The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1905-08-24
REPTILES HARMLESS.
NAN WHO CATCHES THEM DOES
NOT FEAR THEM.
Usss Simple Apparatus for Captur-
ing Poisonous Snakes--some
Particulars of His
Business,

Particulars of His
Business.
There Ia one man in Boston who mas
no fear of women invading his line OF
trade, and up to the present time ne ID
the only man, as far as Is knoWh' III
this state, who is a professional snake
catcher. This man, reports the Boston
Globe, Is O. w. Mason, who does not
think his living is in any way s'ranse'
for he considers snakes far less harm-
less than dogs or any other pets.
A Globe reporter accompanied MI.
Mason on a snake hunt TO the Blue
hills the other day and was SHOWN con-
clusively that there need be no rear
of ANYBODY getting killed from the pite
Of n snake in this vicinity. Mr. Mason
donned leather gloves, leather gaiters
and unfolded his snake-catching' appa-
ratus. n long stick. from which hung
n stout string tied to a sort OF dreus-
ing machine. This machine was at
tached to the part Of the stick nearest
the ground, and is worked with the
string attachment When snake is
seen Mr.. Mason. with the STICK IN the
right hand. string in the left, foiiows
It, places 1t over the snakes body' anu
the snake is no longer at liberty,
Well" said Mr. Mason, after the
first snake was caught, did he run
after me or did have to run after
him."
"You see" he said. without waiting
for a reply, "if had gone about my
own business, as it were, that snake
would now be enjoying the pleasure OF
basking in the hot sun. No. continued
he, "a vicious dog would have turned
on me without provocation, but no
matter how vicious a snake Is. he Will
avoid a conflict.
II have gone into den OF nearly
100 snakes, and not one OF them
turned on me until cornered, and then
the fun began. Time and again | have
been bitten, but have not yet met any
thing snake shaped that fear. II ]
were to show the white featner things
might be different. but know what to
do when there Is danger around.
Near Randolph, about two miles
away from the nearest electric road,
I catch at least 90 rattlers to one cop
perhead. There are to be found the
Indian roads, unknown to any but pro-
fessors from the different colleges that
a6con1bany me when there is an in
yestigation of the different snake poi
sons under way. The copperheads are
most plentiful at or near the crags 2t
Milton, very far away from places vis-
tied on Sunday by picnicking parties
They run as high as two pounds IN
weight and Ave feet long. Bull snakes,
of which there are none in the vicinity
weigh as much as eight pounds, and
are at least ten feet long. have fought
them, and am ready 10 do so again.
"Once fought IA rattlers. 1t took
me two hours to get the last one, and
though they were as mad as hornets
I got the last one withost harm, all
alive.
Strange as II may SEEM" said Mr.
Mason, as he stroked the head of one
of the snakes which had ventured to
the top Of the bag in which it had been
of snakes as are the sterner sex. A
woman will naturally shrink from a
snake. but this is due to fear. When,
however, she is told that no harm will
result from patting its head this way
she will forget her fear and will DO as
I am doing now ten times quicker than
| could get a man to do it. 1t is the
and Man Tito
dogs, but would not give them the
same attention as women do"
Though the best time Of the year for
catching purposes is the first two
weeks in May, an idea may be given OF
the number caught when 1t is told that
on April II Mr.. Mason caught 26 snakes
all told. Some of them were four feet
long.
When brought to Boston the snakes
are put into large packing case COW
cred with wire netting. Here they are
fed, great care being taken to give
them plenty Of water.
On dark days Prof. Mason kills those
best suited to his taste-that Is, the
ones that will bring him the most
profit.
The poison taken from them Is bot
tied up and later sold to colleges at
good profit. Then the bodies are bot
tied up and labeled. to be used later
for the edificatien Of students.
When the proper kind are caught
they are fattened and killed for oil.
The latter is used for mary things,
mostly for beautifying purposes, after
IL Is made into a cream for the skin.
Large bull snakes, those weighing
eight pounds, will give -four ounces Of
ell. II caught in the fail fair-szed
snake will have enough fat to keep it
alive for nine months, and this fat
can be turned into money through the
oil process. The bull snake oil is the
best kind.
Its skin is worth one dollar, the oil
Is worth one dollar and the states
where they are caught give bounty
of one dollar for each one killed. The
eastern market secures them for the
price that the oil and skin would bring.