The rattlesnake is slow creeper and
very easily killed. In my third ad-
venture in different part of the couR
ty, then nearly all bowling wilder
ness, threw stone about the size
of walnut and cut off a rattlers head,
except small portion of ligature or
skin. Supposing the enemy to be dead,
| took hold of the rattles-the woods
mans trophy-when, quick as light
ming, the snake violently 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 al
most paralyzing, but l soon recovered
my composure on seeing that the snake
had thrown its head far out of sight,
and that the slight hurt and the blood
were occasioned by the wounded neck.
The experience early taught me that
the brain of a snake is not wholly in its
head or skull, but in the ganglia dis
tributed along the vertebra. From
further experiments l learned that a
serpent retains its bodily vitality
and sensibility, long after the
head is cut off. On one occa-
sion l decapitated big rattler and al
most instantly reduced its head to
ashes. The body meantime crawled
away several rods, and when its tail
was touched the head part or neck in
voluntarily flew back with the velocity
or ouickness of a steel-trap. Such
movements result from involuntary
muscular action.
1t is not generally known or believed
that the rattlesnakes can climo trees.
In an adventure with that kind of rep
tiles, | had sought shelter under a
hemlock tree from rain shower.
Feeling something unusual about my
face and neck looked around and saw
a rattler coiled about the branches OF
a limb. | was not greatly startled,
supposinp some one had killed it and
placed it there, but seeing its nlmble
tongue darting in and out | struck the