The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1895-07-26
MISSOURI s AXE CA'rCHERS.
A Queer dn7t~y Carried On
Along G mississippi
The Reptiles loi@a;lc the Low Lands in
the Fall ard zee: tho Bluffs.
Where Thcy s.,:,ernatc
ThrDii:h V isiter.

The cool fall weather affords the
careful observer q fine o3rortunity for
NOTING one Of the c;:riouH things in
natrrc--thc rl;~rntion of snakes. says
the Alton correspondent of the St
Louis Ecrv''iin These reptiles Loo
up their Writer quarters. and thes'
quarters il TINS vicinity may be foun
! in the bluffs which line the river ban
above the city. All the snakes whic
spend the summer in the bottom land
of Missouri point. just opposite. max
their way acroSf, the river to the bluff:
where they hibernate until the GENT
breeze; of e;1r;r.r thaw them out. whcj
they slip down the Sllalc and dcbr;
which uEdcric the bluffs and again
seek the lowiands.
The crossing of the river is q very
simple matter for them. They simply
swim over, and many are killed by
fishermen while making this crossing
An old resident of the bluffs above
this city states that he has seen the
time in November when the river
could not be crossed in Slliff, especial
ly in the middle of the day when it
was warmest. without at least {; dozen
snakes being seen swimming for the
bluffs, and he has frequently killed a
half dozen rattlesnakes with an oar
while going to and from Alton.
A hunter along these bluffs lately
saw an old man who appeared to
be looking very intently at the water
with a field-glass, and, curious to dis
cover what it meant, Joined him at the
edge of the water. The man had with
him besides the field-glass a heavy
sack and curious pair of long wooden
tongs. and in answer to questions SD /
he was a snake catcher, watching the
surface of the water the while.
Presently lie sighted a snake swim
ming for shore q short distance abov..
where he was standing, and proceede.
to meet him with his tongs, with
which he picked up the snake as he
landed. Improved to be black snake.
and was dropped into the sack without
further ado. During the next hour he
caught two water snakes. garter
snake and a spreading addcr. The
last he put in his sack and turned out
the others, saying that they were ''no
good"
The old man had grown quite friend
ly by this time. and a visit. by invita-
ton, was paid 10 h., cabin boat. in the
back room of which he had corraled
over fifty live and kissing SNAKES,
which he s;lii hr sold to q party in ST.
Louis. who rcsold them to others for
different purposes. The tric!, of catch
ing them he had learned when boy
from Indians. who would come down
to the bluffs and catch rattlcSnal1cS as
they crossed th, river. These Indians
used to catch them with boats. and
sold them to n man at the fort. lie
had learned something that the In
dams did not know. however, and that
is that man can catch more snakes
along the shore with half the work
Snake catching is followed every fall
of the wear here by q nuinh"r of men
who appear to find rccrcat:v'; excite
ment AMI profit in the occu patton
while at the same time they arc rid
ding the ncie .lforhOOd of some very
undesirable visitors and thus con-
ferring benefit on their fellowman.