The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-20

| party of anglers came all the way IRON
| Philadelphia to Clinton county to show
| the natives how trout should be caught
| In some way or other they got hint
that rattlesnakes might be met With al
most anywhere along the creeks. some
of the party declined to so to fishing
Two plucked up courage enough to go
however, They made their way ginger
~ along the stream, and failed to eX-
tract either enjoyment or trout as they
proceeded. They saw no snakes, and
finally made up their minds that they
had been misinformed, and went on
with their fishing with better heart. AS
they went up the stream they met a
fisherman coming down. 1t was the
snake-fancying storekeeper, but the Wis
iting sportsmen did not know it. They
asked him if he knew whether there
were any rattlesnakes around there,
The storekeeper was in his element at
once. He thought the two strangers
We're sensible men who wanted to get
some rattlesnakes, but had had bad
luck thus far; so he was at their service
at once.
seM spIBMIelJe pue MeI polpnls gu coy
so. If you're on the scent for rattlers
just come with me, and I'll take you to
place not more than a quarter of a
mile from here where you can get all
you want. Just look here
He lifted up the lid of his big creel
The two Philadelphia fishermen, whose
desire to fish longer had rapidly oozed
away looked into the creel. Then they
yelled, and, before the snake lover could
say another word, they We're tearing
down the creek at a scorching pace. In
the creel, coiled on top of a dozen or
SO of big trout, lay two immense rat
tiers
There Is nothing like a real good rat
tlesn1-e country for the development
of genius. For instance, there was Hi
ram Sly of the Leidy country Uncle
Hiram folks used to call him. He came
originally from the Allegheny river part
of Potter county, in all of which spread
Of waters, strange as it may SEEM there
is not nor never has been any rattle
snakes, while a mile over the water
shed, where the Susquehanna tributaries
have their rise, rattlesnakes are thick.
Hiram Sly, so said, had never seen
rattlesnake in all his life until he left
the Potter county Allegheny region and
settled over the mountain where the
Susquehanna drained the hills, and /
guess that was So for he was as stupid
as pug dog, they said. He hadn't liv-
ed in the rattlesnake country long,
though, before he began to develop, and
within two or three years he had gained
a reputation that spread from the head
waters of the Sinnemahoning clear to
the mouth of the West Branch. The
first his neighbors noticed the improve
ment domicile in the rattlesnake coun-
try had made in Uncle Hiram was one
day when some natives had been reiat-
ing some experiences with rattlers.
Its a pity we never had no rattle
snakes over along the Allegheny head
waters said Uncle Hiram, for there
amt no kind O. doubt, but that it has
kept the country back considerable. but
we've got critter over there that it
seems to me ought to give our folks
big push ahead long ago, conslderln the
p'ints It's got. Maybe some o. you over
here might heerd of it. Some folks
calls it an alligator and some calls it a
name. 1t amt neither fish, flesh nor
fowl, as nigh as | kin git at it. 1t lives
in the mud at the bottom of the Ale
gheny river in the winter time, and if
you should want to git any of 'em you'd
have to mine 'em, like coal. In the
it swims and crawls about in
the water, and walks out on the banks
and lays in the shade, cause it has legs,
Some folks over there says it amt
bison, but I'll tell you somethin,' and
then you kin judge whether 1t is p'ison
u not. / speared one in the body once,
and it reached it's head around and
socked its fangs in the spear handle.
IN a few seconds that spear handle be-
gan to swell, and it kept on swellin' till
It got as big as my arm, and then it
busted into a hundred pieces The
olson the hellbender had squirted into
t was so fierce, though, that the scat
erin pieces of the spear handle kept on
5welin and Dustin till l couldn't see
EN- foot away, the air was SO thick
With the flynn splinters, and the noise
If their Dustin put me in mind o. the
I'D Liberty Guards firm volley on
gener'l train day 1t come blame nigh
;carin' me, and when | looked down in
he water and see that the iron prongs
J the spear had turned as green as a
lew cowcumber, l waded out and went
home. l always held, after that speci- !
men O. what the hellbender could do.
hat the hellbender was p'ison, but you
kin judge for own yourselfs.'
after that Uncle Hiram began to be |
ooked up to by people in the rattle
make country, and he had developed |
% much that when [ went up there |
nee on RATHER hunt he was able to
ell me whole lot. He had discovered, |
he said that taking a bite through the |
leck Of a live rattlesnake was a sure
estorer and preservative of the teeth, |
nd that the heart of a rattlesnake eat |
n by the patient would cure consump-
lon. | must have looked my doubt of |
Jncle Hiram's discovery, for he said:
Well, now then, just look at my
vife's brother, Joe Mealey. Hammer |
aid Hiram, calling to his wife, who, |
" the way, was a native of the rattle
make country. Hannah stuck her head
through the kitchen door, showing n
ed face and amazingly white teeth.
Hammer said Hiram, wasn't Joe pooty
Ugh dead with the consumption when
G eat that rattlers heart?
" We all think so, said Hannah. and
couldn't help but notice her even,
1hite teeth, and anybody'd a think so
hat seen him.