Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-08-01
IRATTLESNAKES AS FOOD.
HOWARD, OF KENTUCKY,
EATS THEM
IN PREFERENCE TO ANY
Other Flesh and Has Eaten Them
h for Years-Fried Brown.
His FayOrite Dishs

John Henry Howard, of Ken
.Sstt1ucky, ~ eats rattlesnakes. He sayl
sfIthere is no finer delicacy than 6
Juicy rattler if well cooked. Mr.
gHioward, who lives on Spy Run
Greek, near Vanceburg, KY, will
Therefore never go'hungry as long
las he retains his cunning in cap
turing the reptiles and his recipe
for doing them to a delicious
brown.
Mr.. Howard has been eating rat
fesnakes for about ten years. Pos
E1bly this accounts for his fine ro-
Rust appearance and general good
'Ehtlth, and in a measure for the
/ ||tfatt that he weighs 23O pounds.
Tea World correspondent who
fased him to tell how he acquired
! t!s strange liking for rattlesnakes,
Ihsaid:
/ One of my uncles told me he
Ehi heard of people eating rattle
|slkes, SO out of curiosity, I
thght I'd try one. The woods
|alhe section where I live has alters
Ebn full of snakes. The next day
ar l had been told snakes was
cd, | started out on hunt for
raer. I wasn't long in fndin'
Of I hammered his head off,
10 him home, skinned him; and
,|so had him in the fryin' pan.
My, mother and sisters wouldn't
Eay in the house while I was
3 faoli-' of the thing. hut 4
didn't help that. After the sar-
1T was done, I took him out, put {
n on a plate, peppered him over, {
shed a little vinegar on him an I
Mt to work. My stomach kinder
mped up in protest at the first :,
e, but on the second it quieted o
wn and received the snake with T
dent satisfaction. b
l'The next day I had another sar- 81
bt under my belt, and the day II
Ter and so on, until I formed b.
Eject passion for snake fries. b.
ar ain'tno food on earth that's m
y better than a fine, fat, we'll ol
ed rattlesnake. W
Young rabbits is good, squirrel sV
toothsome quails is awful nice,
lng chickens is not to be sneezed
but none of 'em has any chance P.
h me if I can git a big, fat We
tlesnake. The rattler's flesh or
ks a good deal like chicken, IN
| when it is fryin' the olors of fo,
s exactly like young chickens in
in. I tell you, you won't never tu
Nv frst-class eatin' until ye I'arn
3 me, the glories of rattlesnake
st."
How do yo catch them?"
With forked stick. You see. ,,,
capturing snakes for the table
must be very keerful ter keep
from bittin' themselves. So 1 :
e forked stick about five feet
3, an when I find my prey, with r
lort, quick move I fasten the u,
across his neck, about an inch o,r
q his head. I then hold him 49,,
ly with my left hand and with liz,
right I stoop down and cut his ho,
! square off. 7
Where do I find most of 'em? fu;,
in bark piles. My part of the 8
,try is great tan-bark coun- w;f
In a month or SO after the ,,,,
is peeled and corded you'll eo11
a rattler or two in every pile. b,,t
{ do without snakes in the H.,
;er? Oh, no; not much I ~"
t.
During the summer season I
9y stores for winter. 1 catch g
IS and across of the sarpents, M, ~
'em and dry 'em, and prepare Di9s q
for winter, jest the same as \ \
rs would store away their u, - -,
er's bacon. Catch me goin' l;S az
,ry in the winter for the want piu D 7
snake! Not muchl I'm no -.
shopper to dance through the ln''
ner and starve when the win
lme comes"
id you ever try eating any r.
: snake?" L!
'es; tried a copperhead-one h te,, . -,
That done me from then till nooa naa
1t made me sick. Whewl / : :et1 .I
like ter think about that RI" 10 "