The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1920-10-12
Convict Writes Article Taking
Exception To Magazine Article
Regarding Actions of RattleSnakeS

II
George Kile, who was convicted of
the murder OF u. II. whitcsldes near
Toltec. n. NJ. 100 miles west OF Al
buQuerluo more than. q yea ngo and
who is now In the ponitentiary at
Santa Fe awaiting the trial OF his
case before the state supreme court TO
which tribunal II has been appealed.
/ has written an article FOR a Denver
newspaper regarding rattlesnakes.
The substance OF Mr.. kile's article
II thai u rnttlcsnakc always gives "A
warning beford striking. Mr.. kile
wrote the article In reply TO magazine
articles which have cndeavored to
prove that the RATHER does not warm.
but Only warns after striking.
I'm 1906" writes Mlr. kile 81 pun
chased n section OF sag brush land
I at Toltec. y. NJ. on tho main lit,e
/ OF the Santa he railway. i0i miles
west OF Albuquerque. ON this land
IN a Limestone bluff that l expected
to uao, and started to construct n
lime kiln.
on the morning OF April 10 the
foreman In charge reported that h
niace was literally alive with rattle
snakes, and hat the men whom /
had employed refused to remain on
the job. After . personal investiga-
ton I found that his report was an
absolute fact. There were dozens In
sight, all sizes, ranging from fourteen
inches to rIx feet four inches In
length. and seemingly OF three dis
tinct classes. The greater number
were the common prairie diamond
] haoltR. their short. thick bodies dark
IN color. with bright yellow diamonds.
Long yellow Ones
Then there were como long yellow
! fish colored fellows, smaller In size,
I with dirty gray dlamondA. The others.
OF which there were only a few. were
a very large kind, very dark rusty
drown In color. with dim diamonds
from the head to within six or eight
inches OF the tail, the last portion
being in bands OF almost pure white
and black alternatedi The largest
snake of this kind carried a musical
instrument OF eighteen rattlea and
the button This rattle was "a full
three-quartefs OF an inch Wide and
two and ~one-fourth inches In length.
Among the lot there were also four
or five bull snakes and twenty or
twenty-five garter rnakes; these latter
with slender. graceful bodies. Their
bright stripes. their e~yer-darting fiery
rcd tongues were really beautiful and
looked woefully out OF place among
that plague OF gombrc -colOred DEATH
dealing veterans.
There was Just one thing to do: the
annkes had to be killed. I proposed
that everyone abandon work and put
In their time killing them. The Nav
ajo Indians. who have u religious rev
erence for the RATHER, flntiy refused.
Some of tao Mexican, through G or
otherwise Joined them. However. the
foreman and several OF the laborcrs
set to with u win Tho snakes were
moving aingly, In pairs, md In
lunches; and strange as II may sound.
II is n fact hat they were 30 plenti-
full in one spot that eight were killed
with a single discharge OF a shotgun.
by evening more than 200 had been
put to death and burned. Two men
then spent their entire time for the
next ten days p%atroliing the bluff kill
ing snakes and reported $50 as the
total number destroyed. II was known
that many made their escape to the
ange brush, scattering over the sur
rounding country Nintey-four more
r~attlers were killed on that section
that season.
Dynamite Disturbed Them
We supposed that the dynamite
used In blastinB had disturbed the
snakes In their den. Subsequent
events proven lIuN the ltbulNI uuIluhl
period for quitting their rock homes
began about April 10. The next sea.
non a careful watch kept, and
the first RATHER made his appearance
April Z. No more were seen until
April ~, whom we killed twenty-Aever
during the noon hour. There Were
no large ones this time. The Longest
i one only measured tw~enty-eighI
/, inches. Daily watch was kept anc
/, four or five were killed each day until
Aprtl 20, when the ceased to appear
sixty-four were killed In this season
! Tho second year 10 record was kept
though we probably killed five or si'
oach year untl we moved from th'
! | ranch In 1914.
DurIng this time | never saw ol
I knew OF n single instance o. a snake
striking without first giving its warn.
ing rattle. No person was bitten. ans
with n full complement OF domestic
animals only one OF them ever wal
bitten-a yoarlinE heller which ovi
IDENTIFY disturbed the snake by pushinl
her head IN 1 o the sage brush unde
which the snake was lying. h wal
struck on the lower jaw; her head ant
neck badly swollen. I opened tbs
wound, washed Il thoroughly with per
oxide, then plaatered u with common
baking soda. This treatment gav'
prompt relief.
Snake Ratified
In our second year on the ranci
my wife q day called me from th'
H