Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-26
A QUEER PROFESSION.
Man With Contract For Five Tons Of
Rattlesnakes.

Rattlesnake Bill, with orders in hi:
pocket fer five tons of diamOndback
rattlesnakes, has gone to South Da'
kota as the one best place on earth
where 10000 pounds Of live rattlers
can be secured, and as soon as the
warm spring sun brings the snakes
from their winter homes Bill will be.
gin the harvest. Rattlesnake Bill Is
professional snake hunter. It's moi
matter of sentiment, nor pride, noI
life 1000 times every day. 1t Is SIM
ply a business matter. Bill finds II
easier to make money by facing g
terrible death every minute of his
life than by working. Therefore, he
turned snake-hunter, and now has
the distinction of handling more live
rattlers than any other man in the
world. Five tons of rattlesnakes-
not dead ones. but every one alive
and virile, ready, anxious and spelling
for trouble. These are the kind that
Rattlesnake Bill goes after.
Bill has his eye on the famous
Rattlesnake canyon of the Grand
River. some twenty-five miles west
of Pierre. and here it is that he ex-
catching rattlesnakes for dealers in
different parts of the country. Rat
tleSnake canyon is so full of snakes
that no man ever goes near it. The
canyon is a deep slash in the lime
stone hills, through which the Grand
River makes it way. When the hot
sun shines into the gorge the snakes
crawl from their holes and coil them
selves together in great balls on the
floor of the canyon. Hardy hunters
who have risked wandering snakes
and have made their way to the brink
Of the chasm say there are tens OF
thousands of rattlesnakes there-say
that the ground is literally alive
with snakes.
What does a fellow want with five
tons of live rattlers?" was asked the
unique character. II want them to
sell to the side shows and other at
fractions of that nature" was the re-
ply. They are in great demand
the rattlesnake market is never
glutted. They are very delicate and
usually live only a few weeks after
they are captured. If their fangS are
| removed. as they usually are. How
do we remove the fangs? Well we
force about six inches of broom han
die down a snakes throat Thai
opens its mouth, and of course. pre-
vents its closing it. Then. with a pair
| of pliers we simply pull out the
fangs. There are never enough rat
tlesnakes to supply the demand. and
| they can always be sold at a good
price. Almost any big snake dealer
will contract for all the snakes one
can catch"
When Bill goes into a den of rattle
snakes he is dressed in a suit of
heavy leather over a suit of cordu-
roy In his feet he wears felt boots
drawn over a pair of ordinary heavy
boots. Two pairs of thick gloves. a
fur cap and with cape which COW
ers his shoulders and breast and pro-
tects his entire face. and a pair of
goggles for the eyes complete his ar
NOR. Dressed in this manner. he
may with impunity step right into
bunch of rattlesnakes. confident
that not a single fang can reach him.
At such times he carries a five-foOt
forked stick with a wire moose at
tachment With this fork he pins a
snake to the floor. and the moose.
which slips over the reptiles head,
chokes it into submission. The snake
is then transferred to a basket and
later to a specially constructed wag-
on. which he keeps near. When
the days catch is finished and the
wagon driven to a safer place the
snakes are defaNged chicago Re-
cord Herald.