Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume I, Part 28

Author: McKnight, W. J. (William James), 1836-1918
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers
Number of Pages: 650

USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume I > Part 28

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Andrew Jackson Long died at his home, about two miles from DuBois, June 18, 1900.

The wholesale prices of fur in 1804 were : Otter, one dollar and a half to four dollars ; bear, one to three and a half dollars; beaver. one to two and a half dollars; marten, fifty cents to a dollar and a half ; red fox, one dollar to one dollar, ten cents ; mink, twenty to forty cents; muskrat, twenty-five to thirty cents ; raccoon, twenty to fifty cents ; deer pelts, sev- enty-five cents to one dollar.

The pioneer hunter carried his furs and pelts to the Pittsburgh market, on rafts and in canoes, where he sold them to what were called Indian traders from the East. In later years traders visited the cabins of our hunters and bartered for and bought the furs and pelts from the hunters or from our merchants.

Al Bill of Skin and Salt

Nov. 21st, 1832.

Rec'd of Mr. John Douthett :

I Bushel of Salt at. $1.50

1 Bear skin at. .75

2 Deer skins at. .75

3 Does at 1834c. .56

I Fawn skin at .. .25

Rec'd by me,

BENIN BONSALL.

The above Mr. John Douthett lived in Young township, Jefferson county. Benjamin Bonsall lived in Clearfield county, two miles east of Luthersburg.

SNAKES AND OTHER REPTILES

Snakes and reptiles were very numerous. The early pioneer had to contend with poison- ous snakes. The non-poisonous were the spotted adder, blacksnake, green, garter, water and house snakes. The blacksnake sometimes attained a length of seven to nine feet. and lived a natural life of twenty years. The natural life of the rattler and copperhead is twenty-five years. Dens of vicious rattle- snakes existed in every locality. In the vicinity of Brookville there was one at Puckety, sev- eral on the North fork, one at Iowa Mills, and legions of rattlers on Mill creek. The dens had to be visited by bold, hardy men annually every spring to kill and destroy these reptiles as they emerged into the sun from their dens. Hundreds had to be destroyed at each den every spring. This was necessary as a means of safety for both man and beast. Of copper- heads there were but few dens in Jefferson county, and these in the extreme south and southwest, viz .: In Perry township, in Beaver township (on Beaver run), and two or three dens in Porter township, on the headwaters of Pine run-Nye's branch and Lost Hill. Occa- sionally one was found in Brookville.

The copperhead is hazel-brown on the back and flesh-colored on the belly. On each side there are from fifteen to twenty-six chestnut blotches or bands that somewhat resemble an inverted Y. The head is brighter, and almost copper-colored on top, and everywhere over the back are found very fine dark points. The sides of the head are cream-colored. The dividing line between the flesh of the side and the copper of the top passes through the upper edge of the head, in front of the eye, involving three-fourths of the orbit. The line is very distinct. He cannot climb, and lives on lizards, mice, frogs and small birds, sum- mers mostly on low, moist ground, but winters on ridges. He is commonly found wherever the rattler is, but he does not live quite so far north. He has a variety of names-upland moccasin, chunkhead. deaf-adder and pilot- snake among the rest. It is agreed that he is a much more vicious brute than the rattle- snake. ITe is more easily irritated and is quicker in his movements. It is said that he will even follow up a victim for a second blow. On the other hand, his bite is very much less dangerous for a variety of reasons. In the

BANDED RATTLESNAKE (Crotalus Horridus), NATURAL LIFE' 25 YEARS

COPPERHEAD (Ancistrodon Contortrivi. NATURAL. LIFE 25 YEARS

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A RATTLER AND BLACKSNAKE FIGHT

BLACKSNAKE, NATURAL LIFE 20 YEARS

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RATTLESNAKE

DR. FERD HOFFMAN, OF BROOKVILLE

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

first place, he is no more than three feet long, and his fangs are considerably shorter than those of a rattler of the same size, while his strength is less, and the blow, therefore, less effective. So he cannot inflict as deep a wound nor inject so much venom. The chances of his getting the venom directly into a large vein are proportionately less.

The bigger the reptile, of course, the more poison it has. Furthermore, it is to be remem- bered that of all American serpents the rattle- snake is the most dangerous, the copperhead less so, and the water-moccasin least. It is a fact that the poisonous snakes are proof against their own venom. That this is true has been demonstrated repeatedly by inoculat- ing such serpents with the poisonous secretion from their salivary glands. It is believed that there exists in the blood of the venomous snake some agent similar to the poison itself, and that the presence of this toxic principle is accountable for the immunity exhibited.

