The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-06-11
TURTLE HUNTING
Is Profitable for Colony OF Buffalo,
New York, Boys.
SHOT WITH SMALL BULLETS.
10 kin Them without 1niuring the
4uch Priced Shell Requires Careful
Pracucs-Live to n Great Age.

Buffalo Enquirer: Probably few Buf-
falohians are aware that the city num-
beers among Its residents a colony OF
turtle hunters. Nearly all OF the mem
beers OF the little colony. which numbers
anout nifty, are boys ranging in age
from twelve to eighteen years. AID w
means of their unique vocation they
manage TO make a fair living.
Thinking it might be a matter Of
some interest to the curious 10 know
something OF this band OF youngsters
and their strange method Of obtaining !
livelihood. an Enquirer reporter who
bud received a tip as to where one OF
the older boys could be found. rambied
into the east side yesterday AMI casual
Is stopped at house in William street.
near Bailey avenue. To buxnm. mid
tIle-aged woman who answered knock
at the door. the caller stated his arrand.
Found Him Cleaning Shells.
'-You happened around at jus, the
hight time" said the woman, with a
amIle. Charley is in the shed cleaning
some shells NOW"
Following his guide, the REPORTER was
conducted to a small shed attached to
the back Of the house and came upon a
young fellow, who was working intenny
at some object nn a table NJ heavy
pianks. The small room, lighted BY a
udrdov at each end,pressnted strange
sight to the uninitiatad. From strings
attached to stout pegs around the sides
hung fully a hundred turtle shells OF
practically a uniform. very dark color
on the top or back and yellow on the
bottom. but varying from three to
twenty inches ia diameter aud proper
Tomato height.
On shelves and the bench were per-
haps two dozen queer shaped tools, con-
,slsung of knives, saws and files of vari-
GUS degrees of fineness. In one corner
stood a barrel-shaped stove on which a
huge kettle simmered
Tells About his Work.
The young fellow in the sh>d proved
10 be working on a she'll but he will
ingly laid aside his tools and talked.
Tell you something about the turtle
catching business?" he repeated after
the caller. .'Weii. when stop tU think
of /, there something out OF the ordi-
nary in the work. 1t isn't as Disagree
able is you might imagine, but eTen II IL
were. It pays well enough TO make up
for the unpleasant features-that is, II
you make business of it instead Of
following it up. as most Of the boys do,
TO XIII time
Turtles are not as scarce around
Buffalo as you might think. o: course
the kind you make soup of doesn't fire.
queat this section except when it comes
b. the train load, but there are several
other varieties, such as the swapping
artle, and the ordinary. dirty. old mud
turtle. We catch them for their shells
alone. and many 4 fine woman thinks
she IS sporting n fine tortoise shell
comb in her hair when In reality II is
nothing but a section cut from the back
Of a turtle that, maybe, was hauled out
OF scajaquada creek. But what are the
odds? The woman is satisfied and
somebody turns a few honest pennies.
Around Buffalo there are countless
cr,eks and brooks. Ike scaiaquada,
Smokes. Eighteen-SGile, Buffalo and
many others that don't have any NAMES
at all. Then there are swamps and
boys in the country within a few miles
Of the city. ami in both the creeks and
na-sby places turtles thrive They're
hard to set sometimes. but we seldom
80 out without bringing back one or
two.
Several Ways of Catching Them.
There are two or three ways Of get
ting them. As rule. you have got to
see them FRS; and catch them after
ward. For instance, you viii be walk
ing along beside a muddy place on the
side OF a creek. You VIII see black
knob sticking out OF the mud. and u
you're used to the business, you recog-
nlEe Sir. Turtle. He recognized you,too.
and the black knob is slowly drawn
into the mud ont Of sight. But you
have got your game located and you
take that stick with the hook on the
end. that's hanging on the wall there
and after pokiug in the mud you dnd