Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-11-29
A MoNsTER CRorAIus-
'''s"'"h Ps-D Mans Lucky Escap
From Ills Fapes

'"" tra-l MANS Lucky Escaps
From us Fang.
Mr. A. G. Drinker. OF this city. has
been an enthusiastic student OF natural
history since he was a small hoy in
the beech woods OF Clifton fifty years
ago IL have lad three very narrow
escapes from being bitten by poison.
Gus snakes" said Mr. Drinker the
other evening. ..and in each case i,
was different variety OF reptile that
came near giving me a dose. One Az
ternoop in August. good many years
ago. l was tramping along near The
burnt bridge With my rifle on nv
shoulder when happened to see an
immense blackberry bush. loaded down
with dead ripe berries. 1t was I'D the
oalk little way. and | stood my CUR,
up by a stuin3 aHi vent 10 the bush
The body OF the bush uas a. thick az
good sized cone, ;tnl it lay within
lew inches OF the ground. / e.. -iul.,
reached my fingers around IL d
started TO pull the bush to-. d ne
slowly. when felt something pn hin
and pulling on it. IL startled me- a
good bit. and / let go OF the bush and
watched. Something kept on SHAKING
1t. but what it was I couldn't tel {
was bound to find out. though. and
after a little. ] poked the leaves ava,
with stick and got at the mystery.
The power that moved the bush was
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
Till there wasn't berry left ON the
bush. didn't hear the least noise
while l had my fingers on the bush
and | was certain that the old fellow
didn' make his rattles buzz before he
struck
II wanted to have little fun with
him before | pounded the life ont 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 | never saw a madden
creature than he was while teased
him. His eyes biinked and his mouth
was as red as fire. After awhile |
pried him loose and put the end of nv
club where he could strike at it. He
was good fighter, and he drove hi-
lan2s at the stick five or six times
hitting 1t within sixteenth OF an inch
OF the same spot each time. By and
by the rattler got tired OF fighting the
club. and with his head and tail I'D ne
made for me-
just as he reached out, his head
hattened. his mouth opened to its
widest extent. and the fangs in his
merry upper jaw CLEANED. Then gave
him bat with the club that paralyzed
him. killing him with another blow.
He had thirteen rattles and button
and was five feet long. | brought him
home and dissected him. and my sister
has the rattles yet. The poison sacks
ut the roots of his fangs were not
anger than small peas. In each one
there was a small drop OF fluid that
looked COOL deal like glycerine
There were four distinct growths OF
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, q
hole no lar Ier than that in the needle
of hypodermic syringe. | have dis
sected many a RATHER since then. but
have never caught ii finer one than
he was. Scranton (Pa-) Cor. \. Y.