Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-07-12
NO. T..
SOME FLORIDA SNAKES.
The RATHER la a Genttemsn In Cons mpari-
son with the Moocasln.


SON with the MoocasIn.
he was a typical Cracker and wien
one OF our party asked him IL he had
ever had any real adventures hs dis
played upwonted animation
"Waal,n said he, "I'll allow | Was
skeert once. Turned my ha'r white ina
minnit. was coming out or Water Oak
bammick when jist as | struck solid
ground pat my right fut down within
two inches OF the biggest damon back
ever seen In these parts-an' its gum on
snakes, lie ratified an l jumped. but
afore he was fairly coiled had Betsey
up an put or ball thru his head. He
measured eight feet--lve got his skin
ter hum, an can show II ter We II ye
misdoubt my word.
Snakes? Waal, reckon. Fust of
all Is the 'diamon' back rattlesnake
you call him. Hes bottled hell fire.
When he strikes it's like chained light
ming, Their amt any help for ye; ye're
a dead man Only the other day an In
dian was huntin on the kissimmee
river; an was struck three times by q
damon back. He was dead inside OF
half an hour. These little groun' rat
tiers that lie in the piney woods, hev
seen their bite cured Big doses of
whisky II do IL. But / never knew the
bite OF rale old damon back, such as
lie in the moist ground nigh the bay
heads. cured 'eept onct. A negro hand
was cuttin' cane in the cane fields
around St Cloud, an was bit In the
ankle by one. The nearest doctor was
/ ter Kissimmee, six miles. an IL TUX
I two hours tew bring him thar. By that
time the mans leg was swelled ter
twice its material size, an the swollen
was creepin' up his body. Doc lowed
there was no time to lose. He'd brought
erlong er sum kind o. cure for snake
bites, an he used 1t. Directions said
give teaspoonful an no noah. He
guv' toaspoonful an the swellin' stop
ped. Then, as the man was nigh dead.
he guv' i'm a2other, an the swellin' be-
gun to go down; he guv' i'm a third, an
next morning the nigger was we'll I
brut back q bottle er that remedy. an
next snake bite | hear NV / mean ter try
It, No, ther amt many damon backs
roun' here Theirs three critters that
lows ter destroy 'om-deor. hogs and
black snakes-an' all on ems plentiful
in this country. Whenever deer moet
damon back they're boun' ter kill i'm
ef it's possibility | seed an old buck
do IL in onct lie went jumpin' toward
him on all fours at onct, and er rattler
strikin' all or time, so when or buck
landed on his coil he had no pisen left,
an 'er buck cut him ter pieces with his
sharp hOofs In no time. Ginerally
there's three or four deer attacks to-
: gether. Hogs hunt 'em down and kill
. 'em much or same way, only they lets or
rattler strike 'em on the fat or er cheek,
which does 'cm no damage. After kill
in 'em, hogs eat 'em. A black snake
! ginerally kills the damon back by
iumpin' on him an stranglin' him.
beautiful critter, this damon back.
His back is jist or row er damon shaped
, hggers CLOWN with every sort or color,
: an a-loOkin' into his eye when he's lit
I lie excited shows you the most wonderful
I picters ever painted. a lady in Tampa's
heyin' a dress made Of rattlers' skins.
: "But the damon back is a gintleman
side o the moccasin," continued the
!, raconteur, shifting his quid to the other
cheek. This fust-named alters gives
Q notice afore he strikes, so: Whrrr. But
/ the moccasin lies low in the tussock, an
! strikes when yer thinlxin' i'm a thousan'
: miles off. kin cure his bite, though.
Q My boys has got two little hound pups
= they think or heap ov. They was all
! down playin' er side Rio Water Lake
t'other day, when one oy or pups run
squar on a tremenjus big moccasin. lie
. was as big roun' as yer leg stranger.
I'll low he was lie bit the pup, and
" afore got hum at night twas all up
. with him. II Id been ther' / could er
= cured him Jist take wet gun-powder
y an bind it ter er bite. Tho plsen'l take
IL in er minnit-make IL hard as stone.
Ye keep bindin' IL on till 10 stops cakin'
an the wounds cured.
.Yes, there's other kinds o. snakes.
s- There's the bullsnake, SO called, reck-
], on. cause he's got or neck like a bull.
. An the pilot snake Dan Badd killed
a one ont yerc this mawnin'. Looks Jest
:, like a rattler, an is sort ov pilot fur
4 'em. Wen ye see one roun' you can cal
= kerlate damon back amt fur OF.
, The euriesest snake, tho, is the hoop
i snake. a critter that Jest takes his tail
\ in his mouth an rolls toward ye like or
4 hoop. He has or sharp horn in the tip
!, Of his tail that be strikes with"
% W hfs salu Il 'ihak y luenIGaA Win
!, the hoop-snake OF Georgia. One Of
: them rolled for Major up there the
! other day. struck at him and missed.
! and his sting went SO far into q gum
I. tree that he could not draw 1t out, and
o 80 hung there until ho died"
The Cracker looked 1t me euriously.
: "waal, stranger. I'll low ye TUX the
words right out ov my mouth. ! saw
n that same thing done onct over in the
! Gulf hammicg when was on a hunt for
1 panther an bar. Only it was me he
cum fer. an no stuck his horn In 'er
n cypers stead Of gum tree"
At this point the Cracker bctook him
a self of ON his hunt aud we strolled
O back to the inn, keeping q bright look.
out for the damon back" which might
q be following in the wake OF the pilot
&c killed that morning. s--Alligator Lake
(Ela.) Letter.
" China. Progressive Emperor.
The vnunor Emparor of China il dis