The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1893-02-10
HAS SNAKES IN STOCK.
Selling Serpents Is a Philadelphia Mans
Business.

Although Henry HagedCrn OF Phlla-
delphia is a good locksmith and works
at his trade during the winter, his
chosen industry is catching and sell
ing snakes, and for the last five years
he has visited Florida every summer
and brought back as many as eighty
snakes at once. TO 4 reporter for the
Times of that city he said:
Il sell most of them to shOwmen
but there are a mum Der of people here
who buy reptiles to experiment with,
and some make pets of them. A black,
or king snake. can be easily tanned,
and if it wasn't for soaring your neigh
bors they would be the best ratters in
the world, but they stray off and get
lost. | brought home in August sixty
five snakes, twelve of them rattlers,
and six of them sold to one man for
$25. Come with ME and | will show
you my collection"
In long room in a dismantled mo-
rocco factory, the sides fitted up with
board boxes and wire fronts, whir
like that of a sewing machine saluted
the ear as soon as the door opened.
"They're the rattlers. ! have three,
and two of 'em are sold. The south
ern rattlesnake is better for a show
than those we catch here. They are
much more active and vicious, and
their poison is more fatal. Yes, it is
very warm. | must keep up hot
fire, as my snakes are sensitive to
cold. There is not much money in
the business, as too many of 'em die
on my hands"
On top of one of the cages. lit up by
a stray ray of sunlight, lay what looked
Ike heap of dirty towels. 1t sud
denly moved, and then Uncoiled fold
after fold, and glded over to the rat
tiers cage.
See, that is a Georgia king snake,
nearly nine feet long, and whenever
the rattlers make noise he wakes up.
He is quite harmless and kills all moe
casins and rattlesnakcs he can get at.
81 have black pine and whipsnakes
in these cages. They are all harmless,
but that fellow | dread more than a
rattlcr. That is a genuine copper
head"
This reptile was about two feet long,
as thick as a mans wrist and red
brown in color, with head much the
shape Of 4 clam, and looked vicious.
in catching the rattlers and dan
gerous ones | use the staff like this"
pole eight feet long, with strap, MAX
ing loop at the end.
Il have been bitten twice by mocca-
sins, but did not suffer much, but |
am very careful, had man work.
ing for me in Florida. He vas all
right when sober, but very reckless
when drunk. One day he took rat
tier out of barrel to show off, and
was struck in the face. In two hours
he was a dead man. Whisky did no
good, as his system was already full
of it,
Il feed my snakes on rats and mice,
aud latterly have got a good many
sparrows. They seem to like them
best, but now their appetites begin to
fail, and they will not feed sometimes
for two weeks. This big king snake
finds himself, and catches rat nearly
every other day,
Il cot huge biacksnake last year
in Jersey. 1t was quite eight feet
long, and could swallow well-grown
chicken. | let it run loose in this
room, and one day neighbor's cat
followed me in. He went poking
about, and all at once | heard a loud
squall, and, sure enough, the snake
had caught puss right behind the ear,
and at once threw coil around the
body 1t was big mistake. The cat
caught the snake in its teeth and bit
it so hard that it died in a few hours
after, but no amount Of cOaNin9 will
get the cat to enter the room again"