Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-02
TheD0Q That
Was Killed Blu
Ha|fASnake

Il incredible told
m the extraordinary vitality and durability of snakes
Perhaps the most common of these yarns Is that
serpent killed at any time during the day will
pletey give the ghost" until the set In other
words. snakes tail will wgge till though
1t is disconnected from the reptiles head
That such stories than legend dramatically
proved the other day when Mickey twoyearod bulldog
belonging to Jim Straube MADEIRA California died the
end Of fight with half snake
In this case the killer ratenake curied up beside
rock in the Marposa Hills straube and his partner
Harry King. the big fellow summing himself
The reptile Kissed and ratified and Straube had to hold
on to Mickey to keep her from tackling the coiedup
"critter."
King raised his rife and shot neatly two
sections explosion excited the dog a stocly female
pulled away from her master and grappled
with the head end Of the serpent
The battle didn't last iong-and not because dog
had time OF with the disconnected snake but be-
the reptile suddenly turned its head and sank its
fangs into the animals neck.
The dog staggered about drunkenly for few moments
and fell to the ground whimperng in pain straube mme
diaely washed the wounds of the pup In kerosene
which he had with him. believing that this would offset the
poison 1t didn't Three hours after the unusual struggle
Mickey dead.
Probably there in America who
about rattlesnakes than George K End who operates
ratesnake cannery in the Rattlesnake Florida.
The rattlesnake" says Mr.. End has very highly de-
veoped nervous system like many other
lures There than little truth in the old legend
that snake will not die until sunset because its
reflexes remain active for many hours after death.
Most Florida snake hunters know this and do not
that rattesnake is dead until its head has been cut
off and buried There than few instances OF
people having been struck by a dead rattesnake.
Il of a where man killed a RATHER by beat
ing the head with club He bent to cut off the
rates trophy of his The reptiles head
movaed entirely by reflex action whipped around and
sank its fangs into the mans arm"
In his rattesnake cannery Mr. End has something Of
laboratory for the study Of snakes dead and alive He has
manifestations Of life rattle
long Is after their heads off
cannery reptiles usually slaughtered late
the afternoon by choppng their heads off with
and their are hung up over night Even the next
morning of these bodies will have much life in them
that they still writing and difficult to skin.
Anyone who doubts that Mr. Straubes pet bulldog
killed by a would only have to spend little
time Ends canning plant to believe that the tragedy
happened just as related this page Mr. End has
ratters and let them lay for Is min
utes waved hand in front of the heads
jaws snap open and the fangs prorude with
dripping from them.
These heads" says Florida snake man. deadly
and don't let anybody tell you dhey aren't"
The bodies from which the heads have been removed
just active They through all the motions Of
crawling Of striking with the rattes vibrating
though the reptile still all in piece.
"One day" says Mr. End II gave a three-foot RATHER
cannibalstic Indigo snake The Indigo crushed the
raters body in several places and thoroughly mashed
the head before swallowing IT, quarter of an hour later
killer disgorged his meal-which wggied away from
the scene rafting Justify"
Roy Montgomery a veteran Miami snake hunter, says
the decapated heads of cottonmouth
casns other snakes and try to swallow them
Jack Tompkns another resident Of Miami who has
bagged snake carries scars on his body which were
inflicted by the head Of nonpoisonous snake 70 minutes
after il had been severed from its body.
One day Mr. Tompkns killed a hundred king snakes
for scay hides The next day when he entered his
shop he found that of the headless reptiles had
crawled big vat all the across the floor OF the
shop and halfway through hole In the wall
Tompns says that he has found out by experience that
its deadly potency when 1t has been ex
posed TO the hourbu he has warned snake
trust the head of snake for that short
length of time uJ
why Mother Nature invested reptiles with almost
unbelievable durability is question that puzzles even
scholarly zooogss-but is fact that snakes can take
more and live than almost any other member
Of the Animal Kingdom dangerous even