The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1894-03-24
A SNAKE CHARMER'S STORY.
He Tells Interesting incidents OF III
Strange and Dangerous business.

He Tells Interesting incidents OF His
Strange and Dangerous business.
In wild valley at the foot of
rocky and precipitous mountain near
the little hamlet of Long Eddy, in
Sullivan county, is the home of John G.
Geer, whose business is the charming
of rattlesnakss. This eccentric indi-
vidual who lives in this isolated spot
is known throughout that part of the
country as 'the rattlesnalSe man."
Though over sixty years of age he is
active almost as he was twenty years
ago, and for mountaineer, born and
reared in that untutored country,
where people of any kind are scarce,
he possesses a rare intelligence.
A better insight into his strange and
dangerous business cannot be given
than by the following story, told by
himself: 81 have been engaged in
catching rattlers at the foot of this
mountain for many years. Some sea-
sons i get from two hundred to three
| hundred of them. many of which /
| tame and ship alive to museums in
New York and other cities. / kill a
good many and extract the oil, for
which find a ready sale at from two
dollars to five dollars an ounce. The
skins are worth from one dollar to five
dollars each, according to their size
| and condition.
"The mountain back of my house is
fairly alive with rattlepnakes; thou
sands of them live there in their lairs
IN the crevices of the rooks One day
last year ] started out below my house,
and in two hours and half caught
twenty-five rattlers and black snake
l catch the snakes with a hook or snare
and put them into a bag in which
bring them home. Do they ever bite
me? Well, sometimes, but very seldom,
as know what rattlesnakes bite is,
and am always very careful how l
| handle them. Six or seven times they
have been too smart for me, and have
sunk their fangs into my hands, but
am alive yet, for / have an infallible
cure for the poison. The bites always
leave scar, though, as you will see by
the back of my hand.''
This hand has a number of small.
deep sears, which look like a very pro-
nounced pockmark, and these, the
"rattlesnake man. declares, are the
results of the bites he has received.
The 'infallible" cure which Mr.. Greer
used is compounded by himself Ger
tain it is that he has been called upon
many times to save people who have
been struck by the poison-laden fangs
of rattlesnal1es and his remedy has
never failed to cure.
No less weird and interesting than
the man is his rude Lighthouse, which is
always the home of 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 very fond of their master. 1t
does not take the old man long to sub
due these wild creatures, and he often
has them crawling about the floor
while he smokes his pipe and medi-
tates. He is fond of having visitors
come to see his pets, though few per-
sons can be persuaded to enter his den
of rattlers and black snakes. This
amuses the old man, as long associa-
tion has taken away every vestige of
fear of having them harm him, and he
thinks no more Of handling the rep
tiles than if they We're playful kittens.
N y. Times