Rattlesnakes, copperheads and other snakes do most of their traveling in the night. Snakes, it appears, are extremely fastidious, every species being limited to one or two articles of diet, and preferring to starve rather than eat anything else apparently quite as toothsome and suitable. Individual snakes, too, show strange prejudices in the matter of dict, so that it is necessary in every case to find out what the snake's peculiarities are before feed- ing him. Rattlesnakes eat rabbits, birds, mice, rats, etc., and live on barren or rocky land, or on huckleberry land. They like to bathe, drink and live in the sunshine. This, too, makes them avoid ridgy, heavily timbered land. They can live a year without food. They feed two or three times a year. but drink water freely and often, and like a horse.

One safety from the snakes to the pioneer and his family was the great number of his razorback hogs. These animals were great snakehunters, being very fond of them.

The rattlesnake and copperhead are not found anywhere but in America. The rat- tler belongs to the viper family. There are twelve species and thirteen varieties in the United States. They vary in size and color. varieties being red, white, and green-spotted and black. . \ rattle is formed at each renewal of the skin, and as the skin may be renewed more than once a year, rattles do not indicate the exact age. They live to a ripe old age, and have sometimes as many as thirty rattles. In the natural state the rattler sheds his skin but once a year, but in confinement he can be forced to shed the skin two or three times

annually by giving him warm baths and keep- ing him in a warm place. Rattlers are indif- ferent climbers of trees, are fond of music. and do not chase a retreating animal that has escaped their strike.

Our rattlesnake is the Crotalus Horridus. and is black and yellow-spotted, called banded or timber. They have no feet or legs, but have double reproductive organs, both the male and female. Their scent is very acute, and by scent they find food and their mates. Our snake attains the length of five feet, but usually only four and a half feet, and inhabits the barren. rocky portions, formerly in immense numbers, but of late years not so plentiful. They migrate.

Dr. Ferd. Hoffman, of Brookville, cele- brated as a snake-charmer, brought a rattle- snake into our store one day, in a little box covered with wire screen. The snake was small, being only thirty inches long and having seven rattles. Desiring to see the reptile eat. and knowing that snakes will not eat anything but what they kill themselves, we conceived the idea of furnishing his kingship a repast. Mr. Robert Scofield went out and captured a large field mouse (not mole) and brought it in, and, in the presence of myself. Albert Gooder, Squire Mclaughlin and brother, and Frank Arthurs, dropped it into the box under the screen. The box was fourteen inches long and seven inches wide. The snake, being lively, immediately struck the mouse back of the head. The mouse gave a little squeak of terror and ran fourteen inches, then staggered fourteen inches, the length of the box, then was apparently seized with spinal paralysis. for it had to draw its hind limbs with its front feet to a corner of the box. It then raised up and fell dead on its back. After striking the mouse the snake paid no attention to any- thing until the mouse dropped over dead. Then his snakeship wakened up and apparently smelled (examined) the mouse all over. Sat- isfied it was healthy and good food, the snake caught the mouse by the nose and pulled it out of the corner. After this was done, the snake commenced the process of swallowing in this manner : He opened his jaws and took the head of the mouse in one swallow, pulling alternately by the hooks in the upper and lower jaws, thus forcing the mouse downward, tak- ing an occasional rest. swallowing and resting six times in the process. He rattled vigor- ously three times during this procedure. It is said they rattle only when in fear or in danger. This rattling of his must have been a notice to us that he was dining, and to stand back.

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

The rattler is the most intelligent of all snake kind. I am informed by Dr. Hoffman that the rattlesnake is possessed of both intelligence and a memory; that he can be domesticated. He has his dislikes, also. He also informs me that rattlesnakes are unlike in disposition, some being cross and ugly, while others are docile and pleasant. A rattler matures at the age of two years, and at three is full grown and has mated or mates. The males are smaller, thinner, brighter and more active than the females.

