The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-08-03
SELL SNAKES BY FOOT.
A PRoFITABIE INDUSTRY UP IN
RURAL NEW JERSEY.
wasteful to XIII Rsptiles--worth
Nothing When They are Dead,
and They Bring Fifteen Cents
Foot in Philadelphia.

Chicago Tribune.
Snakes bought at Is cents q foott In
known to the outside world, this eccentric
commerce lately has sprung up here In
the thick, black heart Of q virgin forest OF
1900 square miles which geographcrs have
dubbed 1.-The Jersey Pines"
Tempted by the proeffred bounty men,
women and children are seaionsly snake
hunting day and night The reptiles
are numerous and the profit In deemed
generous. The sport IL exciting. LIS
perils are sneered az Not since tho
old days whep bear. wolf, and deer were
abundant In heir domain have the forest
denizens had such hunting.
1t Is a tedious run from Philadelphia.
The train had stirred up the dust Of
twenty country villages and had stop
ped for breath In each when the mixed
aroma OF sea ar and pine-scented ozone
gladdered the ncstriis 81 several hum
dred suffocated passengers Fastening to-
ward the Jersey shore. We were cross
ing the, frontier Of the great forest. Ten
miles more and three tumble-down
houses. constituting the village OF Buck
ingham. came into view as a signal that
the unpleasant part OF tho journey was
over. A small boy in striped jeans. perch
ed up in a equare-topped carryall. and Q
road-beamed black mare, both industrI-
ously employing all four limbs to thwart
thu advances OF the ubiquitous mosquito
and gold-headed pine fly, were the only
live creatures visible In the settlement.
Verbal credentials having been exchang-
ed, fioundered into the vehicle.
Before us a winding. narrow road,
paved with the white sand, tho floor Of
the sea which once beat over these parts,
opened into the forest. Turning into this
we launched into jog trot, the myriad
pines, cedars. and encreachiny oaks ar
ranging themselves ahead into vistas with
Kaleidoscope variety. Here and there
by the roadside clusters OF laurel held
their tiny pink parasols against the filter
ed sunbeams and pond lilies peeped above
the red water of the cedar swanps The
breath Of wild magnolias blended with
the fragrance Of the pine. peaked
Kentucky cardinal ventured through the
thicket to take a peep at me above the
fern.
ANY snakes In the woods7" asked
the forest gamin.
Deed there ie--ornery ones at that.
There's rattlers, swamp wonhpers. sand
adders. blacksnakes. and pine snakes.
AN of EN- is plzen 'cept pine snakes.
We've caught a dozen pine snakes. Pop
he ketched a pine snake six feet long In
the guinea's nest the other day. 1t was
full OF guinea eggs. You kin feel 'ena
in his stummtck yit. I guess he'll KEEP
'em there till they melt"
"If you. see one along the road. kill
him. II would like to examine him."
interjected.
Worth Nothing Dead.
'Knl him? Not much. He wouldn't
be worth nothin' dead. I could git IL
cents a foot fer him alive ffof Ase Pit
man over to Misery. He buys snakes
Philadelphy. Lots OF fellers round here
IL. Water snakes brings is cents apiecei
rattlers 50 cents. They skin the rat
tiers and make belts out Of EN-. The
pine snakes they sell to fellers what run
shows. / don't know what they do with
the others"
It was an hours jog over I'VE miles OF
sandy roads, but none OF the hunted
reptiles showed so much az q penny .
worth of his hide AT last we pulled up
at Bullccks farm. Peter Brewer Is the
caretaFcr at BuIloeks farm. file has
been soldier and a sailor but has spent
his latter years in the forest.
Learning that was interested In the
snake business now exciting the Forest
ers, Brewer brought over for my inspec-
ton a huge pine snake. six feet long,
which he handled with all Of the courage
and indifference OF q side show snake
charmer. He allowed u to put its head
out Of its box, deity caught It by the
neck. and held 1t UP while 1t squlrned and
writhed and tied itself In knots. 1t is
mottled like the RATHER. but In white
blotches against a blaclSish brown. NO
one In these parts knows 1t by any otner
name than pine snake" The largest
ever caught measured seven feet and
brought $3.50.
THE old woman caught five-foot pine
snake the other day." said Bsower, nod
ding proudly toward his spouse, who had
lust told me that she was the mother Of
fifteen children. including two sets Of
twins.
YES" said the good woman. II couldn't
bear to see rs cents run away from me
in the woods"
After supper Peter entertained me and
nv host with snake stories. while the
whippoorwills sang in the field across the
road.
It was agreed that should be driven
next morning to Mount Misery. the local
snake market. A bobwhite on the fence
beneath my window awakened me bright
and early, and, the fast being broken.
nv host and I set out In the carry-all.
taking a westward course through the
dense wood. Six miles Of sandy road had
been covered when a white house doomed
up in the distance. Mount Misery viii
lage was in sight. well nigh the whole Of
it, in fact, for the settlement included
only this house. a store and log cabin
back in the woods.
How q Dog Catches Snakes.
I investigated the snakery Of Asa Pit
man. to whose father, the owner Of the
white house, / was introduced. His
snake-hunting dog, Scott" black and
white setter, crawled beneath the house
at aight Of my camera. This dog. ae-
cordihgs to the master. will scent the trail
of any Snake, ana on discovering him will
seize the unfortunate reptile by the neck,
IL L.. ..nkta hAn V-aaUtaVsa orx.rnaNh