The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-10-22
LIBERTY'S. BIG SNAKES.
REPTILES GROW TO UNUSUAL
SIZES tn RE.

Twelve Feet Long "Gophers" Com
mon-The Way the Gopher" Fights.
A Turpentine Hands Terrible Ssrug-
gle With "Rattlers at Ills Throat.
The Nah Drops Dead and HIS Body
Turns Green The Indians Antidote
for Snake 5its-A Redskin Who Died
Rather Than Allow the Secrs.
Remedy OF Els Tribe to be Discoy-
cred.
A. S. Way Of Clifton Sc Way contributes
some interesting facts to the MORNING
NEWS collection OF snake lore. Mr.. Way
is native of Libsrty county where snakes
are plentiful and the student of natural
history has a wide field before him.
Mr.. Way says there is snake In Liberty
county known as the gopher" snake, a
variety which he has never heard of in
any other section. There gopher snakes
appear to belong TO the blacksnake family.
They are OF dirty, nasty black, and grow
20 an immense size. twelve.foot specimens
being common. They are not poisonous,
oue are not afraid Of man, and will fight
when attacked.
HISS AT THEIR ENEMY.
They have way OF blowing or Kissing
loudly at an enemy that will make q
stranger who has never seen one OF them
jump clear out OF his boots almost. They
strike very vici1usly, but as they have no
fengs they are not much feared.
Mr.. Way says he does at lknow why they
are called gopher snakes" unless it is be-
cause they live chiefly in gopher holes. He
says he remembers once when a small boy
playing with his sister IN the yard at home
In the country they ran upon one of these
big fellows lyilE on one side of the yard
which SO badly frightened his sister that
she tainted. de got pole and started
after the snake, which ran under the
house.
HUNTING a SNAKE.
He boldly took his pole and went under
the house after the snake. Every time he
would punch at the snake with the pole the
snake would strike at him. He would back
on and punch at him again and the snake
would rike again, getting closer each
time. be kept o. punching and backing
until he got out from under the house, the
snake following him, when he gave it
blow on the head that laid 1t out. The snake
was fully sixteen feet long.
MIR. way says he has seen some good
sized rattlesnake5 in Liberty county. He
says that he was once at turpentine camp
when fatal accident occurred from one of
these snakes. A negro turpentine boxer
was boxing pine trees and clearing away
the brush around them.
FASTENED AT HIS THROAT.
As he went to make cut upon a tree he
stopped low so as to cut low down, when a
rattlesnake that was lying coiled up at the
foot OF the tree struck him, fastening his
fangs in the Negroes throat. The negro rar
| back toward the camp with the snake
danrylipor Prov, l..
his ak IN his hand and as he reached the
camp he jerked the snake loose from his
throat. and holding it in his
hand severed its head from its body. AL
most instantly the man dropped over and
in few minutes was dead. In half an
hour after death his body turned perfectly
green and was horrible sight.
THE INDIANS SECRET.
Mr.. Way said that he had often heard
his father and older residents of Liberty
| county tell OF when the Indians used to pass
| through on their wey from Florida to
Savannah. They seemed to be per-
fectly regardless of a snake
bite and for plug of tobacco or any trinket
which they wan1ei would allow themselves
| to be bitten by TabtlesnRke. 1t was q COM
| mon thing for the white men around the
| trading station to give an Indian piece of
| tobacco or small piece of money TO allow
himself 10 De DltlSn Dy snake. AS soon as
tey were bitten the Indian would rush
right for the swamp near by and after a
short while would return apparently unaf-
fected by the 90 AXE bite.
sHADowED INTO THE SWAMP.
1t was supposed that they found some
kind of root which they chewed which neu-
tralized the poison. One day white man
determined 70 penetrate the Indians secret,
| SO for some small consideration he induced
one of them TO let a rattlesnake bite him. As
soon as he was bitten the Indian started for
the swamp. The white man followed him,
| endeavoring to shadow the In
dian. without being seen. After
reaching the swamp the Indian discovered
| the white man watching him.
Rather than permit the secret Of his tribe
to be discovered.the Indian stood still and
made no effort to secure the antidote until
the poison took effect aud he dropped over
| and died. The whites never succeeded Ia
discovering the Indians secret.