All the different species of rattlesnakes are provided with two small saes, each of which contains a minute quantity of poison, and com- municates, by means of a short excretory duct, with the canal in the fang on each side of the upper jaw. It is inclosed by a bony frame- work, situated external to the proper jaw, and is under the control of appropriate mus- cles, the action of which aids materially in expelling the sac contents. The fangs, situ- ated just at the verge of the mouth, are very long, sharp and crooked, like the claws of a cat, and are naturally retracted and concealed in a fold of integument ; but, when the animal is irritated, are capable of being instantly raised, and darted forward with great force into the skin of the object bitten, followed by an emission of poison. The snake, then, does not bite, but strikes, making a punctured wound. The poison of the rattlesnake is a thin, semi-transparent, albuminous fluid, of a yellowish color, with, occasionally, a tinge of green, and is deadly. When a "bite" is not fatal it is because of no poison in sac, broken teeth, or failure to puncture the skin or cloth- ing. It is fatal in from ten minutes to two hours if a vein has been pierced. The quan- tity of venom contained in the poison-bag does not generally exceed a teaspoonful; but it ac- cumulates when the animal is inactive, taking fifteen to thirty days for it to fill. A snake will eject fifteen drops when its fang is not used for several weeks. This poison is pecu- liarly acrid and deadly in hot weather and during the procreating season. In winter and early spring the reptile is in a torpid condi- tion, and the poison is then diminished in quan- tity, and unusually thick, although not less virulent. A rattler can and will bite without coiling.

Rattlesnakes are sluggish and loath to bite when it can be avoided or when they are not surprised into a sudden stroke. This disposi- tion varies, however, with the weather, their hunger. the season (all are irritable when sloughing their skin). The effect upon the

human system of a rattlesnake bite depends entirely upon the amount of venom introduced into the body. Constitutional symptoms ap- pear, as a rule, in less than fifteen minutes, prostration, staggering, cold sweats, vomiting, feeble and quick pulse, dilatation of the pupil and slight mental disturbance. In this state the patient may die in about twelve hours. The local hemorrhagic extravasation fre- quently suppurates and becomes gangrenous, and from this the patient may die even weeks afterwards.

There are no complete statistics to show how many persons die in the world of snake bites each year. The number, however, has been placed at thirty thousand. In the United States, so far as known, the annual fatalities amount to about fifty. Florida is generally looked upon to contribute several of these with regularity.

Venomous snakes of America are comprised in four familics-the rattlesnake proper, the copperhead and the moccasin, the coral snake and the ground rattler. There are several varieties of the rattlesnake and two of the coral.

Nearly every variety of the snake family is oviparous. The eggs are oblong. The black- snake lays a large number of eggs, about the size of the thumb, in July or August. During this breeding season blacksnakes are bold, and will attack persons with great courage if their nests are approached. The attack is with activity and by direct assault. Their bite is harmless. When young they are gray or spotted. The rattlesnake is viviparous. and has from five to twenty young in July or August, each eight to fourteen inches long and as thick as a lead pencil. They are ready to fight. and eat a mouse or young squirrel every fifth day. The blacksnake is a great tree- climber. The copperheads have their young alive, and never more than seven at a birth. The young are ready to fight from birth.

The eyes of a rattlesnake are fixed. He cannot move them, and must move his head in order to change his scope of vision. The skin over the eye is in one piece with that of its body. and is cast off with it when the snake sheds its skin. When shedding the skin be- comes blurred and finally opaque, leaving the reptile blind. All poisonous snakes have round eve pupils, non-poisonous have cat eyes or elliptical pupils. Snakes have ears, but no apparent external opening, the orifice being covered with a scale.

Actually, there is no such thing as a snake charmer. Venomous reptiles are all bluff, and,

CROW

211

BALD EAGLE

RAVEN

.....

CROESE OR PHEASANT

WILD TURKEY

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when they learn that you are not afraid of them, they no longer try to bite. They are the most cowardly of all animals.

The blacksnake and rattlesnake are mortal enemies. They always fight when they meet, and the blacksnake usually kills the other, his activity enabling him to tear the rattler to pieces. He coils himself around the head and tail of the rattler, and then pulls him in two. The blacksnake is a mortal enemy to the cop- perhead also.

Snakes have what phrenologists call love of home. A rattler will travel forty miles to winter in his ancestral den. They usually travel in mated pairs; if you kill one there is another nearby. Usually when one snake rat- tles in a den they all commence. The sicken- ing odor of the den is due to urination when excited. Rattlesnake oil is in great repute as a medicine for external application.

