Copiah signal. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1888-1899, 1889-08-08


- Nondgr why some ~ those chaps
who likr b. - arouul the eouatry ek-
hihiting thrm.sI vrs in conjunction with
. den ~ real live raitlesnakcs dou ga
together an aggregation ~ that cheer
ful spari'- ~ ta.ir iavorite =erPcnt
knowu a. thr hIU1tHl raltic-nakr II
tho ~Lakrd pIaiusP laid Ncw Yorker
Who has pr,-p-ctrl over pretty much
ail " thr southern part ~ this country
NOT bat what th, specimens 81 the
northern raitlv-uasr thoy fool wiih
srv savage yuough uud poisonous
enough in sati-fy thr curiosity uf the
musi murbId u' uuF ~ lahi--ering fellow
ritlfruz. hut ihr raftier uf the Staked
Plains 81 30 mu,h more hiagpus. and
bic tnNIcu'ugira' arr1mpl are
oi grade .n much higher than
those ~ bic lora pruluiyPc, that
che sight - family 81 mrm would
ttriEo abe SPECTATOR with de-
Err' uf trrrur that whole museum
fuIl 81 the ordinary raitloznakcs
COuldut Inspire. and the museum pro-
prirtur rpuid a surr hl- patrons. II be
frlt -0 disposed ~ the unusual attrac-
tiou 81 hg liHng by the Staksd
Plains snake ui krrprr every hour
That would Dr. 6 small JOB fur M.
snake. and an undoubtedly pay .bg card
fUr ihr mu=rum
When lt g. kuoau that this pariic-
ular Texas rattleznake j. terror even
81 an Apache lndian. Il i -carcoly nee
essary o. say nhy thing further a. %
ils qualities. iur II there b one thing
that is worse than ratilcsuakc In the
estimation ut thr plalusman or settler
d is an Apache Indian These lndi.
ans utilize the snake for . most hor-
riblv purpo=o. 1hc rattlor ~ the
Sthkod Plains grows 10 a length Of six
ievi and W girth 81 twelve inches
] Killed Que ones that had twcuty-
seven ratile. ol. and hi. head meas
urrd Eve inrhCs from his neck 10 the
tp a bis no=o and was throe inches
widD 80 the base - his skull
III fauFs vrrr an inch long. aud
b. vac aitagutbcr tho most hor-
rh'r.IU0kinr Specimen ~ the serpent
family ! vtsf saw. These snakes are
~ a bright ko'los color. with the same
dark markings that their smaller aud
lees deadly relative ~ the north has
While terrible enough any day In the
year. it is not until Bbout the middle
ui August thHt the ~tukcd Plains rat
tlrsuako tkrs ua the iulncss - the
frirhtiulnoss oi bis nature physical
sumo rausH uuIJnowu. become. pulled
up and h.nalod until he h falls one.
thlri-i1rr,F thau his normal size. ~
ieuts lIkU Hu elongated bladder A.
wuys sIufglsh and Slow - NOV, mrut.
hW Inclined usual'Y like al ~ bis
Kind, in move Ou' - the way ~ dan.
For ln August h- simply makes no
effort 90 move 10 all. esccpt to put
himself .u share IA strike ~ any thing
and ryery thing that comes la bis wRy.
H. d. ahsnlutrly one bir. swollen
ru~orNair oi ycnom ~ this time Of
year Or his bite would not kill an
Apache in less than an hour, ~ Il has
bocn knpwu b. Do
'Dreading thc-e vonomous snakes A.
thsy d.. yct the Apache. make Il thoir
buslncss to 60 among them AZ the very
time thCy are the most deadly. lying in
hloaicd hldoousness all through that
God-iorsakon country. u h then these
Indians colloel The vcuom ~ The rat
tosnakus 10 b. used 10 poisoning their
arrows nhey do this by placing the
liver ~ heart ~ deer. freshly torn
from tho anltnA = hody. in frout of the
suakc, sho burios hls langs In u again
aud again. In a Tee se-sonds the heart
o. liver wiN turu = purpiish biack. -
qulcbly does thc poison eject lt When
the lhainn thinks the receptacle has
drawn all the vcnom from The ~orpent's
poison sacs. u IL removed and hung Ia
the sun 10 rot When n l. ready N
drop apart, tho Ips oi the arrows are
thrust iuto The meat and thoroughly
coated with the deadly matter The
arrows arr dried. and any wound In
hieicd by one Of the poisoned shaft. IL
the same to its ruoiplent ~ II he had
been biiton BY the hloaisd provider Of
the venom itsclt The victims body
will swell 10 short time 10 friehtiul
proportions. and be dies In uutold
agony. ! wonder what kind Oi q show.
Ing the snake tanners Of the dime mu-
scums would make with a congress of
ophidiAns like this Of the slAked
PlalnsP
This truly terrible snake emit. an
odoF Of great ofcnslTcness. which
seems 70 be taken and enlarged upon.
n that Il possible. by a curious snake
thar Il the inevitable attendant or
pioneer Of these BIG serpents This
saake is known down there - the rat
tlcanAke pilot, and ons wha had never
seeu Il before and did not know whai
q waa would think a was . rattleanake
itsei although n hasn't . siagle rattle
nor tbe sign Of one VIII that exoep-
tAon a has AL the markings ana char
aeieFistics Of the rmftieanaka. and wlll
coll ITSELF shake Ia tail. and strike
iasl ne same ~ ths hia ana
deadly serpent of whose proximity a
4 the eertaln Indicator. The ratsle-
snAke pilot grows 70 b. two feet long.
and Il poisonous 10 about lhe same Do
gros that horne. h The mysierlous