NEW- YORK DAILY TKIBUNE. SUNDAY. JTOE 28. 1908. ,HUNTING RATTLESNAKES IN CONNECTICUT IS A RATHER DANGEROUS SPORT, BU

bushel kaaftat You see. it was In the sea-

son. an.! they hadn't got tt&wOed from th* buncae,

they roll themselves tote w--n th»y ho.c np for

the winter. Th- warn't very lively and tbe>

coottnl *\u25a0»*\u25a0 awa* from n». :•\u25a0\u25a0 'Oh. yes, sometimes we. get the oil out o. them.Itake th*> fat ones, bans them up *>n a aHa by

the head and let th* sun dry th<- oil o-.it of th»mand drop Ina pan placed underneath them. Tha oil

Is good for rheumatism, corns*, bunion?, and somesay deafness.*

"After the hunt wa.3 over an Inventory was takenand it showed nineteen rattlers, three of them ben?a yard long and the others running from a foot up

to two feet."As the sun vas setting the pnnke hunter* of the

Schaghticoke wena>d th*ir way home from thescene of the day's sport."

wet it wouldn't rattle any more than shot in a

boy's bladder that has been wet would rattle

S-Lwe-ve had this club for eight years no* but

\u2666here was more snakes when we first OT«fn!«£.-ToY initiated a member has to «gg»2f

a HUle rattlesnake back of hi, bead :,nd h«W^ Mm

comrs to tflkinX hold of the rattler.\u25a0\u25a0 Th- third ycr afte* we «****•<«**•*

cnance to wo would have got two hun.lre.l. I \u0084

saw rattlesnakes so thick. It was a whir otgMg*all around us. Sounded like a atom of locust^I.a* one bunch that day as big around as a

EVILS OF THE RABBINICAL DIVORCE

IT PROMOTES BIGAMY, (lII'KLTY BLACKMAIL AND

SORROW WIIEX XOT PROPERLY GUAMDED.

MEMBERS OF THE SCHAGHTICOKE RATTLESNAKE CLUB RESTING AFTER THE HUNT.

V,eorse Cogswell, president at the extreme right. The seend man from him is Dr. John Monroe, vice-president.

Fine Fren&y on the Half Shell

Oyster Enters. So »l German Professor Declares. Are Prone to

High Temper. Foul L^ngu^ge e^nd Insanity.

MV WALTER BROAVXE.

"While in Philadelphia Iwas furnished with

a theory by a famous medical professor to the

effect that the absolutely fresh oyster was not

injurious. But he also admitted that those usu-

ally on the market are not direct from the sea.

He pointed out that the oyster is a gross feeder,

omnivorous and voracious. Deprived of water,

it begins to assimilate air. But this induces a

new activity in the phosphorus it secretes. A

process of slow combustion begins in it,and this

increases with each day the oyster Is kept. It

is to this condition of phosphorus, combusted

in the stale oyster, that the origin of emotionalinsanity, which so often follows Its consumption,

is probably due."

guage. But to be just to the fishmongers, it is

not they alone who bristle with abuse and bad

temper. Ihave noticed it among all sorts of

outdoor workers who eat oysters. The phos-

phorus, perhaps needed by brain workers and

extracted from the bivalves, in the case of toil-ers who live by the exercise of their brawn and

muscles, seems to Bet their brains on fire. I

have seen stoker?, coal heavers and stevedoresin England, after eating a dozen or two of oys-terp, suddenly transformed from men into v.'ild

beasts. Ihave seen peaceful Normandy peas-

ants, after but a score of oysters, shake off their

native lethargy and become infuriated ruffians.

"The American oyster, not having been trainedby centuries of civilisation, like the European

variety, is still more violent in its effect. In

New-York, pursuing my studies upon the

wharves and markets, Ihad frequent occasionsto note that violent accession of frenzy followed

large consumption of the bivalves. The increas-

ing frequency of suicides in the United States

is an established fact. During my investiga-

tions there Iwas able to trace the act of felo de

se, In many Instances, to emotional Insanity in-

duced by excessive oyster eating. Ihave given

much thought and resea-ch to this subject, and

Iam strongly disposed to attribute the great

excess of madness which prevailed in the first

centuries of the Roman Empire, and manifested

itself in the wildest extravagances of luxury and

the elevation of suicide to a heroic act. to the

great passion for oysters which then seized upon

that people.

