The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-11-21
RATTLESNAKE CHARMER.
He Tells Interesting Incidents OF
His Dangerous Business.
His Homo ID In o Wild Valley In Sullivan
County, Now York Ho Finds Hh
Strange Occupation Profit"
Rbla One.

sbls One.
In wild valley at the foot OF
rocky aud precipitous mountain,
near the little hamlet Of Long Eddy,
in Sullivan county,. N. Y, Is the
home Of John G. Geer, whose busi-
ness is7the charming OF rattlesnakes.
This eccentric individual who lives
in this !, isolated spot is known
throughout that part of the country
as ''the rattlesnake man." Though
over sixty years. OF age, he is as
active almost as he was twenty years
ago, aud for o mountaineer, born
and reared in that untutored coun-
try, where people Of any kind are
scarce, he possesses q rare intelli-
gence.: ..,.,.s...,.. X.
A better, insight into his strange
and dangerous business cannot be
given than by the following story,
told by himself: II have been en-
gagged in catching rattlers at the
foot OF this mountain for many
years. Some seasons Iget from two
to three hundred Of them, many OF
which / tame and ship alive to mu.
seumsI in New York and other cities.
kill :a good many and extract the
oil, for:which / find o ready sale at
from;two to five dollars an ounce.
The skins are worth from one to five
dollars each, according to their size
and condition. ss...,,.--s
"This: mountain back of my house
is fairly alive with rattlesnakes;
thousands of them live there in their
lairs in the creyasses Of the rocks.
One Glay. last year I started out be-
low MY house, and in two hours and
half caught twenty-five rattlers
and as,black] snake, ], caught the
snakes with q hook or snare and put
them into q bag, in which 1;brinR
them home. Do they ever bite me2
Well, somet etimes, but very seldom,
as T know. what q rattlesnake's bite
is,- and, am always.yery careful how
I handle them. Six or seven times
they have been too smart for me,
and ahave sunk their fangs into my
hands, but lam alive yet, and I have
an ii,fallibfe cure for the poison.
The bites always leave a scar,
though, as you will see by the back
otmy hand"
This hand has o number of small,
deep scars, which look like very
pronounced pockmark, and these,
the ''rattlesnake man" declares, are
the results Of the bites he has re.
ceiyed. The t'infallible" cure which
MIR. Geer used is composed by him
self. Certain 1t is, he has been
called upon many times to save peo-
pie who have been struck by the poi
son-laden fangs Of rattlesnakes, and
his remedy has never: failed to cure.
No less weird and interesting than
the man Is his rude log house, which
Is always the home Of from q dozen
to thirty or more Of the venomous
reptiles. These are kept in boxes,
and many Of them are very tame,
actually seeming to be fond Of their
master. It does not take the old
man long to subdue these wild crea'
lures, and he often has them
crawling about the floor while he
smokes his pipe and meditates. He
is fond Of having visitors come to see
his pets, though few persons can be
persuaded to enter his den of rat
tiers and black snakes. This amuses
the old man, as long association has
taken away every vestige Of fear Of
having them harm him, and he thinks
no more Of handling the reptiles
thur II they were playful Kittens
N. Y. Times.