The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-01
AROUND THE CORRIDORS.

|
the Lick House, and q wide experience with
| people who make practice of telling snake
stones has taught me to take this kind of stun
WITH a grain OF salt. But there. are snake
stories and snake Stories The incident which
am about to relate can be vouched for by
James d. Phelan of this City, Joe Winters OF
| sacramento, Philo Hersey the hotel man at
| CISCO, ana a dozen or twenty other men, eu
citizens of standing and repnte in their respec-
| i've communities. w. h. Carlson, who mas
| since been elected Mayor of San Diego, was
| also member of the party, and he Will no
| ooupt recall the circumstance with a great
| zeal OF vividness because of the interest ne
manifested in the performance.
| crowd of us had gathered at Cisco three
years ago in July. Many of the party were
| fishermen out for few days sport, and we had
| been casting about for trout in the waters OF
| the South Yuba, with varying degrees OF sue
cess. Phelan and half dozen friends had Just
returned from Fordyce dam, where they nao
| been enjoying a weeks "stilr' fishing under
the care of the old damkeeper. One evening
| after supper we were seated on the veranda OF
the hotel when a man came up the trail whlcn
leads down to the river carrying two coai-oh
| cans covered with gunny sacks. Phtlo Hersey'
| proprietor of the Cisco Hotel for the past ten
| years, had just come out OF the dining ROOM
and as the man with the cans reached the
yeranda step he greeted him with, "Heno'
Tom, what did you get?"
Without so much as q glance at the ques
| toner the man addressed as Tom placed MS
two cans under the veranda and then turned TO
retrace his steps down the trail. When ABOUT
forty or fifty feet away he suddenly wheeled
about and called back to Hersey, 81 got only
three, Phil; they are ugly to-day"
The mans strange appearance and errauc
actions were noticed at once by the boys, ana
dozen pair OF eyes turned inquiringly upon
Hersey. Hersey was intently watching Tom as
he ambled down the trail, until he finally dis
appeared down the slope, which stretches away
to the marshy banks OF the South Yuba. Then
he turned to the company and said, 'That is
our snake-charmer, gentlemen. He has Just re-
turned from Red Mountain with three rattle
snakes. Sometimes he will bring back half
dozen. You can call 1t snake-charming or any
thing else you wish, but the fact remains that
the snakes will not bite him. James is his last
name and he is employed as section-hand on
the railroad. He was born in Virginia, of cir
Gus parents. His father was q hon-tamer and
his mother was the snake woman with the
same show. She was finally crushed to death
by big boa. He makes some money on his
captures. newspaper in San Francisco last
year paid him $25 for five rattlers, and from
various sources he receives orders. He is
friendly, though, with the snakes more as
matter of habit than of business. Nearly all of
Ills pare IlIut ue passes dt tuo SuLuIllt VI heu
Mountain, q spot known and dreaded all over
the county as the lair of the largest rattlers in
the State"
CHOW does he catch them?" asked Carlson,
who had descended to the ground and was
standing safe distance away looking at the
two sack-coyered cans.
''With his hands," answered Hersey. T tell
you they will not touch him. He will pick up
a rattlesnake as you would handle frog or
trout"
Carlson looked up at Phelan, whose face wore
half sarcastic smile. 81 don't believe it,"
said he. Do you, Jim?"
NO." replied Phelan. "Ill be hanged If
do"
"Give us something easy, Hersey," was the
only comment of Joe Winters. And then every
body burst into roar of laughter, much to the
discontinue of our host, who looked all the
while as solemn as Sphinx.
"But it's fact, gentlemen" persisted Hersey,
whose face had grown very red and who rather
resented the spirit of fncredulity with which
his tale was received. "If you are not afraid
to go to Red Mountain" he continued, az will
prove what say"
"that this man Tom can pick up live rattle
snakes and carry them away without the danger
ofbeing bitten?'
81 did not say any such thing" warmly re-
be grave element of danger. What do say
is this: This man will take up rattlesnakes
from their ledge at Red Mountain, or wherever
found, bare-handed, without the least show OF
fight on the part of the reptiles-a thing, by the
way, that no man in this crowd would dare to
do. AS I said before, will prove 1t. We will
all chip dollar apiece and go with Tom to Red
Mountain tomorrow"
This was finally agreed upon, but only seven
out OF the whole crowd could be prevailed upon
to go. There was myself, Phelan, Carlson,
Hersey, Winters, a drummer named Strauss
and miner from over Dutch Flat way, whose
name have forgotten, and who, by the way,
gave up the trip because only six horses and
mules could be had. At 10 O'Clock the next
morning we set out for Red Mountain, about
two and half miles from the hotel. Tom led
the way on foot. He carried an oilcan and
small stick. After long, hot climb we came
in sight of the summit, which is crowned by a
bold shelving ledge entirely barren of vegeta-
ton. When we had arrived at distance of
about 100 feet from the base or lower shelf of
this ledge Tom held up his stick and Hersey
called a halt. There we sat waiting for the
show. We had not seen a sign of a rattlesnake
but we knew that the mountain was covered
with them, and none of us felt very comfort
able, even though mounted. The snakeman
walked on toward the ledge, then signaled
again to Hersey and we drew little nearer.
In the stiffness following this second halt we
were introduced to the snake family of Red
Mountain. Perhaps families would be better,
for there were thousands OF them, and when
disturbed by our advance guard, they ratified
sometimes in concert, then one after another,
raising their hideous heads from reptile ridge,
eight or ten feet in length, stretching along on
a sun-baked shelf of the ledge, and made up of
intertwined bodies by the thousands.
Their rafting did not discomfort Tom in the
least. He walked boldly up to the ledge, and
from this uncanny mass picked up a RATHER
about two feet long and put 1t in his can. Then
another and another until he had captured
five. The last one he took was about three feet
long, the others were small. When he had
finished he tied his sack over the can and
walked back to where we sat on our animals
Phelan was bent upon shooting into the tan
gled mass on the ledge, but Tom begged him
not to do it, and Hersey reiterated the protest
with so much earnestness that they carried
the day. Then we returned to the hotel under
the good-natured raiilery of Hersey. who was
put to bed rather early that same right by the