The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-11-29
A MONSTER CRoTALUs-
A Scranton (Pa-) Mans Lucky Escap
From uix Fam.

A Scranton pa, Mans Lucky Escap<
From His Fangs.
Mr. A. C. Drinker. of this city. has
been an enthusiastic student of natural
history since he was small boy in
the beech woods of Clifton fifty wears
ago. Il have had three very narrow
escapes from being bitten by poison
Gus snakes" said Mr.. Drinker the
other evening. land in each case if
was different variety of reptile that
came near giving me dose One af-
ternooD in August. a good many years
ago. / was tramping along near the
Burnt bridge with my rife On nv
shoulder. when ] happened to see an
immense blackberry bush. loaded down
with dead ripe berries. 1t was I'D the
bank a little way, and I stood my gun
up by STUMP md went to the bush
The body of tie bush Has as thick as
a good sized cone, and it lay within =
few inches OF the ground. / c.. -eIal'y
reached my fingers around il a
started to pull the bush toward ne
slowly, when / felt something pu hipp
and pulling on it. 1t startled me
good bit, and / let go of the bush and
watched Something kept on shaking
it, but what it was | couldn't tel
Was bound to find out. though. and
alter little, l poiked the leaves away
with stick and got at The mystery.
The power that moved the bush was q
big rattlesnake- His fangs were fast
in the thick stem. half an inch from
where my fingers were when he struck
at me, and he had hunted and pulled
TIL there wasn't a berry left on the
bush | didn't hear the least noise
while / had my fingers on the bush.
and | was certain that the old fellow
didn't make his rattles buzz before he
struck.
Il wanted to have little fun with
him before / pounded the life out OF
him, and so let him hang there and
hunted up tough dead hemlock limb
Then | went back and gently touched
the snake on the head with the stick.
pulling the bushes apart SO that he
could see me- That set him to rat
Ting and wriggling to the top of his
strength, and l never saw a madden
creature than he was while | teased
him. His eyes blinked and his mouth
was as red as fire. After awhile !
pried him loose and put the end of my
n hay, he - - Il
was good fighter, and he drove his
fangs at the stick five or six times.
hitting it within a sixteenth of an inch
OF the same spot each time. By and
by the RATHER got tired of fighting the
club. ano with his head and tail ND he
made for me.
Just as he reached out, his head
6attened. his mouth opened to its
widest extent, and the fangs in his
fiery upper jaw cleaned. Then / gave
him bat with the club that paralyzed
him. killing him with another blow.
He had thirteen rattles and a button
and was five feet long. brought him
home and dissected him. and my sister
has the rattles yet The poison sacks
At the roots of his fangs were moi
larger than small peas. In each one
there was a small drop OF fluid that
looked a cool deal like glycerine
There were four distinct growths oil
fangs on each side. one back of the
other, so that when he shed one SET
there was another set TO take its place.
The poison is elected through a very
fine hole at the point of the fang. a
hole no larcer than that in the needle
Of a hypodernic syringe. l have dis
sected many a RATHER since then, but
| have never caught d finer one than
he was. "-Scranton pa Cor. n. Y.
Sun.