The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 31, 1896, Page 19

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 31, 1896. 19 GHE SNAKE GHAT TRUICT $AW AND SOME QOCTHERS OF GHE CALFORNLA XNo. The Wonderful Monster That a Healdsburg Man Once Saw. Told by Roland K. Truitt. “Speaking of snakes makes me recall an in- cident which happened to me twenty-two years ago,” said Roland K. Truitt, proprietor of the Iealdsburg Opera-house, as he pushed back his chair in the hotel, where he sat enter- taining & number of traveling men who wanted stories of the early days in Sonoms County. “In those days big rattlers were as plenty as mosquitoes in the. San Joaquin Valley in sum- mer time, end many a one have I killed with & stick or a rock. “Iwas living on the Big Geyser ranch, and had gone out to get my stock up. I came along down the Geyser road, where the NATTOW road- way passes through Livermore Flat. The road is narrow enough now, but in those days the man who could pilot a four-in-hand around the dips, spurs and angles was looked upon as being more than an ordinary mortal. “Tom Crawford handled the ribbons over the stage horses, and as I walked up a little hill I saw the stage ahead of me. The vehicle was standing in the road, loaded to its full limit, but the horses—they were plunging around, and I expected every minute to see that stageload of human freight dashed to eternity over the bluff. *I soon reached the scere of confusion and learned what was up. The sight made my heir stand on end, and I'll tell you, boys, I got in that stage quicker than I can tell it. “Thirty or forty feet ahead of us, stretched across the road, was & rattler of immense pro- portions. It must have been fully eight feet in length, but thisIcannot vouch for as we did not measure it. But it was as large around &s a stove-pipe, its head resembling that of an immense pug-dog, and its rattles were as large &€ & tea-cup. “Tom Crawlord used all the power he could command to make those horses advance, but not a step would the animals take toward the snake. They plunged, reared and trembled by turns, and while every passenger in the coach expected to go over the grade to certain death, they sat there rather than risk the other fate. “How long we were in this positionI can- not say. It seemed like an age, but pretty s0on the big snake pulled himself off our path- way, and in a few moments we were rolling along toward the springs. I've seen my share of big snrkes, and killed ’em, too, but I'll tell you, boys, as sure as my name is Truitt, that snake would make a half-dozen of the largest 1 have since seen in these mountains.” EREER A Grass Valley Reptile That Was Scared by a Soft Drink. The Experience of Fred Campbell. Fred Campbell of Grass Valley was driving & delivery-wagon for a soda-water firm, and had o frequent trips to the smaller towns throughout the couniry. He was driving with a companion along the road leading to Smartsville, and when near Mooney Flat they heard & rustling among the dry leaves, and thought to see a hare or some other wild game make an appearance. Byt the game was larger than expected and of a different nature than looked for. A huge snake with large green eyes, and whose fengs shot in and out of an enormous mouth, came right on them, and to make mstters more serious, their horses stopped, trembling with fear. Neither Campbell nor his companion was armed, and Campbell sat as still as 1f charmed by the monster. But this sitting still was not belping matters, and on the spur of a moment n idea struck Campbell. He took one of the large siphon bottles of carbonic water and shot a swift stream of the water in one of the monster’s eyes and then in the other, the snake's head being up to the height of the wagon seat and only about two feet away. Campbell says it was a striking scene to see his snakeship lower his head to the ground and lash his tail around in the dust, but it was only for a moment,as he again made an attempt Lo attack Campbell, and a repetition of the same dose was enough for the snake this time and he went squirming and twisting away. Campbell says it took half & minute for the monster to pass a given point. Being placed in such an exciting and dangerous position one is surprised he did not give the snake evena greater length. After beating & retreat Campbell says the serpent plunged into the Yuba Riverand swam away down the stream. Several of our reput- able citizens have seen such a serpent as Campbell describes at different times near the same neighborhood, and further up the Yuba River, near French Corral and Milton, snakes of enormous size have been seen and th2 in- habitants have many stories to tell of the gigantic Yuba River serpents. LU PRE T A San Diego Crotalus Horridus and a Boy on a Bicycle. Told by Ira C. Bennett. A big, fat rattiesnake was lying on & sandy stretch of road near Thirty-second street in San Diego the other day, exploiting his lazi- ness by stretching at full length and burying his nose