Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1900 — Rattlesnakes Moving In. [ARTICLE]

Rattlesnakes Moving In.

That ever ready receptacle of all things odd and strange, B. F. Fendig’s drug store window, received an unusual exhibit Thursnight, in a rattlesnake of ordinary size, namely a little over two feet in length. It was killed in the east part oLtown, Thursday afternoon, by George W. Spitler’s 11 year old daughter. His children were racing around his house, barefooted, and the little girl was pushing the two wheels of an old riding cultivator, on which a much smaller child was riding. About the 3rd or 4th time around one of the wheels ran over the head of the snake, somewhat stunning it. but it was able to rattle) and that caused the children to notice it. No doubt they had passed close to it several times. The little girl got a stick and soon finished the snake. It had four rattles, and a “button.” This is the third rattler that has been killed in that part of town, this season. One near Mr. Galbraith’s place and another near Mr. Jenkins’. From reports from various directions rattlesnakes are very numerous this year. Ic is thought that during the success- - ion of dry years we have been having they had a chance to •greatly increase and multiply in the swamps and sloughs which are usually too wet for them, and this year, being so wet, they have been driven from the sloughs and hence are often seen on the dry land. As an instance of how numerous they are, one young man from 7 or 8 miles north of town, says he has killed seven or eight rattlers this year.. The one killed at Mr. Spitler’s place was only a few feet from hie house. It was an object of curiousity while it remained in Mr. Fendig’s window, as comparatively few of our people ever saw a rattlesnake before.