The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-24
RATTLESNAKE YEAR,
OLD Sage PREDICTS
Prophecy Coming True in
Pennsylvania Valley.

Williamsport, Pa, July 3-Early las
spring Adam Claybarger. an aged resi-
dent of the Bobst Mountain district
prophesied that there would be more
rattlesnakes this summer than ever IN
the history of the Lycoming Creek Val.
ley. The season thus far has proven
the truth OF the old mans deductions
Mr. Claybarger says that rattiesnakes
are like lOcusts. that every seventh yeag
they become a veritable plague In the
land. an observation which he has made
during his long life among the hills.
The old man has been bitten three
times, and each time the biting reap
pears a seventh year, when the snakes
are unusually plentiful and .extraordi.
narily pugnacious,
In confederation of the old snake pro-
phets declaration. farmer Leonard shu-
ler's testimony is Of interest Shulev
has lost sixty-Seven chicks and half as
many young ducks this spring. and since
the first Of Nay he and other members
OF his household have killed fourteen
rattlesnakes. Five OF the reptiles were
found and dispatched in the barnyard.
and two Of them had young chicks be-
tween their Jaws when overtaken.
One morning. when Mr.. Shuler went 10
the hen house 10 open the door, a mon
ster rattler lay on the little gangplank
leading down from the floor of the coop
summing himself. while not ten feet away
on the outside Of the fence surrounding
the coop was another snake equally
large. II was found later that the
snakes, together with two others, had a
place underneath the chicken-house so
as to De within easy reach OF their prey.
One afternoon Mrs Shuler heard a
young duck squawk, and hurried TO the
barnyard just in time to see a rattle
snake making of with the fluffy little
thing. The unnatural size Of the snakes
body indicated that either a chick or
another ducklet had also gone the way
into the reptiles capacious NAV.
A little cemetery near Bodines is so
overrun with rattlesnakes that the peo-
pie are afraid TO go into thu Enclosure
TO clean off the graves of their friends.
The cemetery is full of ground ivy and
myrtle, and the snakes have taken refuge
beneath this in numbers that Indicate a
colony. A party of grave diggers. who
dug grave in that cemetery last week.
killed Ave snakes in the section of the
cemetery where they were at work. Next
day when the sexton arrived to make
ready for the arrival of the funeral he
found rattlesnake lying on the boards
that were to be used at the edge Of the
grave, and during the encounter which
followed, and In the snakes efforts 10
get away, the pesky thing slipped down
into the open grave. where it was dis.
patched by dropping a bar upon II.
In this cemetery two girls. the day be-
fore Memorial Day, went TO place flowers
on their fathers grave. They began cut
ting the surplus myrtle vines from about
the headstOne when a RATHER sprang AZ
one of the young ladies and came within
an inch Of reaching her bare arm. The
girls ran. and before they had reached
the gate they saw two other raetlers.
shepherd dog and a COW. belonging
TO William Thompson, of the Lvcoming
Creek Valley, have both died from rattle
snake bites this summer. Old man Clay.
barger says that during the snake wear
the rattler is much more venemous than
in the ordinary year, and that he is less
liable to give an alarm with his rat
ties, as his natural tendency to be left
alone is replaced with desire to fight
everything In sight
A man named Nelson. living over
toward Cascade, found rattler in his
springhouse the other day. and when he
approached it the rattler put up such
a battle that the man grew frightened
and procured a gun, with which he dis
patched IT.