West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1896-11-26
LEEVE D0RT0N.
THE CHAMPION SNAKE HUNTER
OF LAUREL MOUNTAIN.
Some Interesting "Reminiscences OF
His Adventures.
Fr0m az EditoriaI IntsrvIew wItb Leeve.

I
Leeve Dorton, the celebrated snake
hunter. 1t was beautiful moon
light night and almost as mild and
pleasant as a night in June. The
roads were dry and as good as they
get on that route. The Preston
county end Of it Is all right, but
across the mountain it is rough and
does not seem to have been worked
any in Monongalia county for ten
years or longer, or since tho toll
gates were taken of. In fact, you
can almost tell where you cross the
line from Preston into Monongalia
by the difference in the road.
But to get back to Leeve Dor
tons, for that is where we stopped.
The moon was full and seemed ont
for all night and 1T was very pleas
ant driving, so we were in nc
hurry. We pulled up at Lecve's
and called him out. His wife came
to the door first and said he would
be out In minute We saw him
through the window, putting on
his pants, by the dim light of the
old fashioned log fire. lie was owl
IDENTIFY about to retire when we ar
rived, but be came out, bare headed
and bare-footed, and talked TO us
about his snake hunting career for
perhaps an hour. We asked him
many questions about his adven-
lures, and he seemed to take great
delight in giving his experience.
He says he is ~ years old and has
lived for half century in his pres
ent home, a one story log house on
the south side of the pike between
here and Morgantown, and six
miles this side of that place, just
after you start up the mountain.
He has little farm there, where
he has lived and hunted snakes
ever since he was married. He de-
clares they won't bite him at all,
and says he has handled them,
tramped on them, slept with them.
etc., and never was bitten Ia all his
varied career.
He related that one time, when
hunting in the mountains, he got
tired and lay down in the leaves by
an old log to sleep, and when he
awoke found very large rattle-
snake, seven feet long, stretched by
the side of him and sleeping IN the
same bed. 1t had crawled up to
get the warmth Of his body and he
bad rolled over on it, and still 1t
never offered to bite him. Leeve
admits that he did not have the
same respect for the snakes they
had for him, for he made a special
ty in slaughtering them.
In his expeditions into the snake
country he used an old fashioned
Hail, like they used to pound out
buckwheat with. This consisted
OF two clubs made of seasoned hick-
DRY and fastened together with
tough raw hide. One piece for the
handle about six feet long and the
club part heavier and about two
feet long. A play of two or three
inches was allowed where they were
tied together at the ends, and with
this formidable weapon he could
swipe into the snakes and pound
the devil out of them and have a
rafting time generally, far enough
away to keep from being bitten.
Every year he would 90 to their
dens and harvest crop Of rattles
with his fail, and sometimes skin
the largest snakes and stuff them
or tan their hides, and sometimes
he would capture some OF them
alive and ship them and the poltry
to the cities for sale. Then people
were frequently coming to bis
house to buy or beg these curios,
and no always kept some on band.
He captured The live ones by use Of
forked stick placed over their
neck, and then pulled their teeth
With a pair OF pinchers. lie says
the most he ever killed at one time
was two hundred and fifty rattlors.
Ills brother was with him, and they
went te the biggest rattesnake den
they knew Of, way out in the noun
tain. II was a good day for snakes
and they we're laying out around
the den summing themselves when
Loeve and his brother swoopod
down upon them and made them
she'll ont their rattles. In q short