Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-08-21
A RATTLEsNAKE STORY.


r,o,,,,ar pos, Auy IL. 1,his morning
-, ....t,
Harry Davis was pitteh ny i"''''
snake at the store of the ONermnn
yyheal company. Davis was trans
-. -. ,,,.,..,, ,,,.,.,.,o, ro,,t,rs
trims uDVu. '"S'''
from boN IN whlch they hHu "'c"
brought down from Routt county by
Amos Bennett Yesterday. into a show
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case IN the WINDOW MF' D'Ni' Una nv
seem to care much about the bite ne
sucSud the wound. nut ammonia uponit
and went unconceruedly about his busl-
ness He has not the least fear Of
snakes. handles them as II rattlcrs
were garter snakes, carries a fve-foot
rattler fanrs and all inside his sweater
and hangs a black snake around his
neck He intends to get into a cage
of rattle snakes during the festivalan
exhibit. Amos Bennett who captured
the snakes, has not the same unoon-
Germ at handling them He has been
steadily getting photographs Of rattle
snakes for the last year but does not
like to take hold OF them. In captur-
ing them he used n pole as long as
his body, gets 1t under a snake. raises
the reptile into the air and shuts 1t
securely in a box. Capture Is easy
compared with photogruphing.
At first Mr.. Bennett used to stand
"too far away" TOO far away was
three feet. When one considers that
n RATHER can jump. when properly
coiled, his entire length. three feet,
seems rather CLOSE" than far away,
from chance for death.
"You just have to take your chance
that he won't strike or be pretty i've
ly with your leap" said Mr., BENEFIT
"for n RATHER on the jump is pretty
near as quick as n rifle bullet or n trout
on the strike. a RATHER can jump ac-
cording as he is coiled. Watch his
kinks. II he Is folded back and for
ward so that he won't knot himself
when he stretches out he Will strike his
length, but If his body istwisted wrong
he may not be able to strike two feet
or even one. Just imagine the snake
is peace of rope. II this peace of
rope is coiled so that II won't twist If
you pull it toward you, that Is the rat
tiers best line Of battle. When the
snake has struck once he cannot do
err again. So If you miss his first STAB
you can get away easily.
when | took that photograph
Mr.. Bennett picked the picture from
the show case. II held the camera
within n foot OF the old fellows nose.
i was so close | couldn't get away;
] Just took my chances that he would
not strike. Some times l have been
struck but never bitten. The fangs
have simply caught IN my overalls.
The snake would tug and wrigglc his
head for a while, get loose and then
get killed. You know IA rattle snake
striking lowers his jaw, throws his
head back and shoots his body for
ward. His fangs go at anything about
MS your fingers would II you struck out
and down at anything with your fin
gers half shut and your hand thrown
back. II you did not hit the object full
your fingers would not bite In but
scrapc or scratch along the surface.
Because RATHER strikes this way he
frequently rips hole in your over
alls without touching the flesh. |
have seen tear foot long made by
a rattle snake in mans trouser leg
and the man remained untouched.
"a man does not often get bitten
for he has time to get away. II he is
struck the best thing he can do is to
drink whisky and battle the wound with
ammonia"
MIR. Bennett, who is Il good hunter
and guide to all the Routt county
country, lamented the depletion OF the