Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-07-15
eeTseY cHEEssMAN.
wsr Death Was Tragic. aud Her life
History Something Extraordinary.

s~F otath "aN
History Something Extraordinary.
Jerry Buckley, engineer of the "pusher'
that helps freight trains up the hill on the
Erie railway from SusquehannS To Gulf
Summit, ran over aud killed Betsey
Cheeseman, aud the boys haven't got
through talking about Il yet
Betsey Cheeseman was one OF what are
known among railroad men as George
Cheeseman's pets She was a rattlesnake,
and Jerry Buckley Is positive that she had
lived in Cheeseman's family for ten years.
George Cheeseman II one of the oldest set.
tlers In the Gulf Summit neighborhood,
three or four miles east OF SusquehAnna,
and he has the reputation Of having for
years kept open house for rattlesnakes
which abound ia the mountains there
about
He has a way OF feeding aud caring for
these reptiles that attract them to his farm,
and at any time during the season rattlers
may lie encountered on their way to
Cheeseman's from all directions For this
reason every rattlesnake seen In the yicin
ity of Gulf Summit Is known as one Of
Cheeseman's pets, and IL is permitted TO
20 on its way uudisturbed Frequently
one gets run over lay the cars hile cross
ing the track on ts way Ia Cheeseman's
side unfortunate l5etsey Cheeseman
Betsey, so railroad men claim. was know n
10 them from all other rattlesnakes ~ dis
tinctly as Though her name hal been In
scribed on her IN big block lettera She
was permanent guest at Cheesemans 5,
and was famous the neighbUrhood round,
so railroad men say, for her great talent as
/ o ratter and mouser No ferret ever hunt
sd rosieut verniin off Of any ones premises
90 perslStently aud thoroughly as Betsey
\ Cheeseman did when she went 10 work AT
| It. She was also great collector OF bird )
eggs, which she invariably lugged home TO
Cheeseman'
''One spring." says Aleck Forbes who
| runs trains ! aud NJ, "old Cheeseman set a
hen on the eggs Betsey brought in, aud she
| hstched out one OF the most emarkahe
broods. ! s'pose, that any hen ever brought
forth. There was a crow, AN owl n wood
duck, loon. n chicken hawk, a kingfisher,
q mud hen and swapping turtle 10 the
family, and when the hen looked II over
she disappeared aud never came back
Betsey took charge uf the queer family
though, and in due course Of time had
swallowed il All except the young swapping
turtle She drew the line ut that. +"
Charley Mygatt will Ice sorry To hear OF
Betsey's death, I'll bet. said Jerry Buck
ley. '.for he declares that She saved him
from killing man once just this side oi
the Summit He was coming down the
hill ADJOINING, when he saw IA red ilag
fluttering from switch post at one side OF
the track hundred yards OF SO ahead ol
him lie clapped on the air brakes and
brought the train up Ia short order
Then he discovered Betsey on the switcI
with a big red handkerchief in her mouth
Two or three hundred feet ahead quarry
man lay asleep right across the track Tn,
red handkerchief belonged to him Tia,
Eupposition was tnat lSetsey had beer
strolling along that way and, discovering
the man on the track, had pulled his han
dana out Of his pocket, hurried 10 th'
switch, climbed il and swung out the dan
ger signal. That's what Charley Myat
says Cor New York sun