The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-12-01
RATTLESNAKE OIL.
A Man Who Calls the Reptile a
Blessing.
His Method of Catching Them
and Profiting Thereby.

The popular idea is that rattle
snake is curse to mankind and of
absolutely 10 use, except possibly to
give the male contingent in camping
and picnic parties an excuse for pro-
viding q well-known serpent-bite anti
,dote, says the Pomona (Cal.) Pro-
grcss. And now, Akers, q white
haired examiner, who occasionally
comes to town from his lonely home
away up in the San Dernadino noun
tains, tells us that the rattlesnake is,
in it's way, blessing to mankind.
81 reckon l ought to know some
Thing about the serpents," said he the.
other day, "for l have earned the
whole living of myself and wife for
several years in catching rattlers and
sAelting the oil out of them. / know
some folks are mighty scary about
Mjtlcsnakes, 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 steady nerve and quick eye in
ny business"
| The old man tells us that he had al
Ways heard how valuable pure rattle
slake oil is, and that several years ago
he got the oil from q dozen snakes
tsat he came across in his wood-cut-
ting oNefations in the mountains.
When the summer was over he had
twenty ounces, and got So an ounce
fol all of it from Los Angeles drug
Ga. He has since made business of
huhting rattlesnakes up and down the
mountain sides and through the cam
yghs. He catches from $50 to 200
stakes in summer, and generally
I. . stsse,-s fres,a essaa to 800 worth of
oil from them. The market price for
tie product is now SO an ounce, and
there is little fluctuation. Rattlesnake
oil is used in rheumatic cures and in
sintmcnts for some skin diseases. The
,il when sold has pearly white color
md is free from any odor. 1t tastes
much like tallow. A good-sized rat
tlesnake will furnish from one to two
ounces of oil.
GLOW do | catch the snakes? Well,
hat is easy enough. wear boots up
above my knees so as TO protect me
from any rattlers l may tread upon,
and always go with strong forked
stick or club in my hand. l have to
keep my wits about me constantly
and TO think quick when 1 am III a
snake locality and hear rattle. l
always try to get the rattlcrs by put
ting the fork of my stick over their
neck as quick as flash, and then l
have the critter just where l want
him. l Inext strangle the snake by
pressing my fingers down upon the
neck. get the rattlers in this way
so as to keep them from biting them
selves and thereby letting the poison
into the oil that l am after.
sIn nine cases out of ten rattle
snakes will bite themselves if they
have a chance, and they are the smart
est things alive except human beings.
Once in while 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 L
ever been bitten? Yes, five times, and
suffered so much the last time that
all the money on earth would not in-
duce me to be poisoned so again.
That was four years ago, and | can
feel pains from it to this day. | don't
believe anyone ever fully recovered
from n dose of genuine raetlesnake
noison. 1t is the most awful stuff on
earth. have seen great big cows
die of drop Of the poison in an hours
time"