Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-05-27

The pipe led to barrel, the top of which
was covered with wire netting. In the
bottom of the barrel was put lot of
plump frogs to entice the snak 5. From
this barrel there was another pipe, which
led to a barrel lower down, and from the
second pipe another pipe led to a box.
There was no chance Tor a snake to get
out again once be got in the M re of pipes
that Farmer Cook had laid.
His idea was to allow the snakes to trap
themselves while he was looking after the
planting of eabbages, beets. onions and
oiher truck Then he could visit tie den
when the snake-kiiling mania overlook
him, dump the box out onto the ground
and slaughter to his hearts content. It
was great scheme and 1t worked TO per-
fiction. Within the first twenty-four
hours after the trap was set he killed 100
snakes. The second day tne plastering at
the mouth of the cave broke away and
there were few dozen snakes living around
loose on the rocks. He picked up club
as thick as his arm and sailed in. The
battle lasted few minutes AID he won.
He Exed the plaster again aud left his
trap for the night. The lews aRa..s the
snake den went abroad and It was NOT long
before every one knew OF 1t. There are
not many people III the neighborboo1 If
Farmer Cocks house; TIE nearest neigh
Dor is half q mile away and the snake den
Is quite isolated, but it was NOS long be.
fore The tramping Of curious feet wore :,
family outlined path from tie road to the
den
People came across country TO see 1t,
and The huge mass ct rock, the pipes and
arrangement Of barrels attracted as much
attention as country circus.
Sunday excursions from the other SIDE
OF tee mountains were made up and who'll
families came over IN buckboards to see
the sight.
In the meantime Farmer Cook went OH
about his business and said nothing, but
Kept Oh killing snakes. He didn't care a
rap for the Notoriety. AS long as tn,
snakes came his way he was satisfied. For
a few weeks he and the boy have had al
| the excitement they want. Their great
good luck IL getting snakes has rather
whetted their appetites, and they are now
| making arrangements to capture the
snakes IL the other dens.
| 1t would be impossible to find q more
picturesque spot than that which Cook
| calls his snake den. It is really under q
| great rock on the side OF the mountain
The incline is so steep that travel is diff
| cult. The rock almost Cverhangs a brook
! or clear water, which runs along a mossy
bank at its base. Tall ferns grow in the
cIeVices of the rocks which form the bank,
or the stream, and every few feet there
are cascades. The nearest house is al
least half a mile away Above the rock i.
a rough stone fence, which forms The
! boundary of Mr. Warehouses; land.
1t Is on this rock fence, Farmer Coot
| says, that the snakes have all been in Jhy
habit Of summing themselves. Cock ha,
| t ken couple OF boxes OF snakes home or
| tie sled drawn by team Of two vpar-0lc
! 0xei.. He has them III his bara ana TIE,
| seem to have fascinated him. A d,zal
times day he goes and looks al then
through the wire netting. Some day, h
says, when he cant find any snakes in tht
mountains he will fall upon these twr
! boxes, after which the floor OF the barr
will be covered with mutiIated reptiles
! He is keeping them now to gi0at over 81
cloudy, cool days.
| it may seem somewhat inconsistent, hu
! 1t wasn't very long after Mr.. Cook lost his
J wife till he married again. He mas three
children by his second wife and he swears
| b" has the finest and best woman In the
country.
Farmer Cook calculates to get abou
three hundred more snakes from the del
! now that he has begun work on il. He ha
| about hundred now boxed up in his barn
| They are biacksr axes and rattlers. A
! this season or the year he handles tht
snakes freely, because he says they ar6 to-
| stiff In the joints to bother about biting
! He has never been bitten yet and he is 40
going to take any chances.
EFF | thought | took any chances e.
being bit, . he says, I'D start ter drinl1in
! apple whisky agin, so as ter be freproo
when any oV EN- did git me. But | always
have some on hand In case anything hap
pens"
| Il ism t very hard to find Farmer Cook
| Ask any one within ten miles and you viii
| learn that the snake man lives On the SLOPE
! OF P0chuck Mountain and you will aist
hear any number Of stories concerning hi
! pr0wess AID his fanaticism. They will
| tell you that if he would leave makes alone
AID tend more to his track garden h
would do better. But that is his owl
| business.
When our reporter entered into coversa
! ton with him he found him working hi
steers with small stone sled. On thu
sled we're three cans of paint and the baby
He talks likes Jersey farmer and tells hi
stories with c0mmendable modesty.
The largest snake he has killed was l.
| feet long. 1t was a blacksnake. He one,
found 9foot blacksnake in the mount
| aims, or rather the blacksnake found him
1t wound itself about him before he knew
| il and gave him a squeeze that took hi
breath away.
He had no chance to use his gun OF
even stick. By sheer good luck he go
his hand in his pocket and pulled out hi;
jack knife. He opened it with his teeth
and actually had to cut the snake in mali
before he could free himself.
On another occasion he stumbled into
nest of seven pilot snakes. They al
jumped for him and began biting at hi
trousers. He beat them off with a scytht
and then sliced them up.
Farmer Cook has had good deal OF
| war experience. He was at the battle O.
Fredericksburg, where he was captured
and taken to Libby prison, where he spen
eight days. From there he was exchanged
to Castle Thunder, Richmond, and after
eleven days he was sent to Belle Isle HI
| remained there eight months and twenty
eight days. He was then sent to the pa
role camp at Annapolis, Md.-N. Y
World.