and tail in the hot sand. He was a ty) specimen of the crotalus horridus, with the wide, flat head, wicked eye and mottled snout that have given to hisspecies the reputa- tion of being the most horrible living thing. His looks did not seem to bother him, how- ever, and all he asked was to be left alone. On the same day and on the same sandy streteh of road & boy was loafing along on & bicycle. His neme was Ray Stockwell, and his wheel was a light recing special. The day was mighty hot. He wistiully looked ahead across the patch of sand to the Thirty-second street 1ill, and thought of the delight it would be when he reached there, to elevate his legs and sail like a bird to'the lower levels. Cheerea by this prospect young Stockwell hurried his pace, when he suddenly arched his back like a cat and glued his eyes on some- thing shead of him iu the road. He tried to 1ift his feet from the pedais, but— “Brerer-r-r-r!” “Ting-a-ling!” “Wow!” Boy, wheel and snake became instantly en- tengled in an indescribable confusion. The snake was half coiied when the wheel hit him. He dodged his head to avoid it, striking at the same time with all his force, but the wheel was on his folds and his aim fell short. That was when the boy yelled ‘‘wow!” From that time on there was energy enough wasted by the trio to start a boom in a grave- yard. The boy rapidly accumulated goose- flesh, The wheel wobbled and shot for- ward. The snake lashed himself to a fury. He tried {0 ascend and bury a fang in the boy’s leg, and in doing so wove himself in the spokes. Zip! zip! he went, as the wheel revolved. His tail was free, and at every revolution it was flipped against the calf of the boy’'s leglike a whip- snapper. In this fashion the outfit reached the bottom of the hitl. As the paceslackened the boy gave aleap and untsngled himself from the mass, He fell by the roadside and prepared to bloat. The wheel and snake wriggled & yard or two further. After lying in e stupor of fear for a few mo- ments the boy cautiously looked for his wounds, to see how much longer he had to ~ live. When his legs were bared he found the skin whole, and with & new hope he arose. He found the snake lying smong the twisted spokes, its tail as smooth as a rat’s. The vio- lent flipping had shaken off all the rattles and the snake had shuffled off his mortal coil. e The Prize for Length and Size Belongs to Antioch. ‘Vouched for by J. P. Abbott. Abouta year since s very large snake was 7) that T. O. Carter and Daniel Cleaves, residents ( ot Antioch, and gentiemen well known in this county, while riding horseback in the Diablo hills near Round Valley, recently, were made to realize that something unusual lay in the path they were pursuing by the peculiar action of their steeds, which suddenly refused to go forward and nearly unseated their riders. A moment’s investigation of the cause re- ( vealed to them the fact that a monster snrke lay in a semi-dormant state a few feet ahead of them. Scarcely believing their eyes did not deceive them, Carter, who had a shot- gun, emptied the contents of both barrels, 7 aiming at the head of the serpent, which straightened itself in the throes of death; when assured that life was extinct Cleaves measured the snake with & carpenter’s rule and found its length to be thirty-one feet. The body was from three to four inches in diame- ter. The snake was of a greenish color and had apparently just shed its winter coat. The J fact that so large & member of the snake spe- cies should exist in our county seems almost incredible, yet Messrs. Carter and Cleaves both vouch for the accuracy of the measure- ment and assure us the length above given is without exaggeration. Caught in a { Nest of Sheet Iron Mountain Rattlesnakes. Upon the Veracity of Cinnamon Bill. Several years 8go & trio of well-known men 2, » who reside at Willows—Johu Dickson, George Silvey and John Williams—set out for a season of recreation in the Coast Range mountains, Sheet Iron Mountain was the rendezvous chosen, about fifty miles east of Willows. On the second day after camp was struck John Dickson killed three fine Pacific bucks Dot far from camp, and while dressing them he heard a vigorous yell from one of his asso- ciates higher up the mountaia. He paid little attention at first, but as the yelling became more frequent and louder, and was accompanied by several rifle shots, Dick- son feared a grizzly bear had attacked one of his companions, and started post-haste up the mountain through the timber and over slip- pery pine leaves until the-large cliff of cragey rocks was reached from which issued the yells of his comrade. “What's the matter?” cried Dickson, as he stopped to hear the answer. «“Come up here, quick!” exclaimed Williams. “I am surrounded by rattleénakes, and I am afreid to move for fear some of them will bite me. By this time Stlvey appeared upon the scene, and together with Dickson ascended the rock- pile very quickly and cautiously, for the cliff seemed fairly under a tremor