The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-09-13
A DEADLY REPTILE.
The Bloated Rattlesnake OF the
Staked Plains.
New Workers. Observations in Famous
Snake Region-The Rattlcsnake's
Fearful OdOr and Faithful
Fighting Partner.

II wonder why some of these chaps
who like to go around the country ex-
hibiting themselves in conjunction with
a den of real live rattlesnakes don't get
together an aggregation of that cheer
full species of their favorite serpent
known as the bloated rattlesnake of
the Staked Plainsp" said New Yorker
who has prospected over pretty much
all of the southern part of this country.
mot but what the specimens of the
northern rattlesnake they fool with
are savage enough and poisonous
enough to satisfy the curiosity of the
most morbid of our sightseeing fellow
citizens, but the RATHER of the Staked
Plains is so much more hideous, and
his Psychological accomplishments are
of grade 80 much higher than
those of his local prototype. that
the sight of a family of them would
strike the spectator with a de-
gree of terror that a whole museum
full of the ordinary rattlesnakes
couldn't inspire, and the museum pro-
prietor could assure his patrons, If he
felt 80 disposed of the unusual attrac-
ton of the killing by the Staked
Plains snake OF a keeper every hour.
That would be a small job for the
snake, and an undoubtedly paying card
for the museum.
when it is known that this partic.
ular Texas rattlesnake is terror even
to an Apache Indian. it is scarcely nee
essary to say any thing further as to
its qualities, for if there is one thing
that is worse than a rattlesnake in the
estimation of the plainsman or settler
it is an Apache Indian. These Indi-
ans utilize the snake for most hOr-
rible purpose. The RATHER of the
Staked Plains grows to a length of six
feet and to girth of twelve inches.
1 killed one once that had twenty
seven rattles on, and his head meas
ured FIVE inches from his neck to the
tip Of his nose, and was three inches
wide at the base of his skull.
His fangs were an inch long, and
he was altogether the most hor-
rible-looking specimen of the serpent
family ever saw. These snakes are
of a bright yellow color, with the same
dark markings that their smaller and
less deadly relative of the north has.
While terrible enough any day in the
year, it is not until about the middle
of August that the Staked Plains rat
tlesnake takes on the tulness of the
frightfulness of his nature. physical
as well as moral. He then, from
some cause unknown. becomes pulled
up and bloated, until he is fully one
third larger than his normal size. He
looks like an elongated bladder. AL
ways sluggish and slow of movement,
but inclined usually, like all of his
kind, to move out of the way of dam
ger. In August he simply makes no
effort to move at all. except to pat
himself in shape to strike at any thing
and every thing that comes in his way.
He is absolutely one big. swollen
reservoir of venom at this time of
year. or his bite would not kill an
Apache in less than an hour, as it has
been known to do.
threading these venomous snakes as
they do, yet the Apaches make it their
business to go among them at the very
time they are the most deadly, lying in
bloated hideousness all through that
God-forsaken country. 1t is then these
Indians collect the venom of the rat
tlesnakes to be used in poisoning their
arrows. They do this by placing the
liver or heart OF a deer. freshly torn
from the animals body, in front of the
snake. who buries his fangs in it again
and again. In few seconds the heart
o. liver will turn a purplish black, SO
quickly does the poison effect it. When
the Indian thinks the receptacle has
drawn all the venom from the serpent's
poison sacs. it is removed and hung in
the sun to rot. When it is ready to
drop apart, the tips of the arrows are
thrust into the meat and thoroughly
coated with the deadly matter. The
arrows are dried, and any wound in
dlcted by one of the poisoned shafts is
the same to its recipient as if he had
been bitten by the bloated provider of
the venom itself. The victims bodv
will swell in short time to frightful
proportions, and he dies in untold
agony. l wonder what kind of a show
ing the snake tanners of the dime mu
seums would make with a congress ri
ophidians like this of the Staked
Plainsp
"This truly terrible snake emits an
Ddor OF great offensiveness, which
seems to be taken and enlarged upon-
II that is possible, by curious snake
that is the inevitable attendant or
pioneer of these big serpents. This
snake is known down there as the rat
tlesnake pilot. and one who had never
seen 1t before and did not know what
IL was would think it was rattlesnake
itself. although it hasn't single rattle
nor the sign OF one. With that excep-
ton it has all the markings and char
acteristics OF the rattlesnake, and will
coil itself, shake its tail, and strike
just the same as the big and
deadly serpent OF whose proximity il
Is the certain indicator. The rattle
snake pilot grows to be two feet long.
ana 10 poisonous to about the same de-
gree that hornet is The mysterious