"Rattlesnake Pete." of Rochester, New York, has been bitten by rattlers over eighteen times, and, as a result. has passed a good deal of his time in hospitals, swathed in bandages. and enduring the most agonizing pains. "Whenever I am bitten now," he remarked to me. "I never suck the wound. If there were any slight superficial wound in the mouth, such as a scratch, the venom would thus get into the system and would perhaps prove fatal. When bitten I cut the flesh around the puncture and make another wound between the injured spot and the heart with a sharp knife, which I always carry with me in case of such an emergency. Into these two self-inflicted wounds I then inject permanganate of potash. which has the effect of nullifying the serpent's venom."

The snapping-turtle, the mud-turtle and the leather-back terrapin existed in countless num- bers in our swamps and around our streams, and formed a part of the Indian's and pioneer's food. The tree-toad, the common toad. com- mon frog, lizard and water lizard lived here before the pioneers took possession of the land. The red-legged or stinkpot turtles lived on the land and were poisonous to eat. Turtles live to a great age. As a food they were gr. . tly relished by the pioneers. There are a few people living in Brookville yet who gathered turtle eggs to eat on what is now our fair ground.

The natural life of the common toad is thirty-six years.

BIRDS

"If a bird's nest chance to be before thec in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether

they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sit- ting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young; but thou shalt in anywise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee. and thou mayest prolong thy days."- Deut. xxii, 6, 7.

With the exception of the wild turkey and raven, which are now about extinct. we have almost the same variety of birds that lived and sang in this wilderness when the Barnetts settled on Mill creek. Some of these original birds are quite scarce, however. The heath hen, pigeon, parraket and Labrador duck are extinct in Pennsylvania. We have one new bird, the English sparrow.

Before enumerating our birds it might be proper to give a few sketches of some of the principal ones.

The Raven

A very handsome bird, numerous here in pioneer times, now extinct in Jefferson county, but still to be found in about twenty counties of the State. He belongs to the crow family. He built his nest on the tallest pine trees. He had a wonderful intellect, could learn to talk correctly, and was a very apt scholar. He understood firearms and could count five. He was easily tamed, and would follow like a dog. He lived to an extreme old age, and when full grown measured twenty-two or twenty-six inches from tip of nose to end of tail. In Greenland white ones have been seen, but ours was blue-black, like the common crow. He made his home in the solitude of the forest, preferring the wildest and most hilly sections. In such regions, owing to his intellect and strength, his supremacy was never questioned, unless by the eagle. In the fall of the year he would feast on the saddles of venison the hunters would hang on the trees, and the Longs adopted this method to save their meat : Taking a small piece of mus- lin, they would wet it, and rub it all over with gunpowder, sharpen a stick, and pin this cloth to the venison. The raven and crow would smell this powder and keep away from the venison. The raven was a mischievous bird of rare intelligence. He looked inquiringly at you, as if he understood you. The eggs were from two to seven, colored, and about two inches long.

The "Bald" Eagle, Our National Emblem

The name "bald" which is given to this spe- cies is not applied because the head is bare, but

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

because the feathers on the neck of the adult are pure white. In northern Pennsylvania, as well as throughout the United States, we had but two species of eagles, the bald and the golden. The "black," "gray" and "Washing- ton" eagles are but the young of the bald eagle. Three years, it is stated, are required before this species assumes the adult plumage. The bald eagle is still found in Pennsylvania at all seasons of the year. I have seen some that measured eight feet from tip to tip of wing.

The nest, a bulky affair, built on a large tree, mostly near the water, is about four or five feet in diameter. It is made up chiefly of large sticks, lined inside with grass, leaves, etc. The eggs, commonly two, rarely three, are white, and they measure about three by two and a half inches. A favorite article of food with this bird is fish, which he obtains mainly by strategy and rapine. Occasionally. how- ever, according to different observers, the bald eagle will do his own fishing. Brant and other geese form their favorite food, and the address displayed in their capture is very remarkable. The poor victim has apparently not the slight- est chance for escape. The eagle's flight, ordi- narily slow and somewhat heavy, becomes, in the excitement of pursuit, exceedingly swift and graceful, and the fugitive is quickly over- taken. When close upon its quarry the eagle suddenly sweeps beneath it, and turning back downwards thrusts its powerful talons up into its breast. .A brant or duck is carried off bodily to the nearest marsh or sandbar. But a Canada goose is too heavy to be thus easily disposed of ; the two great birds fall together to the water beneath, while the eagle literally tows his prize along the surface until the shore is reached. In this way one has been known to drag a large goose for nearly half a mile. The bald eagle occasionally devours young pigs, lambs, and fawns. Domestic fowls, wild turkeys, hares, etc., are also destroyed by this species. I have knowledge of at least two of these birds which have killed poultry (tame ducks and turkeys). Sometimes, like the golden eagle, this species will attack raccoons and skunks. I once found two or three spines of a porcupine in the body of an immature bald eagle. The golden eagle occurs in this State as a winter visitor. The only species with which it is sometimes compared is the bald eagle in immature dress. The two birds. however. can be distinguished at a glance, if you remember that the golden eagle has the tarsus (shin) densely feathered to the toes, while, on the other hand, the bald eagle has a bare shin. The golden eagle breeds in high

