Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-05
' Elm 81 shE STORY,
Fourteen Rattlers Killed I'm I'm.
Incident.
Special Correspondence of The Evorin.. s,,r

| Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
M'NDEN, o. T, September = 1Sec
IN tHe late summer of 1899 il was my
goo fortune to be acting in the capaci-y
Vi 1T "Spaner correspondent with the Cher
0hee 'Hoian commission. II was near his
season of the year, the weather hefpq -,
cesSiVe!y warm and the ground Vera, dry.
ana dusty from lack OF rain. The Indians
mac shown disposition 10 he su,1ep ,,,;
were mad because the commission had ,.is
tied them. About > o'clock i'm The after
noon there came up very suddenly fran,
the west terrible rain and thunder storn,
lhe "lhu ragged and the thunder roaro1
ana the lightning flashed in a horrifvi,r
iiiaiiiler. The poor Indians who were hoy
eiihs ABOUT the agency building We're
ilishteiled nan unto death and soaked to
the ska with water. When the storm b,a
spent IT'S Jury and the clements had again
become calm. there came a cllrioIS so,,,,.1
from al adjoining field. 1t was a soi,1d
oi aSony-a Seething sound-as if comm.
from something III great distress The in
'iidiiS We're The lrSt TO hear the strange
noise. Many of them were 50 friph:an.j
that they left the agency buildings 1n1 al
not return during the day Finally Cbinf
heoHuk Was induced to 20 ont with I i.,,-
= Hutfsoh CT the 18th Infantry and make
an Investigation. They had not prorf,.j,l
lar before strange sight met their yaza
Al the corner Of the field among the roofs
OF an Oh tree stump, they discovered a
mug diamond rattiesnake. some five feet
long, winch had been struck by lightning
curing the storm. Although so badly hurn
ed that the flesh could be torn off in
chuhks with a stick, the snake was still
iiShilhS with DEATH and al every sound
would enieaNor To coil Itself I'D and Sfril,a
at The noise. After Sofpc moments a;,-,ar
entity OF intense suffering che huge rtnfiIo
.,!dce one determined effort TO strike ana
men IN "a CULVER gradually succumbea TO
me inevitable and moment later vas
dead. Chief keokuk who with The lin,
tenant and members of The commission
h3u been looking on intelltly. stepped for
ward and unsleathins his large bunting
khiIe. stopped over and made a large in
cIS!un III the dead snakes abdomen n,
the surprise ana horror of all a vh,ia
Grove OF young rattierS, numbering thir-
teen iii ali, came crawling cut of IN. dead
!atler's belly. This was explained by tn.
indians. who said that when the mother
ratilcr forcSaw The danger of HE lightning
as IS the custom OF snakes when danger
seems imminent, she swallowed her Young
10 afford them protection. The chief th.n
removed the rattlors from the tai! of th,,
mother snake. while the sduaws present
turned their attention 10 beheaaing Tho.
young ratticrS. The rattleS of the par,of
snake numbered twenty-five and wcr. no
ililest specimens ever seen in the wesi
They Were presented 10 Gov. Jerome of thn
commission. who sent them 10 his wife il,
Saginaw. Mich.
i6ut the scene which almost caused my
flesh TO crawl was yet to be enacted The
young rattlerS had been carefully skinned
and placed in a small wooden uteuSil which
feSefno!ed somewhat one of our oId-fasb-
ioEed bread trays. When the agency bsI
been reached big fire was started in tho
lire place in The old log council chamber
After the wood had been reduced to a bed
of cherry-red Goals. an aged scuaw came
forward with the young rattl.rs and plar-
ed them upon the Goals 10 broil I'm the
meantime Chief keokuk and the second
chiefs and all the councillors of the tribe
had become seated at rudely constructed
table near by. Imagine my surprise when
Chief keokuk turned to me ana through
his Interpreter said: Young man, | knox
this seems to you like a very strange pro-
cecGing, but to the Sac and Fox il is n
sacred feast-a rattlesnake feast VIII
you join u.s." l declined the invitation
with thanks. and then there came a grurt
in chorus from dozen more big burly
fuil-blocds.
The old squaw had already begun to BASS
the snakes around and the Indians were
devouriTg them with a relish equal to a
darkey at q negro watermelon feast on
Emancipation day. That same evening /
had a long talk with Chief ilcokulz, and
he told me that rGttlesnake feasts Were.
not uncommon occurrences among the Sac
and Fox Indians. 1t has been a custom
he said. far back he could rcm.m-
ber Then he explained that in capturing
the snakes the one thing necessary is 10
behead the snake before it fancs itself
If the snake should bite itself before be-
ing beheaded, the chief explained. the
flesh would then become impregnated with
a deadly poison. but otherwise there is
no better food than the flesh Of the dia-
mond ratuesnake.