The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-12-30
HOW RATTLERS ARE KILLED.
Experience of a Family Between Butte
and Valentine.

Butte Gazette: If you are enroute
from Dallas to Valentine, Neb., by way
of the Dog Ear lakes and have passed
Clearfield and ridden through the roll
ing country, you reach the summit Of
the ridge that divides the sand hills
from the valley beyond, you instinct
lively draw a rein and look at the val
ley before you, and as you turn your.
Craze toward the northwest and view
the Crogies hills, and the long stretch
of valley reaching to the northwest,
your attention will be drawn to two
great mounds straight west of you
with their stone-clad peaks. These
are the Dorian buttes and as your eyes
wander to the southwest across the
sloping plain they behold the Dorian
valley, and you take closer look you
see at the foot of the slope mile
away, stands two farm houses. The
first is the home of our worthy black
smith, Tony Bolen. The next.
square cottage situated on little ris-
ing ground, is the home of Chris Lar
son, a thrifty Danish farmer who
came here from Wakefield, Neb.,
where he had lived for some time EN-
ployed as section boss.
Being one of the lucky ones in the
low numbers he was first to enter the
valley and took his claim at the low
er end of the southwest slope, which
is covered with prairie dog town.
Here, during the winter, Mr. Larson
moved with his family, consisting OF
his wife and two children. Jennie. aged
Is, and Ray, aged H.
The children in early spring roamed
the prairies in search of wild flowers,
and as spring advanced were drawn
to the dog town by the antics of their
little neighbors, but were soon horri-
fed by the creeping reptiles that
seemed to be present everywhere, CIV
ing the children quite a scare and
causing their parents no little anxiety
on account of the snakes
About this time the lady who drew
the claim north of Larson's came to
the valley to make settlement, and
drove into the Larson place, and was
welcomed with rousing dinner.
Their fears were somewhat allayed
when she told them how she had once
before gone on a new place further
east in Nebraska where she had Sc
lected land in dog town, and further
related how they annihilated both
dogs and snakes by the use of poison
and always carrying a good stout ash
stick with them whenever they went
into the fields, and they took courage
when she told them that in two years
theer were no dogs or snakes to be
found about their place.
So every day through the summer
you might see the children with the
clubs waging war against the rattlers
with no small success. They had a
spear like a fish jig, and with that
they brought them forth from the
holes in the fall when the chill winds
blew and the snakes that had crawled
out on the surrounding prairie return
ed to winter quarters again. The chill
dren would get from five to twenty a
day, and some days even more and
one week in October they got over
hundred snakes, most of them from
twelve to twenty inches long with from
TWO 10 lOur ratJleS' One uay Whlle
Jennie was engaged in killing four
of the smaller ones that were in the
mouth of hole she heard q rafting,
and supposing there was an older one
further down in the hole, was try
ing to twist him out, when Ray yelled,
Look out Jennie, here he comes"
and on turning around saw within
np hAr wit 10
head raised a foot or more in the air.
and making straight for her. but with
one hard sweep of her spear she down
ed the snake and when they skinned
him he proved to be an old one with
many a scar, and having lost part OF
his ratles. His age could not be de-
termined but when he assayed to do
our little Danish maiden he lost his
commission, and left his hide on ex.
hfhffion af the Eazafta office I'm Rutfa