"Louis Agassiz, an American of German de-scent, first promulgated the fact that a fish diet

contributed more phosphorus to the system

than any other, and hence was to be recom-

mended to brain workers, who consume theirphosphorus more rapidly than any other

classes. A larger proportion of phosphorus is

eliminated by the system from oysters than

from any other inhabitants of the sea. But I

have discovered that indulgence inoysters is by

no means safe. Their least injurious effect is on

brain workers who, by reason of their greater

combustion of phosphorous, seem capable of as-

similating many oysters without evil conse-

quences."But in the case of all those who do more

bodily than mental labor, and in proportion as

their physical exceeds the mental exercise. I

have observed a distinct and positive tendency

in the oyster, when eaten, to produce emotionalinsanity' or. at least, a transitory, unheraldedspecies of frenzy.

"While investigating the cultivation of the

oyster and its effects in the physical and mental

system in all parts of the world, it was among

the fishermen of Ostend that Ifirst suspected a

peculiar action of the cerebellum might be in-

duced by the intemperate use of this article of

diet. It occurred to me that fishwives, the

world over, especially those who eat many oys-

ters, have a peculiar irascibility of temper, a

strange disposition to quarrel, and a singular

readiness and fluency in the use of foul lan-

Oyster eaters, beware! According to an ex-haustive investigation made at the instance of

the German Government by Professor AntonSiegafritz, of Gorlitz, those addicted to the in-ordinate use of the succulent bivalve are sub-ject to violent fits of insanity. This scientificexpert declares that many cases of suicide canbe traced to the habit of eating oysters. Heholds oysters responsible for violent fits of tem-

per and habitual bad language in those to whomthey form a staple food, and cites the current

dictum as to the uses of a fish diet, which be-

came a reiterated vexation to its reputed authorduring his lifetime. The professor, in his

report submitted to the German National Bu-

reau of Public Economics, writes in part as fol-

lows:

" 'Hold hlir..' cried Togg.' till the visitor seeshow the sqiiirmin' devils a-ct when they are. caught.

This is an ugly one. and full of fight.""HaJf a. doieo times the rattler, every moment

"For half a mile the walk continued along underthe brow of the Schaghtfcokes. The sun broileddown in the little valley as hot as on an Augustday. It was a great day for rattlers, so the hunt-ers, wise In the knowledge of this brand of reptiles,declared.."

'But they'll begin to spread pretty soon," ob-served 'Cog-g,' 'for it's growing hot, and they goaway by themselves after a spell of hot weather.'

"From the main trail the party of snake huntersturned into a bush grown path which was used aquarter of a century ago by teams to draw char-coal down to the iron furnaces of Kent."

'This leads up to the snake den,' said Monroe."'It's a mighty hard climb, and we'll have to go

slow,' added 'Cogg.'"Up the trail, that was slippery with the leaves

Of last autumn's fall, for half a mile the hunterstrudged, the perspiration pouring down faces Inlittle rivulets. Five halts were made going thathalf mile, and some members of the party breathedas if they had the asthma."'Listen!' commanded "GbbbV as he held up hishand. Every one stopped, and the only sound fromthe hunters was the heavy panting of the lungs."

"There's one out there to the left about a rod,"added 'Oogjg*; 'and he's a good sized one, too, judg-in' from the whir of his rattle.'"

This is the den right here above us." explained'Copg.' 'and It's all In about half an acre. If youhappen to step on a rattler, stand still, don'tjump. He can't bite you if you stand on him.but lock out for him !f he gets loose. Arattler IsMquick as fire when he gets ready to strike, andhe's a good deal like llghtnin', too, for he- don'tstrike twice in the same place.'

'There was \u25a0 rustling in the leaves, and Iheardthe dull 'puns' of the forked stick in the earth.Monroe had pinned a three-foot rattler to ashelving rock where his snakeahtp had been sun-ning himself The merciless forked stick pinionedthe serpent about five inches back of his flat head.The pink mouth opened wide, the slender, grace-ful nock arched, and then th« head of the viciousand angry snake darted like an arrow at the forkthat held him a prisoner. One could hear thepoisoned fangs strike the stick. Then the mottled,brown body of the snake writhed and colled aroundthe forked stick.

"Starting out from South Kent, the home of 'Dr.'Monroe, a drive of four miles to Bull's Bridge, andthence up the east shore of the Housatonlc Riveriirjr another two miles, brought us to the home ofthe secretary of the club. All along the road therewere greetings from the neighbors, of 'Going rattle-sr.ake hunting. Isec'

"Tes," answered 'Dr.' Monroe."There were two forked sticks, about eight feet

-licking out from under the seat of the buck-tonrd. and these told the mission of the party, forfork, d sticks are the implements of war In a huntof this kind. Every member of the RattlesnakeClub has his rattlesnake forks, which he keeps ascarefully us he does his shotgun. The sticks aremade of. strong but lightweight wood, such as ash.

