Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-11-06
THE SNAKE CATCHER.
Old Zachary Archer of the Storm
KING Mountain.

Olo ZaChary ArCher OF the Storm
KING Mountain.
In little hut on the side OF the great !
Storm King Mountain. in the Hudson 4
Highlands, far above the river and al |
most an equal distance below the loft |
lest pinnacle Of the towering hill, lives |
old Zachary Archer, who supports his |
wife and himself, the only inhabitants !,
or the cabin, by catching snakes. The |
cottage is not visible from above or be- |
low in summer time.
The thick foliage of the trees, and |
the underground which rises almost to
the level Of its low roof, effectually con-
ceal it; and as the old man has an in
surmo ltable objection to fire in the
kitchen in the warm weather, and
makes his wife walk two miles every
day 10 a small cave to cook their food,
which Is always eaten cold, no floating
smoke betrays the presence of their
dwelling. But at this season, when
the mountain trees have partly with
drawn the curtains that covered it,
while the gorse and brushw wood are
covering close to the ground as if for
warmth, the deso,ate little building is
very conspicuous. No other house is
near it, and it is a picture OF lo1eli-
| EeSs.
TRICKS OF THE TRADE.
The venerable snake catcher does not
like it in the winter months, and passes
as much time as he can away from 1t,
leaving his wife and the snakes to keep
each Others company. They hibernate
together, the serpents sleeping in the
cold back room and the old woman
doing before the wood fire. which
burns night and day when the snow is
on the ground. Old Zack, as he is
usually called, is generally pursuing
his slippery trade or doing his share of
slumbering before barroom stove in
one of the numerous small villages or
settlements at the foot of the mountain
He was engaged in the latter avocation
a few days ago. when the reporter
aroused him and asked him how he
felt. lie said he was well, but rheuma-
tic, and added that the reptile business
was brisk.
"It's always a sight safer in winter
than in summer" he said, when he had
taken something to wash down his
sleepiness, ''and though l don't get as
many snakes 1 like it better. In summer
. the rattlers and the copperheads stand
chance of catchin' you instead of
! your trappin' them You see, they'fe
always wide awake and keepIn' their
eyes peeled for danger. l can find
them ready enough, but to get them in
TO the leather bag 1 carry, is horse OF
: another color. Sometimes set traps for
them, and that's heap the safest way.
: The trap is only an open basket with a
lot of red flannel inside. Snakes, unless
l they're disturbed, will always go back
TO their old sleein' ground when the sun
is high. When l find a snake track 1
a follow it until / come either to the ser
Z pent or his bed. IL it's the serpent, /
I try to pin his neck to the ground with
u a forked stick that l carry. That's
q mighty dangerous work it he's rattleI
for must go very close to him, and, II
2 miss him at the first lab III be apt tC
n lie closer in a second. However,
! never missed yet, and 1 don't suppose
ever will now, I'm that experienced.
. When l have him down i take him
L with my hand, close behind the fork, Sc
that he can't turn his head to bite me
: and drop him into the bag. But II the
o snake hasn't gone to bed, and / don'i
find him. go back about fifty yards along
a the track, and lay my basket dowI
with the lid open. Then l hunt more
u serpents. When l come to the baske'
d again, in two fours or so, creep VI
;. from behind and slam the cover shut
u The snake is generally inside, mixed
: up with the flannel. He's found the
place too comfortable to get out of 1t IL
y a hurry. the serpent may be the Wis
II est beast of tue field, but he's a lnN"ri
e Gus cuss, and he don't value hs life
,, nowhere as compared with his com
fort.
e Wien ! find a hole with snake
: marks about its mouth / just hang /
running moose OF catgut over it, anC
o. Ia and to 10
fishing rod. Then L put a lump of sof
5 bread soaked in milk before tie hole
d and, goin' back, l hold the rod In M
le hand. Nearly all snakes are dead Sc
ON m TX. and the smell of the bait
pretty sure to draw the one I'm afte
E. out of the hole. He must pass his hea'
'r through the loop 10 reach the bread
~ and when he does that jerk the rod
d tighten the moose, and have him. II
III Just like fishIn'-
e, Then there's my dog Viper. Ill
l catches lot of snakes and aides me I
III c4tch more. In the summer when II
Al sees a snake, he'll walk around him un
til he makes him dizzy trying to kee
As his ugly eyes pointed at the danger
e, At last he'll either drop his head o
le make a turn the other way to take tn
at kinks out of his body. Then Viper
t. on him as quick as a wink. He grab
10 him by the back of the neck out OF react
ne of his fangs. and bring him to me with
Il. out hurting him. In the winter b
a can't catch the snakes himself, but
II. leads me to holes in trees and othe
le snug places where they lie. just TO l
or on the safe side, push stick Int
their bedrooms first; but they alway
lie as good as dead, they're so sound aslee
ne and can pull them out with my lant
covered with thick cloth glove.
n have to use a good deal of either
n stupefy my snakes when Pm movll
them from the box OF bag to al
er other.
a WHO buys my serpents? Well, L
go tell you. Circuses and small mus um
he as well as old fossils of naturalis $, WI
Ly are always wantin' curlosities, an
as when 1 catch a snake with two head
ne or two tai,s, which l do about thr'
De- times a year, i get good price-oite
ut as much as S100-for him. II
common reptiles are worth only fe
dollars each. Hello, here's Wipe
X Where have you been, sIrf There's 1
he snakes down here, you know
An i'll looking dog, with only oil
IN eye, trotted up to the stove and ID
up down before his master. His wort
Sc. as a serpent chaser may have bet
above estimate, but his market valr
was clearly below par.-New or
sun