The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-27
SNAKES ARE HARMLESS.
Man Who Catches Reptiles for a Liv-
ing Does Not Fear TEEN.

There is one man in Boston who has
no fear of women invading his line of
trade, and up to the present time he is
the only man, as far as is known, in
catcher. This man is o. w. Mason, who
does not think his living is in any way
strange, for he considers snakes far less
harmless than dogs or any other pets.
A Globe reporter accompanied Mr.
Mason on a snake hunt to the Blue hills
the other day and was shown conclus-
lively that there need be no fear of any
body getting killed from bite of a
snake in this vicinity. When the party
arrived at the Blue hills Mr.. Mason dom
ned leather gloves, leather CATERS and
unfolded his snake-catching apparatus,
a long stick, from which hung a stout
string tied to a sort Of a dredging ma
chine. This machine was attached to
the part of the stick nearest the ground,
and is worked with the string attach
ment. When a snake is seen Mr.. Mason,
with the stick in the right hand, string
in the left, follows il. places it over the
snakes body, pulls the string, and his
snakeship is no longer at liberty.
Well" said Mr.. Mason, after the
first snake was caught, did he run at
ter me or did I have to run after him %
You see,' said he. without waiting
for reply, ''if had gone about my
own business, as it were, that snake
would now be enjoying the pleasure of
DdSklI1B III IIle not SUI. NO.
he, "a vicious dog would have turned
on me without provocation, but no mat
ter how vicious a snake is, he will avoid
a conflict
II have gone into a den of nearly 100
snakes, and not one of them turned on
me until cornered, and then the fun be-
gan. Time and again I have been bit
ten, but have not yet met anything
snake shaped that I fear. If were to
show the white feather things might be
different, but I know what to do when
there is danger around.
Near Randolph, about two miles
away from the nearest electric road, l
catch at least twenty rattlerS to one
copperhead. There are to be found
the old Indian roads, unknown to any
but professors from the different col
leges that accompany me when there
is an investigation of the different
snake poisons under way. The copper
heads are most plentiful at or near
the crags at Milton, very far away
from places visited on Sunday by pic
nicking parties.
They run as high as two pounds in
weight and five 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. I have
fought them, and am ready to do so
again.
"Once fought fourteen rattlers. Ii
took me two hours to get the last one,
dilQ though luSy were DIS iIldO dS 4AOI
nets I got the last one without harm,
all alive.
Strange as it may seen,' said Mr..
Mason. as he stroked the head of one
of the snakes which had yentured to
the top of the bag in which it had been
put, women are not as much afraid
/ of snakes as are the sterner sex. A
woman will naturally shrink from q
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