from the inces- sant jingling of rattles. Once on the scene the work of slsughter began, and after an hour's work with sticks and guns fifty-six large and small rattlesnakes were killed, and the poison- ous odor arising from these snakes made Mr. Diekson very sick after the excitement had dled away. He was escorted to camp and given several draughts of liguor, which seemed to kill the poison after a few hours’ rest. e How a Snake And a Man and a Scorpion Slept Together. Told by Charles Schmidt. “Talking about snakes,” said Charles Schmidt, an Oakland painter, the other day, “‘reminds me that I had a little experience with some reptiles once that I shall never forget. “I had been building a cottage for myself and before placing the doors and windows I began to use it as & sleeping apartment. I spread my blankets on the floor, where they remained for several days without being disturbed. Ome morning I arose and all over my person were larze red spots. I attributedit to mosquitoes, and paid little attention to it. On the second morning my body was in the same condition, and also on the third morning. I finally be- came alarmed and began to investigate, Toss- ing beck the corner I quickly ascertained the ceuse of my trouble. There on the corner of the bed, carefully coiled, lay a large three-foot snake—not a rattiesnake, and probably not ‘venomous, but it is enough to say it was a cold, clammy snake, certainly a very disagree- ble bedfellow—but hold on! Inside the coil of thdt snake lay a large six-inch scorpion of the most venomous type. They made no effort to escape and appeared perfectly contented in their new home.” SRS Battle With Rattlesnakes in an Arizona Prairie Dog Village. As Told by‘;seph Allen. N. W. Moore, the genial landlord of the Hull House, at Tulare, has had soms ex- periences with snakes which are startling and thrilling. He crossed the plains to California in the fall of 1869, and in those days the snakes, owls and prairie dogs owned their own homes. In some places in New Mexico and Arizona the snakes were o thick that it was necessary to have & man go ahead of the train to clear the way and keep the rattlers from striking the cattle. One day while in Arizona, near the present site of Tucson, a yvoung man by the name of ‘Tom Wright, a member of Mr. Moore's party, struck out ahead of the train, and almost be- fore he knew it he was in the very midst of a prairie-dog village. The village contained something like five or six acres and was densely populated, not alone with dogs but hundreds of owls and rattlesnakes. On look- ing up, Moore and his party saw Tom shooting right and left and jumping about from side to side as though bewitched, st the same time calling loudly for belp. Moore and two others, grasping spades and clubs, made their way to where young Wright was battiing. They were compelled to virtually cut their way through. To gei to Wright it was necessary to kill twenty-two rattlers before they could reach him. There were hundreds of them on all sides, and not until they came to the outer edge of the prairie-dog village did they suc- ceed in getting.away from the snakes. Wright was S0 overcome with the fright and excite- ‘ment that he fainted away and was very ill tor some days after. den and hit my head on the reachpole, which # square in the eye. Hiseyes looked like specks 2 couldn’t have moved for & miilion dollers. q Then the shaking started again and I was all ¥/ which were simply hair-lifting, and I think I ; of the limb snapped, and the snake flew / through the air and lodged in a thicket of | the sharp angles were worn aws A Night of Horror With Three Rattle- snakes in Camp. Told by Joe Lane of Lodl. “If there's one thing more'n another that I'm afraid of it’s snakes,” said Joe Laneat Lodi the other day as he whittled vigorously. “Once when I was going down to Tulare along with White I had & mighty narrow shave. We camped one night in the hiils, and slept in the blankets under the wagon. Along in the moraing I wakened suddenly at the end of a long nightmare. I rose up all of a sud- wakemed me thoroughly. But I wish’'t I'd stayed asleen. Right there at my feet was the biggest snake I ever saw, and he was a-shakin’ his head like perdition and looking at me of fire,and when he rattled his tail my bair just rose up straight, and Ishook so my teeth rattled as if they were loose. I 1aid my head down easy and tried to get it under the blanket, but White had it wrapped all around him, so I just shut my eyes. “Then I heerd another awful rattle behind and a lot of hissing and more rattling. I ’spected my time had come, but the big fellow in front of me came a-scooting right over me uke lightning—right across my face—feeling like electricity. Lord! but I was scared. I of a cold sweat and feeling mighty sick. “Those snakes were having a fight. They were hissing and rattling around asif there were a dozen of them. I was going to wake White end try to climb into the wagon, when Ifelt somethin’ drop like a