Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-09-09
Prize Snake story,

Galena Gazette: John Ludwig. Of Min
nequa Springs, Ia, has invented an en-
tirely new way of destroying makes.
The whole county is ovorrun this sum-
mer with blacksnakes and rattlesnakes.
The farmers say that they nave eaten up
all the frogs and toads in the state. There
being nothing 10 eat the beetles and in
sects, when the frogs and toads are no
more, the crops suffer horribly. But Lud-
wigs invention will save the lives Of the
insect eaters by Staying the snakes, and
all may yet be we'll. Mr.. Ludwig is en-
gagged in the occupation Of blasting rock.
He never goes around without a few
pounds OF dynamite or nitro-glycerine in
his pocket, so thoroughly familiar is he
with high explosives. The other day he
came across a large bIacksnake coiled
around his dinner pail, which he had
tried in vain to swallow. Ludwig at
lacked the reptile with a club, and gave
1t a terrific blow on the back. Suddenly
mere was a frightful explosion that blew
the snake and the dinner pail to pieces,
ana very nearly made minccmeat Of Lud-
wig. AS II was, 1t Knocked him several
feet, and wedged his head between the
w forks or a tree. and from this he had
great trouble in eX~tricating himself. When
the dynamlter finally got FREQ he made an
elaborate investigation. lie discovered
mat the snake had swallowed n half
pound dynamite cartridge. This fact was
the basis Of his anti-snake discovery.
After the inspiration came to him his
next move was to discover If snakes
really liked dynamite. He was not long
in finding out that they do. 1t has a
sweet haVor, and is put up i'm a shane
very convenient for a snake TO swallow.
Ut IS not OF too large cal!ber, IL is very
smooth, and can easily be eaten. Since
that time, according to the stories told by
ludwig, he has destroyed hundreds of
snakes by his ingenious process. He
makes little rolls of dynamite Weighing
an ounce or two apiece and leaves them
lowed by the snakes Having got thus
far with his invention, Ludwig had 10
think up some method TO nave the dyna-
mite explode. Finally he hit upon it. He
b0red holes into the small cartridges and
hlled them with red pepper, carefully
covering up the holes with n soluble ma.
terial so that the snakes would not taste
the pepper while swallowing the car
tridges, and reject the dose. After the
plugged cartridge has reposed for some
minutes in the interior Of the snake the
red pepper becomes free and begins to
get In It's work upon the makes internal
economy. Rattlesnakes are peculiarly
susceptible to red pepper. h agony is
terrific. The doomed Feature vrithess in
pain, beating himself against stones. This
gives the required Concussion, and the
fatal explosion follows. The story is
based, entirely upon information fur
nished by lnvetor Lud wig. He says that
on a still night he puts his head out of
his bedroom window and listens to the
snake explosions up the valley. 1t is
only fair to state in the interest Of sci
ence that no one has been seen or found
who will vouch for the story told by Lud-
wig. 1t is certain, however, that there
has been a great decrease in the rattle
snake population, and the farmers are
taking or getting up some sort of a dem
onstration to show their appreciation of
LudWig'S brightness