The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-08
CATCHING RATTLESNAKES.
A Close View Of a Rather Dangerous
Occupation.

Rattlesnake Pete and His Companions
With the Rsptiles-strange Habits
of the Deadly Game-Some Mar
row Escapes.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
The writer had the pleasure Of an in
teryiew with Peter Gruber, better known
as "Rattlesnake Pete, 5" formerly of Oil
City, but now of Rochester, n. Y, and
DIR. c. J. Reynolds. of this city, upon the
! subject OF rattlesnake hunting These
two snake friends have been hunting and
capturing live rattlesnakes for eight
years, and have captured alive hundreds
of this specie of poisonous reptiles. The
last snake hunting expedition is interest
| ing.
Leaving Oil City Tuesday morning,
| May 8, on the river o'clock train, we
took passage to Baum station, situated at
! the mouth of Stuart's Run, on the Ale
| gheny river, two miles above President
! station, known as the Ed Clapp abode,
/ where a large hotel is built and used as a
summer resort to some extent. We
/ step of here, and start I'd
Stuart's Run, loaded down with
| our paraphernalia, consisting of snake
catehers, which are little longer than a
/ cane, one end having an iron hook in the
shape of a small pot hook, the other end a
/ forked V-shape piece of telegraph wire: a
/ box used as game bag; our lunch basket
/ consisting of sandwiches, bread and but
| ter, ETC., drinking cup and snake bite
! remedy. We start eager for the fray
| proceed on up the river about a mile, fCl-
/ lowing the incest brook trout stream that
| one could find until we come to Piney
! river, small tributary coming in from
| the west.
We follow this up about one mile further
| until we come to an old saw-mill; here we
| leave our coats and lunch baskets and
| start to climb the big hill to the right of
! US, which lies facing southwest. Climb
! ing ana lighting our way through tangle
| of burr bushes and underbrush we find
/ ourselves at last on the brow of the hill
on ledge Of rocks similar to a stone
! quarry of long standing. We carefully
! take our bearings and work together, one
taking the top of the den, the other below
| within easy reach.
| We move cautiously from rock to rock,
| keeping close lookout for rattlers. All at
once you see one, all coiled Up,lyiug lazly
! basking in the warm sun. We signal to
| each other and proceed to march upon the
enemy. Slowly We advance. watching
Tor the first move of his snakeship to slip
! under the rock until within ten feet of
him, when we spring forward quickly and
pin it down with the V-shaped end of our
snake catcher Having it once fastened
down, Peter puts his catcher over the
| snakes head and grasps it back of the
head about the throat and lifts him of
I the earth, - as one might express it.
Iakllg wooden tOOthpck from his
I pocket. Pete procee rs to open the snakes
mouth and examine It's fanEs. seeing that
none are broken or and sticking in his
mouth (for in such case the snake will
not live long,. Doctor opens the lid of
the snake box, Pete drops the snake tail
tlrst into the box, and with a movement
only known to Pete, drops or throws the
snake in tho box, at the same time clos
ing down the lii. Once in the box it soon
quiets down and apparently lies CON
tented.
On We so again, looking carefully about
the rocks until we see one partly under
the rocks, We take the hooked end of
our catcher and hook it out, when Pete
gets half IN clsonn ON its tail, holding
on while his pard keeps its head from
coming into contact with Fete's hand. 1t
IS upon these occasions where the danger
lies There may be several other snakes
In the same place, and q person putting
| has hand in close to the opening of the
rock is likely 10 get "dabn before he
knows it, but instinct seems to tell Pete
where and how to act, for he has never
vet gotten square bite in the act of
catching snakes. At the time when the
camera was used this spring on Pithole
creek, Pete got a little bit reckless while
posing for his picture and allowed a nice
yellow RATHER to catch him on the thumb
Il JriAe but then we got a good picture of
the snake in the act Of biting, and that
paid Peter for the risk he ran. We have
bagge1 as many as tWcnty-onc live rattleCs
III one day, having the game hoX almost
fun, and boXfu like this is no small
load TO lug around all day swung around
your shoulder with q strap. We have
marked good many dens about Oil City,
otuart's Run, Calaboose Run, Plumer,
Plthol3 creek, Horses Delight, TiOnGsta
and Sandy creek. Our best catches have
been on Stuart's Run, Calatoose and
Flumcr, in She order named.
This IS the eighth year that we have
been following up this queer kind OF
sport, and il the weather is fair and
warm we are always sure of getting a
nice mess. We dOu't eat them, but Pete
considers their oil very valuable We
always hunt III the spring for then the
Z woods are clean and YOU are not bothered
so much with the Ialleu leaves as you
would Do IN the fall; a person cannot
/ walk through the woods in The fall with
out making great deal of noise. This
1 would give thc snakes warning aud YOU
p / would be il luck il YOU would get even q
/ chance at one. Inc rattlcsuake dcns are
always on the brow of hill facing south
This enables them to gctall the warmth
OF the sun and shields them from the
north winds. Along about May / the
Tttlers begin 90 crawl out from under
the rocks ana lie In the sun, getting tho
rheumatism thawed out Of their bones
They follow this up until the nights
2 Degiu 10 get warm, when they leave
| their young and scatter out through the
country. The warmer the weather gets
the more they wander toward the valleys
/ and IA the midsummer you Will find then
about the brooks aud swamps. They are
mostly blind or partly so at this season OF
the year, for they are getting ready tc
shed their skin ana it covers the eyes
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