Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-30
SNAKE CATCHER HAS
HAD GOOD SEASON
KEEPS THIRTY MEN BUSY AT
SUMNER RESORT
Elite of Rather in Spring Is Not So
Serious, but in the Fall
1t Is Sure
Death

STRoUDSBURG. Pa, Nov. 29.-Grifi:h
Jones, snake catcher, residing at Toby
lama, about eight miles from here. is
about closing an exceptionally successful
season. Mr.. Jones has had many years
Of experience among the snakes of East
india but for the last seven years he
has carried on his snake catching in the
western part of New Jersey and north
eastern part of Pennsylvania, combining
himself mostly to rattlers.
Jones has been operating all summer
close to the famous summer resorts, Del
aware Water Gap and Mount Pocono.
In the long stretches of woodland be-
tween these places and among the stone
lodges, five to six acres in extent, the
snakes thrive.
There are two seasons when snakes
are most easily caught. One is in April
and May, the other in October and No
vember. In November the snakes seek
their dens under the rocks in the noun
tain and are in 81. or and half
frozen state during the cold winter
months. At such times the hunter does
not exactly know where to locate the
dens.
If he should be fortunate to come upon
one he would find the snakes in a tangled
bunch. When snakes go to winter quar-
teTS lHey roll themselves llltO d plB Ddll
resembling a large ball of rope. Thus
they remain all winter. Sometimes there
are as many as hundred SNAKES in such
a bundle and at other times as few as
five or six
Ball Contains Varieties
This tangled ball of snakes does not
always contain only one variety of snake,
but frequently five or six different kinds
black snakes rattlesnakes, copperheads,
pilots and black racers.
In the spring, when the sun strikes
the mountain side and the snow melts;
when-the stones and earth begin to get
warm, the snakes, feeling the touch of
returning warmth, come out of their long
stupor and crawl toward the light. Then
it is that the snake catcher has the cas-.
lest time of it. The reptiles are lazy
and their movements are sluggish. The
poison bag is nearly empty, and what
remains of the poison is less virulent
than later in the year.
Jones says that if a person is bitten
in the spring of the year the poison will
not affect the victim fatally, but If bitten
as late as September there is not Il ghost
of a chance for recovery unless the best
snake remedies are at hand and applied
Immediately. From August to November
n rattlesnake bite may kill a person i'll
fiftacn minutes, In the fall when snakes
go into their winter quarters the poison
sack is full; but the poison evaporates
during Information. and when the snakes
emerge from their dens in the spring
the poison sacks are practically empty.
Mr.. Jones has made his snake catch
ing n paying business, He usually en-
ploys from twenty to thirty men to as
s.st him. With the coming of spring
ava II ic G1n l. "a
territory. He makes Il close survey of
all places where he thinks punches of
snakes arc likely to he found and marks
these places and puts men there to
watch them. When a snake sticks its
head out of the hole, it is caught around
the neck with steel spring hook. II
this fails to capture the snake, wooden
thongs are used.
Sometimes Club Is Used
Frequently snakes are too active, and
then they are killed with club This
is done as a last resort, as Mr. Jones
wants to get the snake skins as little
bruised as possible.
Although Jones is after rattlesnakes
mostly, because of the value of their
skins. he also catches milksnakes,
black snakes, copperheads, racers and
kissing adders. Rattlesnakes and cor
perheads are the only two of the lot that
are venomous. A copperhead bite, Jones
says, is not so very dangerous If the per-
son bitten is in good health and takes
care Of the wound. But the bite of the
rattler is almost inevitably fatal. Some
snakes, especially pilots and copper
heads, give OF odors sickening enough to
cause the collapse of any one near
Out of 300 snakes attacked in day
only 100 may probably be secured, Sell
dom more than oue-third out of u bunch
is CAPTURED ,acers and copperheads
are the hardest to capture. since they
are more active. A man cannot keep up
with them. A rattler is slower in his
movements and more easily falls VIC
tim The demand for snakes is larger
than the supply. Mr.. Jones could dispose
of three times as many skins if he could
secure them. A firm in Germanw want
ed 10000 skins last season, but Jones
could not promise to fill the order.
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