Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-09-02
AT HUCKLEBERRY HILL
kattlers Cause Trouble and Ter
rify Grandpa Connor.

rify Grandpa Connor.
Every year people flock to Huclle-
berry hill. from away up in Stcuben
county, n. Y; from clear over in &c
Kean county, the furthest parts of Pot
tier county, and distant sections of
iTioga county, says n Roulette (Pa.
correspondent of the New York Sun.
Huclsleberry hill is the only place
within q 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 hucllle-
berries they think nothing of driving
all night and part of day to get on
the prolific barrens of Huclleberry
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
thuclileberries for market. AS many as
Fone 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
amuse and fleece the visitors.
Like all good huckleberry districts,
Huckleberry hill is favorite haunt of
rattlesnakes, and they grow there to
extraordinary size and v;rility. These
snakes keep many piclsers on the move
from one part of the big berry patch to
another part, for they are always
around, and some hucllleberry visitors
do not care to dispute territory with
them, but retreat to other points as
soon as they can discover rattler or
hear one in their vicinity. Others,
though, are loath to give up a good
picking place because a rattlesnalxe 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
$50 at almost any time of day visitor
tmay see men, women and children,
ySome of them pale and terror-stricilen,
moving away from some particular To-
cality with much haste, and others
thrashing away in the bushes with
clubs and holding their own against
the snakes.
Not day passes that some one isn't
bit by 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
rattlesnalSes that some one has had.
81 % h.
hereabouts as the annual crop of snake
stories from Hucl1leberry 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 thai
have reached Roulette, which is thirty
miles from the hill but which sends {
caravan of huckleberry pickers there
every season, are these:
Mrs. Juston, of Leetouia, had founc
a patch where the berries were espe
cially fine and abundant. She wa
rapidly filling her twelve-quart pail
much to the envy of Miss Still, frienC
of hers, who hadn't struck extraordi
nary luck. Suddenly Mrs. Juston picked
up her pail and walked away from he
rich find without saying word. Mis-
Still gazed after her in amaIement, ant
asked her if she wasn't coming back t,
that lovely spot.
NO" said Mrs. Juston. "You cal
have it if you want it.
Miss Still thanked Mrs. Juston effu
sively for her great generosity and un
selfishness, and was soon sweeping th
berries into her pail just where Mrs
Juston had picked up her pail so sud
denly and walked away. Miss Still wa
in position that brought her fac
almost even with her pail, and as sh
was picking away, two big rattlesnake
rose up from somewhere behind tn
pail and stuck their ugly noses over tn
side of it, not two feet away from Mis-
Stills face. For an instant the youn,
woman was unable to move, but thel
she recovered herself, sprang up, an
ran.
Hello, EMMY" said Mrs. Justol
from her new picking spot, laughing a
what she thought was good joke
"Did you see emp"
The secret of Mrs. Juston's generos
ity was revealed to Miss Still, and
made her so angry that she stoppe
running, hunted around until sh
found club. and fastened back to he
huclSleberry pail. The snakes wer
still there, and Miss Still pitched int
them. They were ugly and fought he
back SO fiercely that she had to thras
around in the bushes for seyera
minutes before she laid them out
and after she had laid these tw
out she had to kill another bi
one that came on the scene to Sc
what was going on. While Miss Sti