piece of rope on | my legs. Then itrattled—more snakes! Iwas almost scared into jumping up, but I knew he would nail me if I did,so I had to lay there and try to think of a prayer and tremble and feel hot and cold shivers running through me. “This big one crawled up toward my head slow like, seeming like a year, and then I had to look up and see his shinin’ eyes just above ‘ my face. Ican’tbegin to tell you how I felt, but I was the worst scared man in America. “ He didn't pay any attention to the fight, but kinder drew himself up, and after a few rat- tles he snuggled down between White and me and went to sleep. “Ilay quiet a long time and he didn’t move. The fight had quit and I edged oft easy, think- ing he'd nail me, till I got out from unaer the wagon. ‘Then I jumped up, mighty quick, into the rig and got out theshotgun. I got down in good position an’ poked the rattler with the Jong whip, and he rose up and I gave it to him. Blowed his head off slick and clean, but scared White most inter fits. “No, I ain’t got any use for any kind or snakes.”’ e et The Kind They Have Up at Cash Creek in Yolo County. As told by ex-Semator Sprague. Ihave always been an enthusiastic lover of the rifle, said ex-Senator Sprague at Sacra- mento the other day, and during my hunting trips through the mountsins have had numer- s encounters with rattlesnakes, some of can safely lay claim to having killed the largest rattler ever seen in this portion of the State. “ It was on the headwaters of Cash Creek, in Yolo County; my brother and I were returning to camp aiter an unsuccessful trip for deer, and discovered the snake, curled up in a recess among the bowlders that littered the canyon we were passing through. Asit was impossible to get a shot at the snake, owing to its sheliered position, I pro- cured & pole and stirred it up. After rattling angrily for a few seconds, it came out ana threw itself into the creek, swimming handily with its head and some six inches of itz body out of the water. We shot the snake, fished it out of the creek, and found that it weighed 24 1bs. and had 19 rattles, several having evi- dently been broken off. Another occurrence is seemingly impossible of belief, yet Ican vouch for the truth of the story. Once while hunting in the sink of Cash Creek my attention was drawn to the peculiar actions of a ground squirrel. I watched it a minute and then shot it. Hurrying to the spot I nearly stepped upon a large rattlesnake which had evidently been engaged in charm. ing the animal. The snake turned at my approach and escaped down a squirrel hole. The thought struck me that possibly I could sttract the snake out of the hoie by means of {ts intended prey, so I cut the squirrel open with my hunt- ing knife, put a rough stone ir its interior to give it weight, took a piece of twine and tied itaround the body of the squirrel to retain the rock, attached it to the dried limb of a tree and inserted it in the hole. The squirrel slippea out of sight, and shortly afterward when I attempted to withdraw it, I found that my scheme had been success- ful. The resistance of the snake was simply won- derful, and I had to exert considerable strength to pull the revtile out. When it came it was with a jerk, and to prevent it from striking me in the face I threw it over my head. The end buckthorn brush, which it was impossible for me to penetrate, and 5o the snake escaped. The following summer while hunting in the same vicinity I shot a large rattler, and no- ticing a peculiar swelling in the body I cut it open and found in the interior the same rock I had placed in the body of the squirrel, which I identified by a thread of quartz running through it, the only difference being that all , the stone being perfectly smooth probably from the effects of food digestion during the year. LA The Tale of An Educator and a Big Rattlesnake. As Told by J. R, Watson. Professor C. F. Smyth, the well-known edu- cator of Hollister and formerly of San Rafsel, was Superintendent of Schools & num- ber of years ago. There are few men in the State that wear a bigger hat than his. In those days he was notoriously reckless with his headgear, and it was not unusual for him to misplace it. He once visited & newly established school district several miles west of Guerneville. The school was being temporarily conducted in a dilapidated old cabin, in which for several years the snakes, owls and other renegade children of Deme Nature had held high carni- val. It was but natural that these creatures should resent the intrusion of the school. As Professor Smyth entered the temporary temple of learning he shied his hat at a peg, but the head-protector sailed wide from the_ mark and landed in a rock pile. Then the educator marched inside, where he frightened & poor schoolmarm out of her wits at the sight of his august presence, and several small boys lost a year’s growth from the same cause. When the distinguished guest wes abou: to depart, upon reaching for his dusty sombrero o inch