Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1889-10-10
A SINGULAR HOME.
STRANGE DISCOVERY MADE BY
SOUTHWESTERN HUNTERS.


SOUTHWESTERN HUNTERS.
An Indian Family I'm a Cave, Liv.
ing on Intimate Terms with Ser
pents.
A party of sportsmen from Fort
Stockton, Texas, whie hunting ante
lopes in ike Sierra Charrote a few days
ago, made most singular discovery.
kiding up narrow gorge they caught
sight OF gigantic rattlesnake trailing
his hideous length along the side of the
steep crag Just above their heads.
Several of the party fired at the reptile,
but none of the shots had any effect
beyond causing his snnkeship to acceel-
crate his leisurely movement, and by the
time the party had dismounted and
reached the spot, the rattler was sap
pearing down fissure in the rock.
A volley of shot was sent gathering
after him, but some of his pursuers,
feeling courageous enough to follow
him further. they had turned about and
were making their way back to the
horses, when human head, protruding
from the gap where the snake had dis
appeared, attracted their attention.
The head was quickly followed by the
body, and Il most remarkable person
stood gazing curiously after them. It
was q man, clad from head to foot in a
garment evidently made out of the
tough, fiborous grasses of these parts
woven together in mat This was se-
cured about the waist by Eelt COM
posed of the pied, mottled skin of rep
tiles. This strange beings long, coarse
hair hung about his face in straight,
black p, Gated locks, giving him most
weird, Medusa like appearance. His
featu. es were of british, cunning
type, while the face was lighted up by
a pair of coldly twinkling orbs hard y
human in their steady gaze, and which
completed the suggestion of serpent
of his entire make up
The hunters, amazed at this singular
apparition, turned back and approached
the man, who waited for them without
any evidence of fear OF desire to avoid
meeting. Mr.. K, who was somewhat
in advance of the others, called out to
him in English, "Good morning." and
was answered in Spanish, spoken with
cultural accent.
Mr.. X. then began to converse in
Spanish with the man, who responded
briefly in dialect of his own, composed
of a mongrel Spanish and Apache In
dian. When asked what he was doing
down in that hole, he informed the par
ty that he lived down there and offered
to show them his home The gentlemen
felt considerable hesitation about fol-
lowing the rattlesnake into such close
quarters, and expressed as much, when
the stranger declared there was no harm
to be expected from the snake, but said
there was another entrance t , his abode
that they might make use of if they
preferred it.
He then showed them large hoe in
the mountains side which they had
failed TO notice for the bushes that we'll
nigh covered it. They found themse yes,
on entering this hoe, in a small, gloomy
cave, in which they saw, as soon as the
eyes became accustomed to the INSULT
cient light, a woman and several chill
dren seated, or lying about on skins.
They were all dressed in the same rude
garments as the man, to whom they bore
strong resemblance. They took very
little notice of the hunters, exhibiting
sluggishness of movement that would
have seemed to indicate drowsiness had
it not been for their little, glancing,
watchful eyes that cleaned like diamond
points in the dimness of the cave.
In obedience to some order of her
husband, the woman rose from her
squatting position in one corner of the
cavern, letting fall from her lap some
object that glided swiftly away to one of
the children, about whom it twined it
self, and who aflectionately clasped it
in her arms. To the amazement and
horror of the gentlemen, this oh. ect was
the huge rattlesnake which hal been
their guide to this extraordinary place,
SO unreal and uncanny as to cause them
to ask themselves if it were not the Gre
alton of dream.
The woman had lighted torch,
revealing the cave swarming with snakes
of every description and size. They
hung from rocky projections in the roof
and sides of the cavern, kissing at the
unwonted light, and glided about from
one corner to another. One great
shining black monster lay across the
throat Of sleeping infant, gently wav-
ing its horrid head above the child's
mouth. An older child was eating
something from an earthenware vessel,
and large rattler leaning from his
shoulder would swing over and eat from
the dish, while the child would strike it
with its bare hand whenever its strange
messmate seemed getting more than its
share.
After lighting the torch the woman
returned to her corner aud the skin on
which she had been squatting, and,
catching up snake that was lying near,
dropped it into her lap as one might
kitten. The creature crawled up her
body and finally settled itself on her
breast reaching up to her mouth as if
to kiss her This last exhibition Of an
intimacy forbidden by the pre;udices of
all ages and people was more than the
part could stand, SO they beat n hasty
retreat from that joint abode of serpents
and human beings The man accom-
panied them, offering in trade skins for
powder and shot.
While the exchange was being made
the man in answer to the question re-
lated his history. He is o half-breed
Apache Indian, his father having been
Mexican. Up to the time he was
grown he had continued with his
mothers people, but committing some
offence against their laws-he entered
into no details rs to what this was-he
had to run away to escape their ven
geance, and his wild, rowing existen Q
having untitled him for civilizt life,
he had taken up his residence in this
mountain cave. His wife, an Indian
girl, had fled with him and here their
children had been born. He lives by
b,,,,f;,o oo1 fch;n0 pavar yentur.po,