Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1895-01-31

Etperierccs of "Rattler Jim'a Davis. TIL
Most Celebrated Snake Killer OF the
IN 3 Southwest Efficacy of Whisky
i,p ill., :. asrn Antldote.
"'iTherc is mo locality in the union
fso Prof.' Henry Palmer, of the Smith
soniaa institution. says, that Is SO pat-
rral q brcceing-gronnd fa- the attle+
snake = The Crotalus ho,ridus = as
southern Arizona. Similar authority
us Quoted to the effect that there ii
scarcelyM more venomous reptile III
the co1sn try than the bloated rattlet
of sthts region. The rocks of ,.the
,1mopntains and foothills are q heavt
yellow and gray color, and the soil il
1 SO nearly the hues of a RATHER that /
snake can move slowly along and be
hardly perceived by person fifty feet
nwnt. Tho hot, dry air. and the warm,
sandy earth, through at least tch
months Up the year, and the immense
quantity !of small birds and ground
Squirrels in:the plbupt,,ih canyons and
brush, all combine to make life fof
rattllesnakes in this region one of rare
easc'and comfort for. many q long year,
There are literally tens of thousands
OF rattlers In the sage brush and chan
arral along the edge Of the southern
Arizona wastes. They grow to cnol
nous size, and, lis common TO read III
the local newspapers Of this part OF
the territory items of news of the ca1
lure of rattlcsnakes five apd six feet
loAg Fund with fourteen and ffteeh
rattles., Localities aud objects OF nd.
turc'ail over the territory have been
named from the scrponts. There arb
rattlesnake' canyons, rattlesnake ar
royos, rattlesnalfe creeks, rattlesnakt
mountains and rattlesnake gulched.
Over at Maricopa an old fellow hat
named his .dispensary of intoxicantk
inter tho. most venomous American
snakes, and =" Rattlesnake Koost,
painted in'clumby letters, stands i4
bold relief over the door.
= The best Informed nun in regard tt
s,rattlers in this, part of the territory Il
4acknowodged to be Jim Davis. lie i
about siXty-five years old, and haE
,-lYed on the border OF civilization fol
fifty years \ He is' one of the largt
4armg of men who were eternally do
smloralized by. tho gold booms in Calf
Aafornia years ago, and became relegatcf
to o devil-may-care, Independent and
happy-goAluclsy way of getting his liT
ing by using his gun and by travelling
across the mouhtnins and over the val
leys with a blanket and a skillet acrosE
,shis back. Everyone says that for uni
adultcrated snake information there'f
mp one like Rather Jim"
lido know much about rattle
shalies?',,said the old man as he sal
tipped back lin a chuif, sucking vilf
.eorheob :pipo, in saloon in Bensons
A. T., the other day. 'tYou bet YET
.life ! know u thing or two about 'emI
I've killed thousands of 'em. I've beer
here in this snake country just close
onto ,twenty-four years, and nevei
hafe,been ont of it. could sit ali
night and Keep telling you something
new every minute about rattlesnakes
Gesh!, how | hate the vnrmints.
never miss trying toasill em off, but
it's about Useless" tryin' to clear ou'
this yere country of rattlers. They
breed So darned easy. Every female
rettier Is good for thirty or forty rat
tiesnalses year, so I've about given
up tryin' to do anything more at snake
KILN. Ei;ks8Fa
'This is the dryest year we've had In
aslong time insthis end OF the territory
and rs an awful season for snakes. L
is SO dry and we havelhad terrible no
WEATHER since; May. These here Locust
biits arc all over the country, and
bug. lust like the rattlers w
Pm out hunting and kick
whole swarm of locusts, buY
they're worth, como flying
singin' puts me off my que
! can't hear lA.rattlesnak
I'm most affs& y hunt at
YOU know it's just about
death for an old white M
get Arizona rattlesnalEc
BODY Mt the end Of long
rather be plumb throi
,apy, day tre~~so takg
pailin' II pgfp'"
lrattler'
of piz
secso