of space he filled it to the very brim. {rattles, but this modern St. George did not he found another who could fill & No. 8 hat as well as he. A rattlesnake had crawled into the hat, and altnough he economized every Then followed a single-handed contest for the possession of the hat. The battle was vig- orous and decisive. Professor Smyth was com- Ppletely victorious, recovering his stolen prop- erty and winning the admiration of his youth- ful spectators. The-snake lost his life and his even lose his temper. — e A Snake and A Plucky Tomcat' Play at . Hypnotism. Witnessed by J. R. Watson. tson of Guerneville was cleaning out & spring on the Oid Cabin Home ranch. He was accompanied by a large tom- cat that followed his master like a dog. The cat was making what explorations he could in the neighborhood of & woodrat's nest when his master heard him spesking very earnestly in low, well-modulatea tones, very different from the furious eloquence the mem- bersof his class employ when they stand on the roof at midmight. On this occasion “Tom’s” remarks were so dignified thatone might readily believe he was lecturing a class of young kittens in the deepest mysteries of feline philosophy. Mr. Watson tiptoed his way to the scene of activities, witere he discovered a good-sized his head elevated about eight inches from the ground. The cat was reared back on his haunches like a grizzley, and as he kept up his con- tinuous *dow, m-0-0-w, me-0-0-w,” he gently boxed the rattiesnake’s jaws first one side and then the other, and ell the while each was en- deavoring to stare the other out of counte- |nance. The snake scemed to be taking the insult without any idea of resentment, but upon the approach of the intruder the ophidian vainly attempted to escape. The Bullsnake That Tried to Strangle a Tipton Man. The Experience of Tom Finnerty. Tom Finnerty, whose father is a well-known and respected foreman for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, and’whose home is at Tip- ton, Tulare County, had &n experience some years ago with a large bullsnake which gives him an unpleasant sensation every time his attention is called to the snoke family. He was et that time working on a large ranch near Tipton and, like most California ranchhands, made his bed in the naymow. One night he was awakened suddenly with & chokingy sensation. For the moment he could not téil what the trouble was, when put- ting his hand to his throat he realized that he was being slowly choked by a large bullsnake. The snake had coiled himself twice around his neck and was doing his best to strangle Tom. Had it not been for the assistance of his companions he might never have lived to tell the story. It took the united strength ot two men to release Tom from hisuncanny position. The shock and fright made such an imores- sion upon hismind thatit was weeks before he fully recovered his strength. = otle G e A Snake That Looks Like a String of Sausages. Related by Will Sparks. 01d “Bill” Brown, who lives near the mouth of San Josquin River Canyon, in Fresno in the habit of coming to town daily. A few nights ago he was sitting close to the scales in the grocery when somebody men- tioned the fact that a snake with two tails had just been caught near Squaw Valley. Bill bit off an extra piece of plug, spat at a blue poker- chip lying on the floor and said: “They ain’t noue o' you fellers never seen thet sausage- snake that b'longs to my little boy Tom. No? Well, you bad better come up and have & look at it. The boys drew their chairs up close and Bill coutinued: ‘*You see, this snske alles wuz a pet. Tom kot it when it wuza little bit of a common garter-snake, and as it kinder liked to be around the place I never said nuthin. It grew to be & good size and wuz as playful as a kitten. “‘One day, about four months ago, the snake disappeared, aud Tom nearly broke his hesrt crying for it. Itol’ him itud be back soon; that it wuz most likely ‘settin’’ An’ sure 'nough it did come back, but it wuz a changed snake. It looked furall the world like a string 0’ sausages, an’ the strangest thing wuz thet when 1t come prancing into the house, waggin’ its tail fer joy, it made a sweet musical sound, like a piece of ice rattlin’ in a glass o’ mint julip. “Tom an’ me both examined the snake and found it wuz jes covered with hard, round lumps. Butthey didn’t seem to hurt it none, sowe letit run around in the same ol’ wa! Frum thet day it became as affectionate as a child,and used ter amuse us by jumping around on the kitchen floor, all the time givin’ oft the sweet musieal sound. Ina few weeks Tom taught it to pley a few tures, an’ me 'n’ the ol’ woman used ter dance like we did back in Mernois.” % “But, Bill,” said the grocer, “what was it caused the change in the snake's appear- ance?” “I wuz jus’ comin’ to thet,” said Bill. “You see, one day I needed & few chiner nest eggs, an’ went to a box in the kitchen where I knew 1 had a dozen, but there wuz none there. All of a sudden it struck me