The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-26
AT HUCKLEBERRY HILL.
Eattlers Cause Trouble and Ter.
rify Grandpa Connor.

Every year people flock to Huckle-
berry hill from away up in Steuben
county, n. Y; from clear over in Nc
Kean county, the furthest parts of Pot
ter county, and distant sections of
Tioga county, says Roulette pa
correspondent of the New York Sun.
Hucbleberry hill is the only place
within radius of fifty miles where the
fruit for which It is named grows in
any quantity, and the people of all that
country being especially fond of buckle
berries they think nothing of driving
all night and q part of day to get on
the prolific barrcns of Huckleberry
hill, where several square miles of
nothing but berry bushes and sword
like brakes spread beneath the scorch-
ing sun. The hill is one thousand feet
above the valley of Pine creek, in east
ern Potter county, and abounds in
scanned lodges and tumbled heaps of
loose rocks. Whole families camp for
days on this forbidding barren to pick
huckleberries for market. As many as
one thousand five hundred persons have
been on the hill at one time, where
dancing platforms, hurdy gurdles, open
air gin mills, brass bands, and all kinds
of taking schemes are in full blast to
emuse and fleece the visitors.
Like all good huckleberry districts,
Huclleberry hill is favorite haunt of
rattlesnakes. and they grow there to
extraordinary size and virility. These
snakes keep many picllers on the move
from one part of the big berry patch to
another part, for they are always
around, and some huckleberry visitors
do not care to dispute territory with
them, but retreat to other points as
soon as they can discover a RATHER or
hear one in their vicinity. Others,
though, are loath to give up good
picking place because a rattlesnake or
two are taking things comfortable
there and don't care to be disturbed,
and they pitch in with clubs and rout
or slay the reptile tenant of the spot.
So at almost any time Of day visitor
may see men, women and children,
some of them pale and terror-stricken,
moving away from some particular To-
calitv with much haste, and others
thrashing away in the bushes with
clubs and holding their own against
the snakes
Not a day passes that some one isn't
bit by a RATHER When the berry pick
ers return from the hill to their various
homes they fetch with them stories OF
queer and exciting experiences with
rattlesnabes that some one has had.
This recital has come to be known
hereabouts as the annual crop OF snake
stories from Huckleberry hill The
gathering OF this crop is awaited with
more interest by many people than the
picking Of the huckleberry crop.
Among the best of these stories that
have reached Roulette, which is thirty
miles from the hill. but which sends
caravan OF hucllleberry pickers there
every season, are these:
Mrs Justou, of Leetouia. had found
q patch where the berries were espe-
cially fne and abundant She was
rapidly filing her twelve-quart pail,
much to the envy of Miss Still, a friend
Of hers, who hadn't struck extraordi-
nary luck Suddenly Mrs Juston picked
up her pail ana walked away from her
rich find without saying word. Miss
Still gazed after her in anazement, and
asked her if she wasn't coming back to
that lovely spot
NO" said Mrs Juston. you can
have it il you want IL.
Miss Still thanked Mrs. Juston eau-
sively Ger her great generosity and IN
selfshneSs. and was soon sweeping the
berries into her pail just where Mrs
Jrston had picked up her pail SO sud
denly and walked away. Miss Still was
II position that brought her face
almost even with her pail. and Is she
was picking away, two 5.g rastlesaaszes
rose up from somewhere behind the
pail and stuck theirErly noses over the
sifa nf IL no. two feet awaT from Miss