Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-11
SNAKES A PLAGUE
UPON FARM HANDS
LARGE AGRICULTURAL SECTION
INFESTED BY coPPERHEADs
Droves of Swine Are Kept About the
Farm Houses to Guard Them
from Invasion Of
Reptiles

Special to The Herald.
MIDDLETOWN, Pa, Aug 10.-This
little neck of the woods, where the states
of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia
meet, is practically in the possession Oh
the snakes There has never been a time
when the treacherous, ill-smelling copper
head was so abundant as now. He Is
numerous and most ugly. 1t is the worst
year that has ever been known for snakes,
and while no fatalities have been reported
up to date, there have been numerous
cases of snake bites and some Of them
have almost resulted fatally.
Eternal Vigilance is the Price Oh
Safety is the motto which has been
handed round among the few harvest
hands who remain in the valley, and
this is the only reason given for lack OF
loss of life.
There is not one forkful of hay being
lifted now in this entire neighborhood
which is not shaken out carefully Tor the
low proved copperhead snake, who dearly
loves to loaf under hay and to this care
fulness scores of harvest hands attribute
their living today.
Some idea of the prevalence OF snakes
in the harvest field can be had from the
fact that few days since four harvest
hands working for c. S. Ferguson OF Hol-
lidays Cove, w. Va, one of the dig
farmers of the valley killed thirteen cop
perhead snakes In one afternoon In taxing
in a field of hay. At least ten others got
away.
Matters have come to that pass that
harvest hands refuse to fork hay unless
accompanied by bodyguard or two with
a club to get the snakes, which seem par
ticularly strong and bitter this season
and are striking at everything on first
thought.
Ten-Year.oId SmeIIed Him Out
John Swanzy, aged 10, son Of one OF the
tenants on one of the big farms OF the
valley, had a hard fight with large
comprehend the other evening Wnlle ms
mother swooned on seeing the battle. Inc
child had gone down to the rural MAI
box in the cool of the evening, and as ne
passed along a narrow path something
struck at him from the grass, narrowly
missing his hip. The child got club and
came back to the tuft of grass, Wnlch
he raked with the stick and out came the
four-foot copperhead, full of venom ana
fight The battle was long and haro, put
the child won. When the mother VINO
had seen the fight start, was brought 10
she asked the child how ne had owned
that 1t was a snake which had struck at
him. -,
Huh" said Johnny, in derision, AL
them copperheads smell like cucumbers,
an when / got sniff l knowed what was
doin'."
1t is estimated that within a radius OF
ten miles of here in the last three weeks
not less than 200 large, copperhead snakes
have been killed. This, of course, does
not include scores which have been
trampled to death by hogs, the natural
enemy of the copperhead. Many of the
farmers at this time have turned great
droves of hogs loose in their front yards,
knowing that no snake will cross lot
inhabited by hogs unless forced to do SO
in order to save its own life.
Family Seeking Vengeance
There is none in the valley now so hot
on the trail of snakes as the two half
grown daughters of John Common, sec
ton hand, who lives at Cumberland
Junction, the family having Just moved
from the hills back of Wheeling juno
ton, where they lived for years, and
where they suffered more anguish from
snakes than, perhaps, any other family
known.
The story of the Conner family is a
local one, never having reached the out
side world; yet two years ago this sum-
mer they lost 2-year-old babe through
the agency of snake, in manner more
than usually repulsive and sad. Mrs.
Conner, whose hair has turned gray over
the incident, tells of the occurrence sad
ly, and asserts that she would rather
kill a snake of any kind now than do
anything else; and she is training her
remaining children in the way of snake
killing.
1t appear that two summers ago Nellie,
the babe of the Conner family. had for
some days been in the habit of begging
slice of bread after each evening meal.
The child seemed sick ITSELF and was
not eating well, and the mother one
evening asked the little one what 1t
wanted with the bread.
For baby" gurgled the little one, as
it was handed the slice, and she trotted