thet thet snake o’ Tom’s hed swallered them. I looked around fer the critter, en’ seen it scootin’ acrost the fields fer the river. I tell yerI wuzmad. I kot the snake by the tail, an’ put my hand aroun’ its waist an’ pulled her through. All my chiner nest eggs fell out on the ground. “I wuz sorry fer what I did, thongh,” said Bill, after a solemn pause. “You see, it near broke thet snake’s heart. The critter tollered me to the house an’ seen me put the eggson a high sheli. Then it stood lookin’ at’em full o’ sorrer. Somehow I b'lieve thet snake must or goL some nourishment out o’ them chiner eggs fer it got thinner an’ thinner every day until it wuz no bigger aroun’ then a telegraph wire. All day long it looked up at the shelf where the eggs wuz, an’ lots 0’ times I seen tears in its eyes. “I tell you we missed thet snake’s music an’ dancin’, an’ at last couldn’t stan’ it no more, s0 me an’ the ol’ woman decided to give the eggs back to it. Here's where the snake showed sense. Icouldn’tsee no difference in them eggs, but thet snake selected them es if they wuz gold, an’ got each one back in the right place, so thet it looked as much like s sausage es it did before, the snake doin’ now? Oh, she's all ppy as lark, playin’ music an’ dencin’ all day, an’ Tom tol’ me this mornin’ thet she hed three young ones thet looked jes like her an’ could make the same kind er musie. Better come up an’ look at 'em.” 7 Mount Hamilton are proportionately large. & by Wandell, and since then its appearance has | The rattlesnake does not inspire the terror [ ) here that he does in other localities. Several rattlesnake done up in a neat coil and County, is an authority on snakes. He is also 2 Santa Clara County Has a Fire-Emitting Crotalus Wandelli. The Property of Jake Wandell. Surmounted by the greatest telescope in the world, the snakes reported in the vicinity of Visitors to the observatory are not more inter- ested in the great glass than they are in the stories spun of Jake Wandell’s snake. Wan- dell conduets a roadhouse on the Mount Ham- ilton road, just beyond the observatory reser- vation, and here the story is told the wonder- ing traveler. The snake was first seen about five years ago been reported from time to time. It has been shot at by hunters, cut by. woodchoppers, chased by men and dogs, but it seems proof to man’s attecks and still exists. It is the bugaboo of this section, and the mention of Wandell’s snake will-throw the most unruly child into paroxysms of fear. No j one knows where the snake came from, but Wandell ran across the reptile one evening about dusk while driving home from San Jose. As he ueared his home his team stood still, and, trembling with fear, refused to be urged on. Hearing a loud hissing he dismounted and went on ahead to see what the trouble was. Around a turn, coiled in the center of the road, was an immense snake, which, ac- cording to Wandell, emitted vari-colored gases from its mouth that rivaled a pyrotechnic dis- play on the Fourth of July. He was riveted to the spot with fear for several minutes, at the termination of which the reptile wound up his display of fireworks with a rattle that shook the hills and then dissppeared. Wandell esti- mated the length of the snake at thirty feet, with flery eyes as large as silver dollars. He claimed it was six inches in diameter, and spotted red and* brown like a Gila monster. Shortly after it was seen by a party of hunters near the same place, and their description of it, minus the fireworks and ten feet in length, tallied with Wanaell's. Itisseen at regular intervals, always in the same locality; its length is always from ten to thirty feet, and its colors are none the less bright from wear and tear. The disappearance of sheep and calves and the uprooting of trees by heavy winds have all been laid to Wandell's snake. Itslast appearance was a few months ago. At that time some woodchoppers, in fell- ing a hollow tree, nearly severed his snakeship in two. Asthe ax sank through the hulk a stream of biood spurted out. This was fol- lowed by a rattle that resembled a thunder storm. The men retired to a safe distance to watch proceedings. They were soon rewarded by seeing Wandell's snake emerge from the tree and dash off with the speed of a railroad train, leaving & trail of blood. Such are the stories told of the Mount Hamil- ton snake. —_——— Colusa County Snake Stories That Need No Affidavits. By Editor Will S. Green. As the oldest inhabitant of Colusa County I am requested to contribute the snake litera- ture of the county. This region of the country was never noted for snakes, and except the blowing up of a den of rattiesnakes at & place called Stone Corral, where there were said to be hundreds if not thousands of the reptiles, I never heard a “snake story,” or saw more than a dozen snakes at a time until the winter they were building the narrow-gauge rallroad across what is known as the “trough,” west from Colusa, to the Northern Railway. The river course is on a