Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-10-27

came necessary for the safety not only
of the stock but of the settlers them
selves that something be done.
Bill Wheeler was the Spokesman for
the committee that lined up in front of
Jim Feus cabin that morning. Twelve
men were there and every one was
armed with 4 hickory pole.
When old Jim Fell appeared in an
swer to the knock of the committee
Wheeler said:
Eyer boy Jack to hum, beint he un?'
"Yas. Kun out yeer, Jack. Thar's
a bunch o. felIars wants to see yer.'
called old Jim to some one in the house,
and Jack Fell, Simpson creeks prodigy
of ingenuity, appeared.
I'VE uns over to tie Bend an Niger
Branch an Snake Ridge are bout ct up
an ruin'd by the tarnal rattle-s, an the
folks hev sent we uns ez a committee
to get yon to KUN over an hep US out ~
Then the chairman went into bill
of particulars, describing the ruin and
devastation committed by the swarms
of snakes, and ending in an appeal to
Jack to git rite up and KUN along back
with the committee"
''Whar does them snakes stay,
mosly?" inquired Jack.
'They's got n den in big cliff under
Smoky mountain, an you IN ken see Il
thousan' sunnin' themselves any bright
day
Jim concluded to go and see for him
self, and in the course of a couple of
hours was standing 1T the foot of a
tremendous cliff of brown and jagged
rocks, more than two hundred feet
high, in the side OF the mountain.
About one hundred feet up the side of
the mountain n big fiat stone, ten feet
wide and sixty feet in length, lay, with
the upper end against cliff lined with
holes and cracks and crevices. while
the lower end reached down within fifty
or sixty feet of the bottom of the cliff at
an angle of seventy or eighty degrees.
On the upper end of this big slab of
stone and about it for many yards.
hundreds of rattlesnakes, of all sizes,
from little ones Of foot in length to
old, notwithstanding. dull-colored four
footers. with dozen or more ratties,
lay summing themselves or wriggling
about. To Jack Feils calculating eve
there must have been twenty bushels
of rattlers in sight. He took mental
note of the scenes and its surroundings.
The big stone especially struck his at
tention, as he saw that it was moving
up and down, with a slow and regular
movement, somewhat like the syaying
movement of an old-fashioned SPRING
board. The center of the big stone
seemed to rest on n stone a little higher
than those about it. and the surplus
weight 1T the top caused it to rise and
fall as if upon a pivot.
Gosh ding, if them snakes bent
a-teeterin' themselves" said Jack; and
that was fact
The snakes certainly appeared to en-
joy the fun. Presently a big rattler on
a stone closely overlooking the surging
mass raised its head and began to
rattle. Then the '.teetering' snakes
wriggled and gIided off the stone, while
others crep: up and took their places
The big snake on the rock was keeping
time, and at the expiration OF every
five minutes new squad took the
place of the old ones on the swinging
stone and just laid themselves out for
enjoyment.
''Well, that do beat anything I ever
seed" said Pole Dillum, and the others
conceded with him.
Jack Fell said nothing, but stood by
himself and watched the fun Present.
he turned to the committee and said: