Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1895-01-31
HARDIN COUNTY,
snakeisahshit him. ~ hot win ltill

a snake'eahtihit him. AN hog will kill
EN-, too, and a snakes poison don't
hurt o fat shqg. l have seop many a
dog that would kill any rattleenake
he'd co'ae acresst.! He getsbit;of course
sometimes, but Whenever he's bit you
may notice that he'll 60 6ff ,away from
the house aud Stay two or three days
He's doctorin' hisself then. lie lays in
the mud and water, and when an Injin
is bit he does pretty much the same
He will put mud on the bite or jis' go
and lay in the fresh mud until the
swellin' goes down,
'Thc pizen Of rattlesnalSe is white,
He has"twoA sharp teeth, like cats
claw, in his upper jaw, that lay fat
hidden under little sacks when he
ain't mad so3s he can yank in frog
or bird with his other teeth without
using his fangs at all! Ifihe couldn't
of course he'd never get anything I'd
eat but what's pizened, and that would
kill him as quick as IL would anything
else. When heights mad the first thing
he does is to coil himself up and then
he can strike two-th Of his length
He will hit as high as he can reach,
and his jaws wide OPEN like striking
a, thing with tho, palm OF your hand
His fangs are as Sharp as a needle, but
they won't go through thick leather,
and, If they 60 through clothes, par
ticular wool, the chances is the pizen
will be sucked up by the wool. Right
along the under side is a groove, ant
when the fang goes in it presses dowi
on the pizen bag at its roots, and tina
squ.rts the juice right around the fang
Ii VIII throw the pizen as far as three
feet" I'll. s,
Can they bite when not coiled2"
"Bitc any timei but they can't socl
their teeth in Sc deep, No, they amt
as rsany people, bit AROUND here as a
man would think, but onct in awhile
somebody gets bit. l was bit onct Il
was barlin2 freight with bull team
from Maricopa to Tombstone, and
amongst my stuff had five barrels Of
whisky for the Arcade saloon at TucI
son. Comm along down towards Arr
royo Seco camped one evening early
where there was plenty wood and
grass, and / sec little spring branch
tricklin' by tho spot, md knowed the
spring was not far Off ! turned out
my stock, built fire, and went to thd
| spring to get drink of water. sed
the spring there in amongst the lavvy
rocks, and knecled down on all four$
to drink ! am the biggest liar on
earth, partner, II i didn't put my right
hand down within six inches OIL
the biggest RATHER ever see, lay
in there an coiled up, just ready I'd
strike, with his tail straight up in thd
air jlst whizzin', he was that mad
He'wus thinkfn', | guess that l wal
eoiii' to catch him. l was that para
lyzed that hadn't enough sense I'd
jerk my hand up, and he hit me fail
lick right on the wrist When / see
was bit, and well bit at that, grabbed
rock and l pounded that snake intd
thousand pieces, Then began
thinkin' what was best to do with my
self. put chaw of terbaccer on thd
wound. had learned that suckin
the wound was good, If you had sound
teeth, but l linowed that would never
do for me, cs my teeth was about hal
Of EN- good. Mighty few people here
have good teeth, am here to tell you
poor coolsin' and plug tcrbaccer
Well, thought of the whisky. had
one barrel Of good stuff for Billy
Flynn, that bossed the big ditch in
them days when the mines was flush
and had holo already bored in tho
top OF the barrel and had been hittin
her lick along the road when the
sperrit moved mo- l broke off few
rye grass straws that growed up by
the spring, and l laid at that bung
hole and sucked whisky till thought
l would bust. My nanny never
whipped me for holdin' my breath.
Then | drawed some in tin cup an(
mixed it with sugar and mint-min
growed wild there. didn't want t.
drink too much, and wanted to drinl
plenty, you know. felt like
could cat box full of rattlesnalxes
rattlcs and all, Then knocked under
laid down under'my wagon, and wen
to sleep. / woke up next morning
fresh as q daisy, and went on abou
my business. The pizen never tool
effect on me at all. i,t
Then there was Tom Shnck. II,
was camped up on Blue creek, holdin
q band of horses there to get then
used to the range. He was about sew
enty-fve miles from Benson. On,
night he was out getherin' some sag,
brush to throw on the fire, and he fel
something prick him on the hand, ant
he thought he had grabbed hold of |
briar, and paid no more attention t.
it. 1t hurt awful that night, lie hat
to git up fore day, and he lknowed I
RATHER must have bit him. He tool
some paper from his pocket and triet
to write his will. Tom had money
yes, he was jest a-rottin' with coin
'ouldn't write. He managed to &c
It horse in his band saddled an,
and he rid him through t
by noon. The doctor curet
tit- mighty close call
Tin Cup John
Ill him) and hi
lie, went out on
lip+E and the,