ridge for twenty-five miles above Colusa, and any overfiow runs out to the west for two or three miles and is met by the creeks from the foothills. An overflowed space of about two miles is called the “trough.” The grade had been made across this trough when there came a very high water which over- flowed this space. This was followea by a neavy north wind that blew everything down for the full length of the twenty and odd miles against this grade. The ties had just been distributed—2560 to the mile—and when I walked along out the grade the snakes that had blown down among the ties, and had mostly crawled outon them, outnumbered the ties. The Sun published this story and its exchanges asked what kind of whisky was used in thatoffice. I undertook once to tell now many snakes were on that grade, but I will let the reader maxe the calcu- lation for himself. There were no voisonous snakes in the lot, but there were many kinds I had never seen before, They were ground snakes that perhaps lived on gophers, mice, birds, bugs, etc., they found in that country. Talking of whisky in connection with this story brings to mind what J. D. Adams, a sporting man of Maxwell, said of these snakes. There had been races in Colusa and Jo had been in attending them and was in the habit of “smiling” as often as the next man. The stage road ran along this grade and Jo was in the stage with one other man going home. He looked and saw all those snakes and rubbed his eyes and asked himself, “Have I got ’em?” He said he had never been as uncomfortable in bis life untii his companion exclaimed, “Jo, justlook at them snakes!” “Snakes!” said Jo. *“Idon’t see Any snakes. You stayed at the races too long, young man.” BRI The Ma posa Brand of Rattlesnake Narrative. Related by William Curtis. “It was back in said old Daddy Curtis, “that Corny Gallagher came to the Horseshoe Bend diggings.” William Curtis, who is always affectionately addressed as “‘Daddy,” is now in his eightieth year, and still lives at the Horseshoe Bend on the Merced River, about four miles from Coul- terville. He was the pioneer settler there and is invariaply veracious in his reminiscences. “Gold was plenty them times,” resumed Daddy, “an’ Corny, who was workin’ a lone hand, was right fn'it. He had a cabin down by the river among some rocks at the lower end of the Bend. By gosh, that was the place for snakes, if you like. Corny never seemed to take no notice of them, and they used to lay cn the rocks around his cabin just like old tin cans or bottles, glistenin’ in the sun. They was that fat an’ lazy they would not get out of your way, an’ Corny wouldn’t let any one in- terfere with them. “There was one young rattler that was dead stuck on Cormy. It would follow him about like &, dog, and Cérny cut a hole for itto go in an’ out of the cabin, where it would coil up on a particulgr part of the earth floor an’ rattle like blue blazes if a stranger came near it. Corny was supposed to keep his gold under tdhlt spot, an’ he must kave had a good bit o* us t nights Corny used to siton an old nail keg an’ play Irish tuneson a tin whistle. By Jimini! It was just wonderful to see the way that blessed rattler used to swing its head ‘backwerd and forward a-listenin’, and when the music got lively beatin’ the best o’ time with his rattles. “Corny was a quiet, decent man unless when he loaded up on brandy, and then he would raise Cain for weeks. It came time for one o his jamborees and he started for San Fran- cisco. He just locked up his cabin and put & notice on the door: REWARE: THERE IS A RATTLER LOOSE INSIDE. *“Corny got as far as a wayside saloon on the San Joaquin when the great flood of 62 stopped him. For boozin’ purposes the San Joaquin ‘deadfall’ was ekally as good as San Francisco and Corny started right in. He whooped it up good and lively for & time.but the quality of the licker began to tell on his ner- vous system an’ he had some pretty bad turns of the horrors, or ‘delicious tremblin’s’ as the doctors call them. Anyways his friends wanted him to go home, but he wouldn’t. He used to wander around by the flood waters between drinks, and folks allowed that he was plum’ locoed. “One evenin’ he was settin’ by the water's edge a-tootin’ on his tin whistie and watchin® the 01d cabins, an’ dead horses, an’ cattle, an’ pigs sailin’ down stream, when be recognized his own shanty cavortin’ along. The rattler, saithful to the last, was settin’ on the roof, and when the poor beast saw Corny it rattled like mad on the shingles till it saw he recognized it. Then it jumped into the water and swam ashore to him. “Two or three jolts out of Corny’s bottle soon made the rattler good and lively, an® Corny took it back with him to the hotel. There he introjuiced it to all the boys, who were considerable skeart, not believin’ in the peaceableness of the reptile. “Corny was that pleased to see his favorite again that he got terrible full that night, an as tha poor rattler was unused to the placa an’ could not wake