The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1889-04-04
TWO AGED RATTLERS.
One Was Forty-Five and the other T1lir
ty-Nine Years OF Age.

Pompey Hooper, an old colored farm.
er who lives in the eastern portion of
the county, and who, last year, in
battle with rattlesnakes, killed eleven
of the reptiles, was in Memphis,
and from him a reporter learned
Of another and still more inter-
esting encounter which occurred re-
Gently. Pompey is great coon hunter,
and in company with two others, he
started out on big hunt Several
raccoons were caught and the trio,
after having hugely enjoyed the sport,
were preparing to return home when
suddenly the dogs bayed again.
Approaching near to where they were
barking, the three concluded, as they
had their guns with them and were
tired chopping down trees, to wait un-
til daylight and shoot the game. AS it
was only short while until dawn, a
fire was accordingly built, and while
his companions produced deck OF
cards with which to while away the
time Pompey stretched himself on the
ground for short nap. Somehow the
old fellow could not sleep, and after a
short while he picked up his gun, and
lighting a pine torch walked over
to where the dogs where. Instead of
a tree and a coon he found the hounds
scratching and tearing up the earth at
the base of hollow rock. Thinking
that some animal had taken refuge in
the bowlder, he jammed the blazing
torch into the crevice. The old negro's
terror was great when instead Of the
growl which was expected, he heard a
terrible rattling, such as experience
had taught him the rattlesnake gives
only when about to strike Pompey's
fight with the deadly reptiles last year
had left an impression on his mind,
and he was preparing to run when, as
he says: "One of the biggest rattlers
you ever heard of slid outen' that hole
an jumped at me. He would a got
me, shore, but one o. the dogs grabbed
his tail an gin it flirt.n just then
another snake, digger than the I'D
der," crawled out and IN ade loap for
Pompey, who fetched him q swipe
with the torch" and then grabbed his
gun. BY this time the first snake was
rafting and striking, and, with one
hand holding the torch and the other the
gun, the old negro "blazed away" but
missed. Steadying himself he took
better aim and fired the second time,
and with better results, for the reptiles
head was torn completely off. At this
moment the other snake struck Pom
pey's foot, burying its fangs in the toe
of his shoe, but luckily, so near the
end that no damage was done. Again
the pine torch came down. and this
time on the snakes head. That ended
1t, and as the old negro's companions
came rushing to the scene and found
him carefully examining his foot, hard
ly able to understand that he had es-
capped unhurt. II what the darkies say
is true, and Uncle Pompey is one OF the
wealthiest and most reliable colored
farmers in the county, the two snakes
killed were the largest and oldest of
any of their kind ever found. They
say one had forty and the other thirty
six rattles. AS snake is three years
old before rattle appears, and as one
is then added for each year, one was
forty-three and the other thirty-nine
years OF age. Memphis (Tenn.) Ap
peal.