The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-25
RATTLERs BY HUNDREDS.
The Experience ola Negro Boy While
Rabbit Hunting.
From the Philadelphia Times.


Harlem Switch, Tex, Jan. 16.-A negro
boy named Isaac Mudroe recently struck
a bonanza near here in fallen tree, from
which he drove and killed over 300 rattle
snakes. Munroe was out hunting rabbits
with his dog, and was in full chase of
"mule ear" when the little creature ran
into the hollow end of the tree.
1t almost Immediately ran out again,
and even before the dog could seize it
rolled over and over on the ground in
great pain, the boy observing that blood
was issuing from what appeared to be
numberless pin pricks all over its body.
Before he could notice anything else of
its symptoms the dog had torn the rabbit
to pieces. Then curious to know what
hadihappened to the rabbit in the tree,
Munroe tried to drive the dog into the
trunk but the cur evinced a decided OBJ
lection to entering it. and had to be
beaten before it would venture to do as
his master desired.
1t had barely gotten it's body inside when,
with shrill yelp, it backed out, whin-
ing and bleeding, in the same unusual
manner as the rabbit. The boy now
stopped down and looked into the tree,
but though he fancied that he could see
several small points of light, he could
find nothing to account for the singular
appearance of the dog and rabbit.
A SURPRISE FOR MUNRoE.
Not contented with this the negro was
foolish enough to thrust in his arm to see
il he Could not feel that which he was I'M
able to see. He felt something strike
him, and drawing his arm out hastily, he
saw hanging to his sleeve a tremendous
rattlesn1lze, The creature was caught
in the wooden garment by its fangs and
was una BILE to release itself
Munroe was afraid to shake the snake
of lest he could not manage to kill it
quick enough, and it should attack his
bare feet. Calling a companion chat was
at work near by, he waited, with the
snake trying to entwine itself about his
arm. The boy who came TO Munroe's as
sistance, seeing what the trouble was,
caught up a stick and MunrOe shook off
thereafter, killed the reptile with blow.
The dog was dead by this time. and
looking at him the boy decided that the
snake must have bitten him several times.
They then got down to search the tree for
The eggs that the reptile might have left,
and from which a fresh'brood might come,
but as they did so, second monster rat
tier ran out Of the tree, giving the boys
only time enough to leap to one side. Con-
WINGED now that there was even more in
the tree the young negroes secured a sack,
and holding it open at one end, they built
at the other tre, and soon the snakes,
with which the tree was fairly alive
broke out of it by the dozen, and running
into the sack were dispatched by the boys.
ONE OF THE BOYS BITTEN.
Pains had 10 be taken in killing them
so as to bruise only the heads as the skin
when whole has a commercial value, but
the negroes were experts at the thing,
and succeeded in crushing the skull only.
Once the writing of the trapped SER
penis was so great as to cause the stone
with which they had confined the open
end of the sack to roll to one side, and
the whole lot would have escaped had not
the other boy placed his naked foot on it.
He was promptly bitten, and it was
only by the most heroic measures that his
life was saved. In couple Of hours his
body was swollen to nearly twice its
normal size, and his teeth were so locked
that it was necessary TO administer chloro-
form TO wrench them apart Munroe
sold his skins in Houston for so apiece,
many buying them for belts, while others
invested in them as a charm 10 prevent
rheumatism.
This IS the alternating season for
snakes, but owing 10 the continued warm
weather, II Is thought that they remained
far from torpid as they usually are during
the winter, though they sought the fallen
tree for their cold weather sleep.