The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-05-21
6sTSeY cHEESEMAN.
Her Death Was Tragic, and Her Lie
History Something Extraordinary.

History Something Extraordinary.
Jerry Buckley, engineer of the ''pusher"
that helps freight trains up the hill on the
Erie railway from Susquehanna to Gulf
Summit ran over md killed Betsey
CheeSeman, and the boys haven't got
through talking about It yet.
Be!Sey Cheeseman was one of what are
known among railroad men ms George
Cheeseman's pets She was u rattlesnake,
and Jerry Buckley Is positive that she had
lived in Cheeseman's family for ten years
George CheesemHu is one Of the oldest set
tiers In the Gulf Summit ncighborhood,
three or four miles east Of SIsquehanna,
and be has the reputation Of having for
years kept open house for ra,tlesnakes
which abound In the mountains there.
about.
He has a way Of feeding and caring Cor
these reptiles that attract them to his farm.
aGd at any time during the season rlttlers
may be encountered on their way 90
Cheeseman's from all directions. For this
reason every rattltsnake seen In the yicin-
ity Of Gulf Summit is known as one Of
Cheeseman's pets, and it Is permitted to
20 on its way uudisturbed. Frequently
one gets run over by the cars while cross
ing the track on its way to ChS6Seman's
-Four have met their fate ia that way be
side unfortunate Bttsey Chttsfman.
Bet'ey, so railroad men claim, wns known
to them from all other rattlesnakes as dis
tinctly as though hername had been in
scribed on her in'biR block letters. She
was permanent guest at Cheeseman's,
and was famous the noightorhooi rouuN,
So railroad men say, Tor her great talent ms
a ratter and mouser No ferret ever hunt
ell rodent vermin OF OF any ones premises
so persisteutly and thoroughly as Betsey
Chceseman did when shb went TO work at
it. she was also great collector uf bird =
eggs, which she invariably lugged home %
Cheeseman's
"One spring" says Aleck Forbes, who
runs trains II and 20, "old Checseman set a
hen on the eggs Betsey brought in, and she
hatched ont one OF tho most remarkable
broOds, s'pose, that any hen ever brought
forth. There was crow, an owl, a wood
duck, a loon, a chicken hawk, a kingflsher,
a mud hen and swapping turtle in tho
family, and when tie hen looked it over
she disappeared and never came back.
Betsey took charge Of the queer family,
though, and in due course df time had
swallowed it all except the young swapping
turtle. She drew the line at that"
Charley Mygatt will be Sorry to hear of
Betsey's death, I'll bet" said Jerry Buck.
ley, "for he declares that she saved him
from killing a man once just this side Of
tho Summit He was coming down the
hill a-booming when he saw red flag
flUtterng from a switch post at one side Of
the track hundred yards or so ahead Of
him. He clapped on the air brakes and
brought the train up In short order
"Then he discovered Betsry on the switch
with big red handkerchief In her mouth.
Two or three hundred feet ahead n quarry.
man lay asleep right across tho track. Tho
red handkerchief belonged to him. Tho
supposition was that Betscy had. been
strollng along that way and, discovering
the man on tho track, had pulled his ban.
dana out Of his pocket, hurried 10 tho
switch, climbed it md swung ont tlh dan.
ger signal. That's what Charley Myatt
says"-Cor. New York Sun.