New-York tribune., 1899-07-30
HARVEST OF SNAKES.
THIS YEARS STORIES THREATEN TO
BREAK ALL RECORDS.
From The Philadelphia Times.

farm. in Delaware County Dr. Mcfarland, Of
the Medco- Chrurgcal College, has an exten.
sive and interesting experimental COLLECTION OF
living copperheads rattlers and other venomous
serpents One Of his rattlesnakes measures
eight feet in length and a foot In diameter.
Once n week DR.. Mcfarland manages to obtain
from this monster snake enough poison to XII
il thousand people Capturing snakes for Dr.
Mcfarland has become business on the Loyal
sock where rattlesnakes are so numerous thls
season that many WoodSmen have quit work Tor
fear OF being bitten. AS many as sixty rattlers
have been killed near one camp in That region.
Most of the shipments of rattlesnakes from the
Loyasock are made from Pine station but over
four hundred rattlers and copperheads were re-
Gently shipped from Fayette County to the
snake farm at Glenoden. While catching
snakes on the Loyalsock for DR.. Mcfarland }.
j. Garris was bitten on the hand by rattler.
He plaStered the wound with cheWed tobacco
and, putting the finger in his mouth, SUCCESSFUL
ly drew out the poison.
This years snake stories nearly all relate
some eccentricity on the part of the reptiles.
Benjamin Vannoy, of West Falls township
Monroe County, while driving to MILFORD came
across a rattlesnake four feet nine inches In
length 1t had eleven rattles. This snake was
evidently fond of spring chicken for, after Kill
ing It, Mr.. Vannoy found that 1t had It's fangs
fastened in young fowl.
At pine Grove Church. Perry County a snake
made its appearance among the WorshlpperS
while they were at prayer. II was not danger
Gus reptile but it caused panic in the church
Near Saadasburg the four year old son OF Luxe
Olmstead who was picking berries in a field,
complained that something had stung him. the
swelling soon showed that it was the sting OF
rattler. Mrs. c. II. BussOm of South Williams
port was attacked by a fve-foOt rattlesnake
while wheeling baby carriage in the street
This huge snake coiled itself around her ankle
and was preparing to strike when she thrust
paraso through the squirming coils and thus
loosened its hold. AS soon as she was free she
ran screaming down the street. but number
of boys took up the battle and succeeded In Kill
ing the snake. Near Hanover, however, a
HaVprStOCk. had the
to kill a huge blacksnake Less fortunate than
either of these women. Miss Mary Kegerrels, OF
Fannettsburg Franklin County, was so un-
nerved by seeing snake crossing her pain
while she making her way across the noun
tain on a bicycle that she fell from her wheel
and may be crippled for life
In the South Mountain, over which Lees army
crossed on the way to Gettysburg, there is a
famous blacksnake known as the Mont Alto
monster 1t was already good sized snake at
the time of the battle of Gettysburg. and now 1t
is described by the mountaneers as being as
thick as q stovepipe and long accordingly"
The monster was last met by DR.. w. e. Holland
of Fayetteville while driving Glong the Funks-
town road. The reptile was stretched IN the
dust across the road. At the sight OF 1t the
horse DR.. Holland was driving became frantic,
but instead OF attacking the pungng animal
the snake curled into the underbruSh and slowly
crawled away. When the doctor told of his en-
counter posse of mOuntaineers started in pur-
suit Of the monster. Armed with guns. they
vowed that the snake would not escape them
this time, and they succeeded in finding the
reptile. The snake was evidently expecting
them. for it received them standing erect on its
tail end menacing them with a noise like that
of a "crazed bull in a fight" One of the posse,
Bill Smith. fired, and then the whole party
beat a hasty retreat. At last accounts the Mont
Alto monster was still unhurt.
CHAMPION OF THE BLACKSNAKE
After reading the story of DR.. Hollands en-
counter with the Mont Alto monster, one OF his
neghbOrs wrote to The Chambersburg RepOsl-
IN abused reptile,
the blacksnake. Indeed, this authority on black
snakes does more than defend the monster-he
points out its virtues. He says the blacksnake
is the mortal enemy of the ratter and the cop
perhead and declares that If 1t were not FOR the
fact that in ninety mine cases out OF hundred
the blacksnake is the victor in hght with a
rattlesnake or a copperhead the mountains or
Southern Pennsylvania would be so infested
with these deadly reptiles that it would not be
safe for any one to go there during the sum
mer. II have met many a one, ne says OF MS
fayOrite blackSnake, in my tramps through
the mountains, and | am sorry TO say nave
killed a great many. and some monsters. too.
Sometimes they would show fight, but oftener
pull out at a rate of speed that was marvellous
| have not killed one for many year, and VIII
never kill another one for have learned their
good qualities and now hold them IN hlgh eS-
teem."
That the blacksnake can be very vicious in
spite of his many good qualities is shown by
the experience of the little two year old daugh-
ter Of Richard Branning, OF Deep ltloNer, Co
umba County. Mr. Branning has pet rattle
snake This pet" has history. Early in the
spring. while Mr.. BrannnS was blasting away
a cliff with dynamite, he uncovered a nest Of
rattlers All of the snakes except three or four
we're killed. and all that saved their lives es-
capped except one This one was so badly
wounded that it could not get away. IL was a
big fellow of a remarkably amiable disposition,
and with a keen sense of gratitude. While re-
covering from it's wounds the snake coiled itself
into Mr. Brannings good graces. and cOnsti-
tuted itself the special guardian of his little
daughter. The latter frequently fonded it. and
it always manifested a marked fondness for the
child. one day last week large blacksnake
attacked the little girl, enfolding her in its dead