The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1892-12-06
RAITLEsNAkes ARE HIS LIVING.


H1t4 -Imea Kitten. bat Not Ready to
Abandon His Vocation
The popular idea is that rattle
snake Is curse to mankind and of
absolutely no use, except possibly to
give the male contingent in camping
and picnic parties an excuse for pro-
viding well known serpent bite
antldote- Andrew Akers, a white
haired examiner, who occasionally
comes to town from his lonely home
away up in the San Bernardino noun
tains, tells us that the rattlesnalze IS
IN Its way, blessing to mankind.
Il reckon I ought to know some
thing about the serpents, =" said he the
other day, for 1 have earned the
whole living of myself and wife for
several years in catching rattlers ard
getting the oil out of them. 1 know
some folks are mighty scary about
rattiesnakes, and for one who don't
know about the critters ways it is
pretty risky business getting fanged
by a rattler- occasionally get nerv-
Gus among the rattlers. but have to
keep a steady nerve and quick eye IN
my business
The old gentleman tells US that he
had always heard how valuable pure
rattlesnake oil is, and that several
years ago he got the oil from dozen
snakes that he came across in his
woodcutting operations in the noun
tains. When the summer was over
he had twenty ounces, and got two
dollars an ounce for all of it from a
Los Angeles druggist. He has since
made business of hunting rattle
snakes up and down the mountain
sides and through the canyons. He
catches from $50 to 200 snakes in a
summer, and generally gathers from
$500 to $400 worth of oil from them.
The market price for the product is
two dollars an ounce, and there is
little fiuctuation. Rattlesnalze oil is
used in rheumatic cures and in oint-
ments for some skin diseases. The
oil when sold has peariy white
color and is free from any odor. It
tastes much like tallow. A good
sized rattlesnalze will furnish from
one to two ounces of oil.
How do 1 catch the snakesl
Well, that is easy enough. wear
boots up above my knees so as to
protect me from any rattler / may
tread upon, and always go with a
strong forled stick or club IN my
hand. have to keep my wits about
me constantly, and to think quick
when am in snake. locality and
hear rattle. always try to get
the rattlers by putting the fork of
my stick over their neck as quick as
flash, and then have tho critter
just where want him. 1 next
strangle tho snake by pressing my
fingers down upon the neck. get
the rattlers in this way so as to keep
them from biting themselves. and
thereby letting the poison into the
oil that l am after. In nine cases
out of ten rattlesnalzes will bite
themselves if they have a chance,
and they are the smartest things
alive, except human beings. Once
in awhile get the rattlers by
smashing them in the head, but
don't like that way, for it's more
dangerous and the oil is not so good.
Have / ever been bittenY Yes,
five times, and / suffered so much
the last time that all the money on
earth would not induce me to be
poisoned SO again. That was four
years ago, and can feel pains fror,
it to this day. / don't believe any
one ever fully recovered from dose
of genuine rattlesnake poison. 1t Is
the most awful stuff on earth. 1
have seen great big cows die of a
drop of the poison in an hours
time. Pomona CCal.) Progress.