Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-06-09
LIVING AUTO TIRES
FORMED BY SNAKES
WONDERFUL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
OF NEW YORK cLUBMAN
WITH REPTILES.
SEVEN OF THEM TAUGHT TO
CATCH FlSH-THE GUTTA
PERcHA SERPENT.

New York, June 3.-The beauteous
princess OF the Schaghticoke Indians
whose habitat is the Schaghticoke
government reservation on the Hou-
satonic river near South Kent at
the foothills of the Berkshires, Conn.,,
pinned rose upon her painting bosom
early yesterday morning, for during
the late forenoon the Schaghticoke
Rattlesnake club Of Bridgeport, Conn,
and vicinity arrived at the Schagti-
coke reservation among the Schagh-
ticoke Indiatns to go on their annual
hunt among the Schaghticoke snake
dens high up on the Schaghticoke
hills above the Schaghticoke reserva-
ton to catch Schaghticoke rattle
snakes alive.
Having thus got some early finger
practice on the spelling of the name
: Scba ghticoke, we shall now proceed
with a scientific dissertation upon
what happened yesterday at the an
nual snake hunt
First fair warning should be given
any golf clubs attracted by the afore-
said name. 1t was tried by club at
La Crosse, Wis, and after a few
seasons devoted exclusively to the in
struction Of new members in the pro-
nunciation of the name (Scaticoke),
it was abandoned, the society became
merely a country club and golf
playing was resumed.
Brave Band of Hunters.
You've heard of the Schaghticoke
Rattlesnake club-the brave band of
physicians, lawyers, mayors and for
mer mayors, undertakers, druggists,
editors, professional swordfishermen,
artists and blacksmiths from Bridge
port, especially, and from Derby,
South Norwalk, Stratford, New Haven,
and New York, who on Sunday of
each May leave Bridgeport early In
the morning and go straight north
into the beginning of the Berkshires
to catch Rattlesnakes alive. You
must nail the ''varmints" to the
ground gently, respectfully with a
forked stock up among the rocks un-
til Curator Shang Wheeler comes
with his burlap bag at your call-or
yell-and help Shang to pick the
snake up behind the ears and drop
it into the bag. If you kill a rattler
you are expelled from the club ipso-
facto.
Heretofore the hunters, immedi-
ately upon their arrival at the South
Kent station, have buckled on their
leggins, grasped their long-forked
sticks Of other years or cut new ones
among the chestnut saplings, and then
have climbed into the farm wagons
with all speed to get near the rat
tiers. Yesterday, however, there was
a delay of more than half an hour
just across the tracks from the sta
ton before anyone even thought of
climbing into farm wagons.
Fish Caught by Snakes.
Properly one should say diversion
rather than a delay for the cause OF
the pause yesterday was to see Doc
Monroe, treasurer of the club, and sta
ton master of South Kent, put his
troupe of trained water snakes
Though their PAGES in Pages pond,
a stones throw from the railway sta
ton windows. Doe Monroe, during
the last year has taught seven water
snakes to catch fish for him. One OF
the snakes, Horace by name, has a
slight cold, and therefore Doc would
RI
the water, anxious as the snake
seemed 10 be.
But the other trained water snakes
Hazel, James, Sigmund, Bertha
(Doc Monroe gives them names like
these a. haphazard as the fancy
strikes hin) were playing about the
surface of the pond awaiting the ar
rival of the hunters, evidently anx-
ious. even as a little child who knows
a piece" to show what they could do.
AS the train reached the station the
snakes raced to the shore, their beady
but kind eyes watching Doc. He
gave them the word when all had
assembled, and they raced again on
the mirror surface of the pond, and
suddenly dived downward.
Along the shore the snake hunters
waited patiently. Some OF the
younger set. gazing patiently across
the feathery valley where nestled the
cottage of the princess thought the
water snakes would never return.
But the water snakes did return
with a zip and a fash they falriy
shot out of the water at the very fee1
of the watchers and lay along the
pebbled shore, painting from their ex-
ertions.
Tightly gripping the tail OF eacn OF
the snakes was a fish. Deity Doc
Monroe whisked his trained snakes
further ashore and the captured nsn'
now entirely out of water, naturally
opened capacious jaws to gasp LOT
air and was left tapping on the snore'
Three of the fish were pickerei, one
was a .otopoppy, one was snort
haired badildo and the otner WASH
anv particular kind of fish, but just