Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1906-05-26
REPTILES HARMLESS,
MAN WHO CATCHES THEM DOES
NOT FEAR THEM. .,,v
Uses Simple Apparatus for Captur-
ing Poisonous, Snnkes--sorns
Particulars Of His
Business.

trade, and up to the present time he II
the only man as far as is known, IN
this state, who is a professional snake
catcher This man, reports the boston
Globe, is O. W. Mason, who does non
think his living is in any way strange
for he considers snakes far less harm
less 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 con-
clusively that there need be no rear
of anybody getting killed from the DUG
of a snake In this vicinity. MI. mason
donned leather gloves, leather CATERS
and unfolded his snake-catching appa-
ratus, a long stick, from when hune
a stout string tied to sort OF drede-
ing machine. This machine was at
tached to the part Of the stick nearest
the ground, and is worked with tne
string attachment. When snake ID
seen Mr. Mason, with the stick In the
right hand, string in the left, follows
It places it over the snakes body, and
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 1t were, that snake
would now be enjoying the pleasure OF
basking in the hot SUM- No." continued
| he "a vicious dog would have turned
on me without provocation, put no
matter how vicious snake Is, ne Will
avoid conflict
at have gone into a den OF nearly
100 snakes, and not one or them
turned on me until cornered, and then
the fun began. Time and again l nave
been bitten, but have not yet met any
thing snake shaped that I fear II
were to show the white feaLner things
might be different, but know what 10
do when there is danger around
Near Randolph, about two miles
away from the nearest electric road,
I catch at least 20 rattlers to one cop
nerhead. There are to be found the
Indian roads, unknown to any but pro
fessors from the different colleges That
accompany me when there Is an In
vestigation of the different snake pol
sons under way. The copperheads are
most plentiful at or near the crags al
} Milton, very far away from places Wis
tied on Sunday by picnicking partles'
"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. have fought
= them. and am ready to do so again
"Once | fought IA rattlers. 1t took
2 me two hours to get the last one, and
though they we're as mad as hornets
/ | got the last one without harm, all
I alive.
S Strange as it may SEEM" said Mr.
e Mason. as he stroked the head OF one
= of the snakes which had ventured te
the top of the bag in which 1t had peer
o put. women are not as much aIrale
g of snakes as are the sterner SEX f
= woman will naturally shrink from
r snake, but this is due to fear When
: however, she is told that no harm VII
: result from patting its head this wa,
a she will forget her fear and will do
: II am doing now ten times quicker thai
e could get a man to do it. 1t is tn
n same with women and dogs. Men Tx
IT dogs. but would not give them IN
S, same attention as women do"
n Though the best time of the year fo
catching purposes is the first tw
weeks in May, an idea may be given
the number caught when 1t is told ina
20 on April II Mr. Mason caught 70 snake
10 all told. Some of them were four fe'
e. long.
10 When brought to Boston the snake
n are put into large packing case Co
a cred with wire netting. Here they a
= fed. great care being taken 10 CIV
- them plenty of water.
y On dark days Prof. Mason kills tho
70 best suited to his taste-that 49, u
40 ones that will bring him the mo
u profit.
~ The poison taken from them is bt
: tied I'D and later sold to colleges at
- good profit. Then the bodies are bS
= fled up and labeled, to be used lat
ad for the edihcation Of students.
ba When the proper kind are caug
'11 thew are fattened and killed for {
The latter is used for many thin
~ mostly for beautifying purposes, an
4 no it is made into cream for the skin
~ Large bull snakes, those weigh
.as eight pounds, will give four ounces
." oil. If caught in the fall fatr-sii
snake will have enough fat to keep
%, alive for nine months, and this
, ,ea can be turned into money through
100 oil process. The bull snake oil is
e., best kind.
he us SNi" 10 49, -.