"Half :t mile b« low L^e's Monroe stopped hisMack mare, shaded his eyes with his hand andlooked across the river toward a little house almostcoatpletefy hidden from view by trees and shrub-bery. Suddenly he gave a yell, and from a benchunder a tree \u25a0 tail agora appeared. It was George

tbe veteran rattlesnake hunter of the;niains. !1, is one of the few re-

maining Indiana of the Schaghticoke tribe now liv-ing on the Schaghticoke Indian Reservation. *Cogg.'the members of the dob call him.' 'Bring your canoe over.' called Monroe." 'Whoop-ec! Iwill

'came the answer from across

the riv«r."l«ea changed his slippers for a pair of high

topped rattlesnake shoes and took his rattlesnakefork from its book In the woodshed. The quarteteti ;>i id in the canoe, and in ten minutes more weredivesting themselves of all superfluous clothing,tot the .lay was a scorcher. There were half adosen on the hunt, two hunters having come upfrom the southern end of the reservation, withtheir rattlesnake forks over their shoulders. Alongthe dusty read '<"ogg' led the way. 'Walk Injunstyle,' be said; #the trail ain't wide enough to walk

side.'

Haw the Deadly Snakes KillThem-selves When They Are Cornered.

Bridgeport. Conn.. June 27 (Special).— Rattlesnakehur.tir.g In Connecticut is the most dangerous sport

th» State affords, but the members of the Schaghti-

oofee Rattlesnake Club have come to consider adays hunt after the poison fanged reptiles asamusement. It is a case of familiarity breeding

contempt, probably, but the average person willrequire se\eral hunts to breed In him any greatcontempt for the venomous habitants of the rockyledges of the Schaghtlcokes.

The Schaghticoke Rattlesnake Club Is the only

one of its kind in Connecticut. The headquartersof the club are in the town of Kent, where thehunting ground is also located. The members ofthe club holding office are George Coggswell. presi-dent: "Dr." John Monroe, vice-president; Charles!.• i. secretary, and William Coggswell. "sagwaw"

The following account of a recent hunt isgiven by a guest of the club:

HATTLESNAKE LORE.

horse as well as yourself to tumble without being

killed. It makes a great ptoturo. In the theatre,

•when the steeplechase begins, you ought to see thepeople sit up in their seats. The horses rush

toward them, leap over the barrier, and look as Ifthey were going: to jump into the orchestra. Then

one of the horses catches his hoof in the top rail.

You can hear every woman draw in her breath.The horse falls In a heap. There's half s. hun-dred scream.- and 'Oh. ray's.' The rider goes downright under the animal and both roll over. 'That'sawful V screams an hysterical girl in a box. Thenhorse and rider jump up and gallop away as ifi.othintj had happened. The girls all sigh and get

cut their smelling salts, end say they're so glad

i.o one was killed.""Why. res," exclaimed 'Weary Willie,' as he

began paintinp a bed of violets. "I've sat In afront seat withmy wife and seen myself so nearlymurdered In a moving picture that it's broughtti ars to her < }es."

"Because you lived through it." interrupted thedude.

The sun was shining by that time.

carried away the levee of my nose ana" \u25a0\u25a0•*• anEast St. I>cuiF of my ryes and mouth: but Ididn't{are so badly as Hooligan after all."

"And what happened to HooliganT' chirruped agirlin a picture hat and high heeled shoes."Igot & worse shake-down than the cops need to

under 'Big Bill' IVv.ry." was Hooligan's answer.-Ton see. we bad made up in a hotel just outside

th* park. My clothes looked as if they had been

built is order at Barren Island. They would have

<Irivsn a racplcker Into politic*. U» partner, the

gardener, was dripping from bead to foot. c.l,

when we walked down a promenade bound for thehotel, on« of the park police made a dash for us.

But hp wasn't In our class. He atssa as vgood a

chance as a dachshund chasing a coyote.

"We ran Into Bhe hotel at full speed, ana" as wedived into the elevator Iejaculated:

•\u25a0 'Top floor, air" . <\u25a0-> sruess the elevator man took my neck for tne

rope, for he gave me a terrific jerk, which landedme in the middle at UK corridor." 'Throw this bum out" he yelled.'

"The porters earn. running from all directions, as

IfIhad th. anal in a football game. Ishoutedto the clerk for help, but they'd changed clerks

-s-hlle we were out. The porters thqfw me Into the

street and the bass chased me around the blockuntil my partner finally pulled the other clerk out

of bed and identified us." -The sun came out of a cloud and the photographer

announced a rehearsal for a sketch to be called"The Dude and the Bootblacks.''

Hooligan and Weary Willie soon "\u25a0"\u25a0"S^J**

shoe shiners, and the smooth chinned dude plas-

tered his hair down, with the words:

"Now. Iam going to sat It again."

