Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-08-27
WHERE PEOPLE FIGHT SNAKES
Rattlers Too Numerous for Comfort
In PennsylvRnia Regions Fire


swept
The fierce and extensive forest fires
that overran the Panther Run and Eddy
Lick sections Of Pennsylvania early in the
spring, and the consequent barren nature
Of the land since then, have created a con-
dition along the streams in those valleys
that is akin to an Internal region, so far
as snakes are concerned. Trout fisher
men from those sections relate terrible ex-
periences with all kinds OF reptiles, which
were driven before the flames into the
| swamps and swails and have remained
along the water ever since. The rattlers
are particularly plentiful, for that section
always was infested with rattlesnakes.
The serpents have colonized, it seems,
| according to the experience of Timothy
Keller, near the headwaters OF Eddy Lick,
| a few days ago. Keller had been on the
| stream once before this spring, but 1t was
| during one Of the cold, wet spells, and
though he killed four rattlers that trip,
he gave 1t no special thought, as that
number in a single day was only ordinary.
Keller had finished up Panther Run, and
was working over to strike the headwaters
| Of Eddy Lick. intending TO fish down that
| stream before dark. At a point within
rod of the creek he sat down near where
a little stream of water purred itself out
| to eat his lunch. He had been there hardly
five minutes until he heard the unmistak-
able rattle OF a snake. and 1t seemed to
be so very near him that he involuntarily
leaped away. The snake had been near
him. all right, for just then he saw the
thing gliding away from spot almost
where his feet had rested. 1t had appar-
emily come out of crevice near the bot
tom of the rock. But as he watched the
| all III Gan, Iia,,v
heap not two feet away, and a closer inspec-
ton showed that the heap was made of
three monster snakes lying coiled together.
And that wasn't all, for on the very
rock at the edge of which he sat to eat
his lunch there were crawling two more
rattlers of the black variety, and looking
much like the shade of the rock itself
These snakes had been within three feet Of
his back as he rested against the rock and
as he had reached behind him to place
his lunch on higher part OF the rock, at
the moment he must have been within
a foot Of the snakes. At that moment
they were gliding over in the direction of
where the lunch still remained and before
they were through one of the snakes had
poked Its ugly head into the paper which
contained his food.
Keller made up his mind that it was a
good place to leave, when he bethought
himself that on the rock near where the
lunch lay he had also left his fishing rod
There were no less than four rattlesnakes
alongside It. The rafting the snakes kept
up was terrific.
Keller cut tough sprout from nearby
birch and then began his battle. His
first step brought the discovery that all
the snakes were not on the rock. for he
found one confronting him on the ground
but few feet from where he had stood
That one had. unnoticed by him. crawled
! from it's hiding place after Keller made
: his leap, but at that moment It was thor
} oughy aroused.
That snake. however, was the first TO fall
victim to Keller's stick, and inside OF
few minutes the six other reptiles had
! been dispatched. Keller Invested each
e snake carcass OF it's rattles, and among
the bunch he had two strings of fourteen
rattles each.-Philadelphia Record.