The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1910-03-04
KNIFING A RATTLESN

Did YOU ever see a COW puncher
kill a rattlesnake with a knife?' asked
the Colorado man. When I first
went West | punched cattle on the
Sunset ranch, one of the largest in
southern Colorado. | was a tender
foot fresh from the East, but no
swell head about ME. That saved
me a lot of trouble. The boys were
dead willing to put me next, even to
a four-year-old broncho never halter
broken. Among ether things
learned to kill rattler with bowie
knife. | killed one after that fashion
to make my standing good, but after
that a gun Or a pitchfork was good
enough for me.
Il have seen a plainsman ride up
to small sized RATHER, jump off his
horse, kick at the waving head, avoid
the strike and. as the reptile came
Gown. put his heel On his head, cool
ly take a knife from his pocket and
dispatch it. | have also seen live
rattler thrown up on the haystack by
stacking machine, and have seen
the men working on that stack jump
roll, tumble and slide 10 get away
They could not see the raitler, that
was all. In the open they would
have played with it.
"A rattlesnake is harmless out of
coil. For that reason it loses no
time in getting back into coil after
the spring. 1t will not strike unless
it is perfectly sure it can reach its
object. Therefore, the cowboy must
get within reach of The snakes
spring. 1t can spring half its own
length. and sometimes more Of
course, the larger Inc snake the more
coils. and the more coils the more
vicious the spring.
Dick Haynes was a young dare
devil who would go out CT his way to
play with rattler. 7 have seen him
kill at least dozen with a knife. and
l saw him when he got such a close
call that he dropped the game and
used a gun forever after. We were
out together enc Sunday. il was
warm, and as we rode he famed his
face with his sombrero. Suddenly he
clapped his hat on his head and
started his horse on lopc Watch
me get that pisen,' he shouted.
Fifty yards to our right was
rattler. 1t was trying to get away,
but we headed it in an instant and
were off our horses. IT, Immediately
coiled, and then I saw the biggest
snake l have ever seen. 1t was
diamond rattler about twenty years
old. 1t had the ugliest head | ever
saw, enormous in size. and with a
mouth that reminded me of a bull
dogs jaw. Dick stopped just long
enough to size Up its length so as to
get an idea OF its spring, and then
went in on it.
The strike came like a flash Of
lightning. The snake struck the
ground with a sound like the crack
ing of a four-horse whiplash in the
hand of an expert. Dick just saved
himself by throwing his body full
length backward. The snake coiled
again before he could get to it. | got
nervous and called to him to shoot it.
That's the first one ever struck
at me and got back, said he. and I'm
going to have that beauty head
The rattler was beside itself with
rage. 1t lay, coil upon coil of smooth,
glistening length. showing the long
reach and powerful spring in reserve
Out of The coils two feet more of
neck and body rose straight in the
air. and above all that fat. black ven
omous head, with glowing eyes and
forked tongue. waving slightly, warl-
ly, to and fro.
Dick stepped i'll again, more eau
tiously. He advanced the knife
nearer and yet nearer to that sway
ing head. l knew he was getting too
close, but | did not dare speak to
him for fear CT rafting him at the
crucial instant. Dicks knife flashed.
and the creature lay squirming,
headless thing. upon the ground
But Dick was pale.
1t got me in the thumb, said he;
let's get to camp
"W'e jumped for the saddles and
started On mad run. Dick rode
with his thumb pressed hard against
the saddle horn, and his knife in the
ether hand.
If she Begins 10 swell, off she
GENES, said he.
We reached the ranch, and while
Dick poured down whisky we exam
ined the thumb Neither then or al
any later time did it show the slight
est marks. The snake had struck the
handle of his knife and the strength
and suddenness Of the impact made
Dick lose his nerve 1t was good
thing for him. He never went after
a rattler again withcut Io1S Al"
New York Press.