The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-19
BIG RATTLESNAKE PETE.
a Citizen of OIL City Who Likes Dan
gerous Fets.
From the Oil City Blfzzart

The subject of the following sketch, Rat
tlesnake Pete" who is now 80 years old first
began to catch and handle rattlesnakes
about eight years ago, aud siucs then has
caught hundreds Of them and made them
the subject of all kinds of experiments
He has been bitten frequently by all other
kinds Of snakes found In tnis part of the
country except the rattler and copperhead,
but since the first case has experienced
no inconvenience from their bites. From
the skins of the rattlers he has killed or
otherwise secured be has made canes, belts,
ties, slippers fancy pocketbooks, etc, which
have gone to all parts of the country and
| for which, as we'll as for the oil of the rep
tiles, the demand has been greater than the
| supply.
The kinds of snake peculiar to this section
of the country-not Including those seen by
| Franklin peopie-are about Il d1z n in num-
Der, the principal of these being the RATHER,
the copperhead and the backsnake. To
these, and more particularly the RATHER, he
| has devoted most attention. From his ex-
pcrments with them he is prepared to
| prove that a number Of magazne and scien-
| ritc snake articles have been consid arabIyoff.
For example. it has been frequently stated
| that the rattlesnake will not ea. in confiue-
ment. An Indian from up the river gave
him the information that if he would put
rattlers would eat. He tried the experiment
successfully and says that if the attlesnake;
| in the museums do not eat it is probably be-
cause the bed of their cages is of board or
! sawdust. Ire longest he nas known rattier
to 60 without eating is thirteen months, and
| without eating or drinking ten months. An
other thing he has found TO be incorrect is
| the statement and general supposItion that
the rattlesnake has but one fang on each
side of tue jaw. He has fou d and taken
| out from one to three fangs on each side
| He has also found erroneous the general
suppo;itIon that the rattleSnake will never
strike without coiling first, and has learned
that it will strike sidewise when stretched
! at foil length as well as when coiled.
He has found he average length of the
Rocky mountain rattlesnake to be about
three and half feet, and the largest string
| of rattles found on one of them numbered
| eighteen. The rattlesnakes are the most
dangerous between July l and Sept. l,
when they are moulting their skins. They
go blind when the shedding is il progress,
| and will strike at any strange sound or
touch. Even the ewes of the snake peel off
in the shedding of the skin, which some
| times takes place in couple of hours and
sometimes requires several days.
OF the varieties of rattlers, the black, the
| yellow and the swamp rattlesnake, he has
| found the last mentioned to be the most
making the ligntest noise when it rattles.
| Though the black aud the rattlesnake are
! enemies in the woods they never fight in
| captivity, but the bIac6snakes will some
| times attack each other when hungry, the
victorious reptile not infrequently swallow
| ing another half or twO-thirds as large as
| its If. That the poison of the RATHER is not
always ejectei through the fangs is shown
by the fact that in killing mouse or bird,
before swallowing it uheJ do not poison it
| when they strike 1t with their fangs.
Peoes advice to any one as the first thing
to. do If bitten by a rattlesnake Qf vein is
not struck by the fangs, in which case
death would be certaia) is to place the
| mouth in an instant t. the wound and draw
out all the poison possible in that way, at
the same time, if the bite be on
the hand or about the ankle. to clasp
the limb tightly above the wound.
The last person bitten in this
vicinity was a little boy at Reno about a
year ago, who was stru k by ful-grown
copperheai BY promptly resorting 10 the
above method the father Of the lad drew
the most Of the poison from the wound, and
with the appl cation following Of the usual
restoratives the boy soon recovered.
"Rattlcsaake Pete's' saloon on E m stree.
is veritabIe museum. lie has a large aad
varied collection of curio sites, COMPRISING
everything from n bear TO a two-iegged
kitten, from a mouse to a monkey. ruri Gus
war relics. ancient coins, Chimes ,u' .usities
aud a thousand AMI one thing, which can
not be enumerated IN this article. He also
has some fine serpent specimens. rattle
snakes. blacksnakes. c)pperheads, etc.
/ These be handles In most familiar manner.
Pete. In addition % being an adept ia
handling snakes, ~ equally az home with
tue boxing gloves ana Is one Of the best all
round athletes in the city. he Is d me mbsr
% Company u aud il the test boxer 10 the
Sixteenth regiment. Though a powerful
J man aud well w Ia points, be is not quarrel.