mountainous regions and the Arctic countries. "Goklen" eagles are rare in this region. They often devour domestic fowls, ducks and tur- keys especially; different species of water- birds, grouse, and wild turkeys suffer chiefly among the game birds. Fawns are sometimes attacked and killed; occasionally young pigs are destroyed, and frequently many lambs are carried off by this powerful bird. Rabbits are preyed upon to a considerable extent.

The Crow

The crow does not belong to the blackbird family, but owing to his uniform I will speak of him. Much has been said against him. but the truth is that he is a most useful bird in killing mice, snakes, lizards and frogs, and is a splendid scavenger. He has been persecuted for so many generations that perhaps he is the most knowing and wary of birds. He will always flee from a man with a gun, though paying little attention to the ordinary pedes- trian. These birds are gregarious in their habits, and make their large, untidy nests at the tops of trees. They have regular roosting places, and, curious to say, it is not first come. first served. As each flock reaches the sleep- ing grove they sit around on the ground, and it is only when the last wanderer returns that they all rise simultaneously and scramble for nests.

Crows. as pets, are intensely funny. A crow can be taught to talk. It is said by bird stu- dents that crows have a language distinctly their own and, further, that some of their language can be translated into ours. I have often noticed that while a flock of crows are feeding on the ground, two sentinels are posted to give an alarm of any danger. It is said that if these sentinels fail to perform their duty, the flock will execute one or both of them. Crows mate for life. A crow knows when Sunday comes.

Hawks

The red-shouldered hawk, called by farmers and hunters the hen-hawk, nests in trees in .April or May. The eggs are two to four, white and blotched, with shades of brown. The nest is built of sticks, barks, etc.

The goshawk was a regular breeder in our woods and mountains. He is a fierce and powerful bird. The hawk feeds upon wild turkeys, pheasants, ducks. chickens, robins, rabbits and squirrels. The copper hawk. known as the long-tailed chicken hawk, is an

AMERICAN GOSHAWK

HAWK

RED-SHOULDERED HAWK

SHARP-SHUNNED HAWK

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WILD PIGEON

HAWKS

MATURE AND YOUNG PASSENGE

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

audacious poultry thief, capturing full-grown chickens. This hawk also feeds upon pigeons, pheasants, turkeys and squirrels. This bird nests about May in thick woods, the nest con- taining four or five eggs. In about twelve weeks the young are able to care for them- selves. The sharp-shinned hawk bears a close resemblance to the copper, but feeds by choice upon chickens and pullets, young turkeys, young rabbits and squirrels. If a pair of these birds should nest near a cabin where chickens were being raised, in a very few days they would steal every one.

Pigeons

When 1 was a boy large nestings of wild ( passenger ) pigeons in what was then Jenks, Tionesta and Ridgway townships occurred every spring. These big roosts were occupied annually early in April each year. Millions of pigeons occupied these roosts. and they were, usually four or five miles long and from one to three wide. No other bird was ever known to migrate in such numbers. The mi- gration of the passenger pigeon was caused by the necessity for food, and not to escape the severity of a Northern clime. A sufficient supply of food in one locality would often keep them absent for long periods from others. They fed on beechnuts, etc. In this territory every tree would be occupied, some with fifty nests. These pigeons swept over Brookville on their migrating to these roosts, and would be three or four days in passing, making the day dark at times. The croaking of the pigeons in these roosts could be heard for miles.

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Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume I, Part 28

Author: McKnight, W. J. (William James), 1836-1918 Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers Number of Pages: 650

Author: McKnight, W. J. (William James), 1836-1918
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers
Number of Pages: 650