The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-07-18
III COST HIM $50.
To Find Out That Black Snakes Are Fond OF
WiIdcnfa.


ssIf it hadn't been that there was q
bounty Of 50 a head on wildcats, them
said Uncle Joe Vondersmith of York
county, Pa, 1T wouldn't have cost me a
cent to learn that black snakes were fond
of wildcats. As it was it cost me $50. But
I s'pose the knowledge I got was worth
the price
Il used to peddle through the lower
counties and down through Maryland
Those are great districts for snakes, es-
pecially black snakes and copperheads. It's
fun to see folks doing their haying down
through there, especially when they're
loading it after it is cut and cured A man
will take up a forkful of dried grass, but
he won't pitch it on the wagon right
away. He gives it three or four peculiar
shakes to rattle the snakes out of it. II
four or five cOpperheadS don tumble ont,
the man amt satisfied and gives the hay
another shake It's worth going d long
journey to see 'em load hay down there
They never speak about big black
snakes in that country. There's no use of
it, because there amt any little black
snakes. At least you never see one I'M
less you call Que nine feet long little
one. They don't run much finer than
that If one is killed smaller than that, it
is toted around as a curiosity. It was in
that stretch of territory that I learned to
talk intelligenuy about the partiality Of
black snakes for wildcats I was driving
along one day through a scrubby piece of
woods near the York county border, and
hearing a peculiar noise at the side Of the
road got OUT of my wagon to investi-
gate In a hollow stump I found nine
wildcat kittens almost as big as full grown
house cats.
'''Hal hal says. Here's SIS for me,
sure enough
While I was busy appropriating the
scrambling and scratching young cats
out Of the woods came the mother Of the
litter and made right for me. put two
or three pistol balls into her, and that
was all there was of the fl ht.
= Have to call it $50 now, I says, and
I tumbled the old cats carcass into the
wagon and put the nine kittens in by her.
They snuggled down as meek as mice, and
I started on feeling good.
Il had gone u mile or so when I hap
pencd to look back along the road and
saw big black streak coming toward me
like hurricane. I knew what it was in a
second. It was one Of the famous black
snakes Of that district I put whip to my
horse, thinking i might get away from
my pursuer but I didnt know the quail
ties of these snakes. This one closed up
tho space between us so fast that he was
almost at the hind wheels of my wagon
before my horse had run five rods. 1
thought, Of course, that the snake wanted
me, and quickly turned over in my mind
what was best TO be done to save myself.
Having often read of travellers pursued by
wolves tossing dogs and other things from
their slcds Is sCps to the wolves, thus
gaining time and distance, q happy
thought struck me, and I grabbed wild
cat kitten and tossed it out to this snake
to see how III would work. Tt worked first
rate. The sEake stopped I whipped up
my horse Looking back, I saw the snake
getting ready to envelOp the kitten, and
I thought I was saved. But just then out
of the woods at one side of the road Shizzed
another black snake, as big as the first, and
went to climbing right up into the wagon
1 grabbed another kitten and chucked it
out and had to groan little, for it was
another 81 contribution to snakes.
''Then away 1 went again, hoping to
save the rest of my prize money By and
by looked back to see how the land lay
1t WASH t laying at all. 1t was all torn
up by four moro immense black snakes,
which were putting IN their best liczs to
catch me, not more than 100 yards in the
rear. 1 threw another kitten out, suppos-
ing the four snakes would stop and have
squabble for it. But they didn't. One
got it, and the other three came right on.
And more snakes came out of the woods
and joined in tho chase. / saw it was no
use and so 1 stood up, my horse going at
full jump and fed those snakes wildcat
kittens until the whole nine were gone
and was SIS out.
I was pretty near out of the woods by
this time 1 could see the clearings right
ahead
III save the old dead cat, by gump
says, and clean up 81 out of this anyhow
= But was overhauIed by a tremendous
big black snake before ] got to the end of
the woods, and I knew by the humps
him that he had at least two of the kit
tens inside of himself already ! had to
give up the old cat and went out of those
woods into the clearing a-humming
looked back and saw the whole cabOOdle of
snakes having a grand old rough and
tumble over the body of the mother wild
cat, but I didn' { stay to see how it came
out. So found out by personal observa-
ton that black snakes are fond of wildcats,
but it cost me $50 New York Sun.