The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-07
THANK SNAKE KILLER.
Residents of Massachusetts Village Appreciate Work of w. E. Dresser.

Orange, Mass.-W. F. Dresser enjoJys a
 well-earned reputation as a defender of
 the public safety in the little manufactur-
 ing village of Farley, on Miller's river.
 This reputation has been gained by his
 activity as a slayer of rattlesnakes which live in countless numbers in the huge
 granite lodges overlooking the village, How many of these MT. Dresser has slain he does not know himself, but they count up in the hundreds. For MT. Dresser rattlesnake hunting is an entertaining di- version; he makes no more of it than the ordinary farmer does of going out to hunt
 woodchucks.
 At this season of the year the snakes usually seek the rocks to commence thelr
 long Information. Now and in the spring, when they come forth from their habitat for the sake of baskng in the sunshine near the entrance to the dens, Dresser gets in his best work.
 Rattlesnake mountain, at Farley, Is re-
 markedly adapted to the comfort Of its serpentine inhabitants, having countless rifts and crevces in the rocks extending
 far into the Interior. These ledges have southern exposure, which gives the snakes the warmth and shelter that they are
 looking for So well fortified are the rep
 tiles, and so plentiful in number, that they have maintained their stronghold In spite of efforts to eradicate them. For years the town has paid a bounty of one dollar apiece for dead rattlers. This
 course was adopted after they had become
 so numerous that their appearance In the village streets was a common occurrence.
 Located at the very base of the noun tain Is a schoolhouse. Hear that funny
 noise," said one of the children playing In the yard last spring. The teacher heard him and went out and found that
 the children were playing around rat tlesnake messenger was dispatched for Mir Dresser, who soon made an end or
 the invader.
 In hunting rattlesnakes MT. Dresser de- bends upon a sharp eye and revolver. He never sees a snake until the snake , sees him. but always manages to keep out of the way of their deadly fangs. He nev- CT bothers to carry an antidote for rattle snake poison.
 Much has been told about Dresser s feats as a slayer of rattlesnakes, and some of the stories have been eXagger- ated It is nothing remarkable. however,
 for him to kill four or five in an after noon's stroll Many of the snakes killed are four or five feet long and three inches or more in thickness. Sever rattlers have been killed in Farley this fall, one close to the highway leading into the village, on the Frying side of the river
 While a rattle Will strike Wltn HSHtnlnS rapidty, it is otherwise sluggish of move
 ment and will not pursue molester if he
 keeps a little distance away. The worst
 danger is in stepping unawares close to the snakes head. Last fall Roland Grout of this place was partridge hunting on the mountain. and stopped to crawl un- der log which was in his way when a
 snake sounded its rattle close to his head. Instantly Grout discharged his gun and blew the snake to pieces. A year ago a
 party of residents started coon hunting at night and had proceeded only a short distance when five rattlings were sounded almost simultaneously in close proximity to the hunters. The party concluded to search for coons where rattlers were less plentiful
 Rattlesnake mountain Is a steep eleva- tion. having granite lodges rising perpen- dicularly a distance of 150 feet in places. l In the rock are great clefts running both horizontally and perpendicularly. One way of hunting the snakes is by means of | hook attached to the end of a long pole | the snakes being pulled out of their re- | treat and then shot or clubbed to death. 1 The village pastor was out walking one | Sunday afternoon when he came upon a huge rattlesnake After a plucky fight, | he succeeded In putting it to death.