The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-18
SNAKES OF THE WATER GAP.
SOME OF VANsCOTEN's ADVENT
URES WITH RATTLERs,
indications That the RattIers Have
Abandoned the Pennsylvania for
the Jersey side of the River-Sum-
mer visitors Who Found Snakes
while Maintain Climbing

| the Jersey side of the River-Sum-
mer visitors Who Found Snakes
While Mountain Climbing.
From the New York sun.
Delaware Water Gap, Pa,-Visiting the
Water Gap after the lapse of number
| of wears one finds that dts most famous
character is missing. Old John Vansco.
ten, "Rattlesnake John" has passed over
the great divide, taking with him wealth
of experiences that would make mighty
interesting reading.
The first time the writer saw this pic
turesque individual he was slouching down
the mountain side, STAFF in his right
| hand while a cord in his left had It's
lower end looped around the neck of a
huge rattlesnake, which was writing
and Tapping at his heels. John always
wore immense boots, into which his trou-
| sers were tucked, and a straw hat without
a band, resembling an inverted basin. He
was without coat or vest, and was bent
at the shoulders like a man of four score.
He was necessarily chewing tobacco, his
beard always scrubby, while his scant vel
| low hair dangled about his shoulders and
| his little gray eyes had shrewd twinkle.
He lived in primitive cabin in the noun,
tains. and there was hardly a time when
| he had not five or SIX ratters ghulnS
| about his cellar.
| II keep 'em for their oil or to sell to
| people that like such playthlngs," he eS-
planned to visitors. q" You can nave TINS
one for 49,"
"How did you manage to catch him?'
"Seen him asleep tother day on the
fence and slipped the loop over MN.
"Were you ever bittenE
"Sartiniy. 1 got stung twice. DO you
see that?"
He held up the horny forehnger Of HIS
right hand, on which scar was plainly
! seen. 7ofc "l
Got that bout ten year ago. l hal
| looped a big one that was summing him
| self but was little keerless, and he let
| me have it in the forefinger.
| what was the first thing you did2
| KILLED the RATHER; stamped the life
! outen him; then l went home, sucking my
| finger all the way, 1t was getting dark
| when / reached there, and 1t took me an
! hour or more. Then l begun filling up
on gin and milk; didn't affect me at all;
the finger swelled up like an apple dump
ling. and 1 felt the pain clear to my shout
| der. l kept pouring down the gin ana
milk. and bout daylight l was blhng
| drunk. The stuff took hold all at once
l tumbled into bed. slept three or four
| hours, and when l woke up the suh6
was so much better that l knowed there
was no use Of worrying, but l continnered
the gin and milk on gin'ral principles.
! few DAYS later the swelling had all gone,
| and that was the end OF 1t.
GLOW about the other time you were
bitten?"
t,ar amin thFnIlRh the
| bottoms barefoot. l had just jumped
across a small stream, when l thought
! had lit onto sharp nail with its p mi
| inward. MY brother was right pehlhu
me. and when / looked around he was
| smashing the life out OF, a RATHER thaei
| hadn't seen till then. AS soon as the
| snake was killed, my brother out win
| his iackknife and cut bit out OF my
heel which was bleeding more'n ever
| thought a sting would do. 1t famed me
| for a good while, but none OF the p lsoh
got into my system. Would you ladies
like to see the scar?
Tohn showed an alarming eagerness Il
slim off one of his boots. but was deferred
by the suggestion that 1t would expose
him to a bite from the reptile, which
was busily vibrating its rattle only lew
feet distant.
"It,s blamed queer how 'feard some
folks are Of rattlers,' resumed John
stamping his bare foot back INTO hls
nartIy removed boot. Last summer
went over in Jersey after couple oil
rattlers that a man from Philadelphia
wanted. There amt many Of en- lei
over there. and l knowed 1 would be In
s. afore l got back.
'Tt was a hot day in August, and | took
the road leading to Dingman's Ferry but
had to tramp five or six miles alV ,r,
catched sight of what | was after. Inen
I seen a couple. both stretched out full
length on the top Of rail- renee so as
TO git all they could of the sun. There
was a hundred feet atween EN-, ana ooth
was asleep AfoTe ] scooped em 4 -naa 70
fix on some plan to tote en- Wlth' me.
There wouldn't have been no trouble u
tbara was hut one. but it's little ophan-
dv TO handle two. over in the next Held
was a scarecrow, dressed the same as
am on Sundays. ! tramped across ana
took off the hat Blamed if 1t wasn't 50
much better than mine that would have
swapped only / wanted both of 'em.
wal, it didn't take me long TO git then
snakes. 1 catched each without waking
him nv slipping a loop over his neck.
dropped 'em into the hat had took, slap
ned mine on top, and there they were as
nice as you could ask. Being 1t was SO
ALFRED hot / sot down under a tree to
wait till the sun got lower afore starring
on the long tramp fur home. 1 had been
there 0ar0ty ar uOuI NitSAA oAAAA SA-Nf|
came along with the stage. Jim and me
knowed each other, and, when he come
up. he stops his team and says: John,
wouldn't you like to rider | said that
would Just suit me and climbed into the
stage. which had three seats. Jim sot on
the front one, and, being there was too
elderly ladies on the rear seat, took the
middle one.
'oThe day continued so hot that Jim let
his bosses walk, and the fust thing be-
gun doing had the two hats on my lap.
the upper being turned over the lower,
and as my head nodded the snakes must
have got uncomfortable, fur they began
to buzz and flop around In way that
warn't Christian. The ladies' heerd the
same and must have 'spected that some
thing was up, fur they spoke to Jim. He
turned round and give me onrespectful
punch with the butt of his whip.
John says he, what in thunder hev
you got thereT
"Nothin,' says, only couple OF
rattlers; don't bother me till git through
with my naD.'
The face of Ratlesnake John assumed
a grieved expression, and he chewed for
a minute in silence. Then the gray eyes
took on an angry glow.
stWhat 10 Won think lin Sykes done ?