Morning journal and courier., 1888-09-13
NO ErD OF SNAKES.
A section of Pennsylvania Whore nat
tiers Ab0an nd.
[Tionssta (Pa1 Special Dsspstch.1

[Tionssta Pa.) Special Despatch.1
This is paradise for rattlesnakes. In
this county and the adjoining county of
Venango, with portion of Crawford, rattle
snakes abound in great numbers. Copper
heads and blacksnakes are also plentiful,
and many large ones have been killed this
year. Everybody kills rattlesnakes in the
country, women as well as men. Some of
the most successful snake-killers are women
and girls, who make business of gathering
hucklebsrries, that grow in great abundance
threw Forest and Venango Counties. An i'm
portent part of o berry -picker's equipment
as stout stick, with which the snakes are
killed.
The country through this section, through
which flows the Alleghny River, in billy and
covered with large rocks. Much of it is also
heavily timbsred, but it Is among the rocks
which cover the river hills that snakes -four
ish and wax fat Veritable dens Of rattle
snakes are abundant all through this rough
stretch of country. Anything like record
of the snake adventures that have occurred
in This immediate vicinity this season would
fill several columns of this paper. On Mon
day last party of Titusville boys, consisting
of Charley Flynn, James Scott, Graham
Scott and two sons of John Ponton, while
while picking berries on fsRatt1esnake Hill,
was four feet long and had nine rattles. The
snake was skinned and the skin measured
twelve inches across at the widest part.
When opened the snake was found to contain
fourteen young ones that soon would have
been born into the world.
An unusual experience was that r. w.
PorteIield, superintendent of the Natural
Gas company at Oil City, which is seventeen
miles down the river from Tionesta While
making tour of the Specify gas district,
in Venango county, Mr.. Porterfeld came
upon large yellow rattlesnake, and quickly
despatched it with club. 1t was above the
average size and was an unusually bright
yellow color. Mr.. Porter6eld put the sn AXE
in his buggy, and, covering 1t over with an
oil-cloth apron, drove into town, q distance
of nine miles. H B. Robinson, of Oil City,
accompanied him. When they reached Mr..
Robinson's residence, that gentleman got out
and reaching back in the buggy for basket,
the supposed dead snake shook it rattles 30
they were heard across the street, and made
en- effort to strike. It was too badly hurt to
do any mischief, but the rattle of, its tail
filed the two gentlemen with horror, who
did not know they had been riding nine
miles with a live rattlesnake in the buggy.
The snake was taken to Peter Gruber's
snake museum in the city, and was able
| to crawl over the floor in very lively fashion
| and shake its rattles continuously. Mr.
| Gruber thonght it might have recovered en-
| tirely from its injuries, but 1t was finally
1 killed and skinned. Gruber is known all
| over this section as a snake charmer, but he
| does not pretend to charm them. He does
not hesitate to catch a live rattle or copper
head in his hands, and every season he makes
| frequent excursions into the snake district
i to capture snakes for his museum, which is
Il a private institution attached to his saloon.
Il On these trips he is always accompanied by
i several friends who go along to see him catch
/ IN h Ne bad he,-
| this is simply matter of dextsrity and skill
acquired by long practice. He watches q fay-
| orable opportunity when the snake Is stretch
| ed out and then seizes it Immediately back of
| the head.
The snake twists about his arm. and if a
rattler, will make its tail sing in the most
/ vicious manner, but as long as 1t Is held
firmly about the neck it is powerless to bite.
| Gruber says there is very little rick in
/ catching any kind of snake In this way.
| He says, in the first place, that the snake
cannot strike if you wait until 1t uncoils
| itself and is at least partly stretched out at
length. The formation of a snakes jaw and
/ fangs make it impossible for it TO inflict o
| wound unless 1t can threw its can throw its
| body forward and strike end it can only do
| this when coiled up. Mr.. Gruber says:
ssWhen snake is coiled up it is on q war
footing When it is stretched out at full length
| it is as harmless as dove" He has been
catching deadly snakes on this theory for fve
years and has never been bitten Gruber
wears neaktie made entirely OF snake skins,
and for scarf pin he wears rattlesnake's
rattles. His museum Is a curious resort.
Among the ladies who have distinguished
themselves by snake killing this yeaI is Mrs:
| Wesley Cameron, who lives on the edge OF
1 Clarion county, near the Forest county line.
She has killed seventeen rattlesnakes, i've
copperheads and three blacksnakes. Mrs.
/ Cameron has been raised in the snake region
| and is proud of her proficiency in killing
them. Miss Sue Blakely, q pretty young
1 lady Of Warren county. killed tWo rattle