him for information it got wenderin’ around in the dark and was killed by some — fool. . “Anyways the killin’ of his pet sobered up Corny, an’ he was mever the same man after- ward. The sight of a snake or a sudden rattle near him in the brush would break him all up for dsys. When the Horseshoe Bend worked out he left for the ould counthry, for he said he could never see a snake but it reminded him of his lost raitleryand that there were no snakes in Ireland.” The Snake That Tried to Swallow a Paper Tobacco-Box. Related by Dr. Rider Powell. Dr. Rider Powell, who ‘has lived on the side of Mount Hamilton for thirty years, has a pa- per tobacco-box which is & perfect image of & frog. A few evenings since he told the follow- ing story to a crowd that was sitting in front of Charley Rhine's store at Clayton: One day,” said the doctor, “when I was working on the side of the mountain I had fitled my pipe and laid the box down ona rock while I struck a light and forgot to pick the box up. I went on with my work until my attention was drawn to a commotion in the grassand I saw asnake—a big blue racer with head up and eyes blazing—cautiously crawling up toward the box, with the evident intention of either getting a chew of tobacco or swallowing what it supposed was a live frog. Finally, after much circumlocution, the snake got within wkat it considered the proper distance for business, and suddenly darting out its head made a grab at the frog. He struck some- thing much harder than he expected. “The snake drew its head up and watched the box for several minutes and finally concluded to try it again. It crawled slowly and care- fully toward the box until within three or four feet, and then around it several times, as though inspecting it on all sides. Aftera time, epparently satisfied that there was & Zood| meal for it there, it slowly got into position | and let drive again. The force of the blow opened the box and the tobacco flew in every+ direction as the box went sailing through the air. The snake must have got its mouth or its eves full, for it scemed perfectly satisfed. With a hiss it crawled rapidly off through the grass.” —_——— 7 A Bulisnake That Fanned the Flies From a Visalia Man. ¢ Told by C. T. Buckman. “‘About five years ago,” said C. T. Buckman,, a well-known resident of Visalia, ‘“while I wasy spending & summer in the mountains northe east of Visalia, I captured a large bullsnake,; «“Being alone in the mountains and having, lots of spare time on my hands, T was able to teach Slippery Dick—the name I had given my strange pet—many tricks. I taught him to come at call, to coil up, to dance, and many, other tricks. He would coil up on the table, his heaain the center of the coil,elevated about six inches in the air, I would place the handle of asmall fan in his mouth and then Dick; ‘would gently wave the fan toand fro, and thus: keep the flies and insects away from my facer when he slept. «He was as good as a cat to keep the house free from mice. Ioften saw him bring in ten or twelve in a day. His fondness for mice was his ruin. It heppened this way: One day I missed Dick, and though I hunted and called all day, I could not find any trace of my pet. One day, about a week aiter hisdisappearance, baving occasion to explore the loft of the cabin in which I was residing, I came across the remains of my old friend. Apparently he had been more than ordinarily mouse hungry, and in his haste to satiate his appetite had swallowed a live mouse, and the mouse had done the rest. Poor Dick! Ican imagine his surprise at the strange commotion on his in- side, but it was a case of rewsrd for gluttony. No doubt he repented when it was too late.” e S STCL The Fang of A Rattlesnake in the Leg of a New Boot. A Reminiscence of George W. Shaw. Back in the early sixties, when river gravel mining wes extensively followed, George W. Shaw was proprietor of the Mountain Cottage, a hotel, situated in Butte County, twenty-five miles from Oroville, where ot & Sunday the miners from the Middle Fork mines used to congregate. > After oneof these Sunday “congregations” three men Jeft the hotel on Monday morning o return to théir wofk in the claim owned by Jake Powell, on the middle fork of Feather River. Now, one ot the men nadon & new pair ofboots, purchased from Wyatt Erton, the store- Xkeeper, and he began to complain of a sore ankle, which was attributed to the chafing of the boot. After suffering the most agoniz- ing pains for several hours, he died. The cause of his death was a mystery. ¢ A few days after one of his companions ap- Propriated the new boots to his own use, and in 8 few hours he likewise became afflicted With such pains as none could relicve. Igno- Tani of the cause, ha was allowed to follow his friend to an early grave. The apparent fact that both had died from poison administered by that one boot led to an investigation yhich solved the problem, for in the leather of ‘the boot, just above the counter was found the fang of a rattlesnake.