The rehearsal began with the dude coming down

Broadway. The bootblacks rush at him. each fight-

ing with the other for The coveted nickel, -he

dude tries to separate the hoodlums, when they

turn on him and tumble him In a heap. They maul

«nd thrash him until the little audience of fellow

actors roar with laurhter."That's livelyenough." says the photographer, as

he fastens the unexposed film in place. Then

be touted to Hooligan:

•The dude must stand for anything in order to

have a lifelike picture. When Iwhistle. Iwant

you to grab him and black his face.

"One, two. three, go!"There was no danger that the bootblacks, were

not going to furnish a vivid picture. When they

Jumped on the dude their victim went down «-!th

a thud which shook the properties on the walls.

They tore his clothes, smashed his silk hat. ripped

off his collar and at the Signal Hooligan threw

him down on his back and smeared the smooth face

with blacking.

"That's right," came a smothered voice from be-

tween the black araauee of the dauber. "Make a

food Job of It. Make it real. I'llget a raise insalary for this. Make it real."

There was another pause before the next picture.

The sun went behind another cloud. Meanwhile, the

Kir! with a picture hat dressed for a bathing sceneend the lifesaver rehearsed his heroic plunge intoa stationary aisslilan After the dude had washed

off his blacking and had received the- congratula-

Itionsof all present, he told \u25a0 story of how an

amateur cave up the profession of a picture actor

Jn the middle of his first performance."It was the picture known as 'The Millerand the

Chimney Sweep.'"

he said. "He was the miller

and Iwas the sweep. He had a sack of flour overhis shoulder and was trying to flirt with a girl

when Ihappened along. You know. Idon't believeIn flirting. It'« demoralizing. Ionly believe Inflirting when I can do it myself. Ihad a bag ofcoot with me and soIlet him have it right over the

head. He was supposed to strike back with his

flour sack and smother me. But he didn't. That

one blow of mine laid him out. The soot bag burstand he forgot all about the girlhe was flirtingwith.Iwas sort of frightened myself. Ithought Ihadkilled him. We hauled him away to a sink andfinally brought him near enough to consciousnessto hear him say:"

'Idon't think Iwant to be a picture actor.*"'Isn't there enough Init?'Iasked."There's too much.' said he, as he shook a

handful of Boot out of his ear."The fair bather appeared attired as If for a

plunge in the surf at Atlantic City. She looked upat the, skylight,but the sun was too bashful.

"Oh. May White," she said, as she sat down by abrook which Weary Willie had painted In hiß leis-ure hours, and which flowed into the corner wherethe dog was still sleeping, undrowned. "This pict-ure makes me think of that interrupted bath wehad In Jersey one time. Oh! you remember?"

May was a smaller woman, who was the leadinglady of a road company, and at the word Jerseythe replied laughingly:

"Yes, Vivian,how those farmers did bother us. Irwsember. The picture opened with our taking aquiet dip in the stream, when Weary Willie andHooligan stuck their heads out of the bushes."

"And we (Sid the job well, too." said Hooligan, whohad Just emerged from the dressing room, where liehad the! the personality of bootblack.

"Yes, and thouph we 'brew water on you both,you were mean enough to steal our clothes."

"We only wanted to make the picture real," re-marked Weary Willie, who had also cast off thebootblack guise and appeared la one of his "rag-lan?." as he called It.

"itTras so real." continued the bather "that thefanners came running over the meadows fromeverydirection. 1 thought they'd killthe hoboes, as surea* my name is Vivian Vaug-han. Well, we did suc-ceed in ending the picture all right by putting our. heads into barrels and walk: to the' nearest farm-house. 1 guess there were fifty farmers at ourB*a la."

k "Because It was all as real," said May.la The ana still hang behind the cloud and the cudem pave the conversation \u25a0 new shift by saying:w "That bathing suit makes me think of the beauti-

ful girl whose lifeIsaved at Atlantic City, i!wasa drowning scene. An actress consented to drownon the condition that Ishould rescue her. Th.astie confidence girls all have in m Well, she wentdown. on \u25a0.. twice ar.d a third time. 1dived almostto the bottom before Icaught her. The wholebeach was panic stricken. 1could see won andmen running up and down the sand as I-warn Inwith my treasure. Idrew her out on the feudand to make it lifelike Iwhispered:"

"Now. put both arms around my neck.'"She hupped me fast as a drowning person

does. it was touching]}- natural. Finally, thephotographer yelled:"'Here, that's enough of that. Ifinished the

picture half an hour ago.'"

There was a patter of rain on the skylight, andthe bather breathrd \u25a0 little tired sigh as sheaaapssj herself in the robe of a fourteenth cen-tury empress. -<

The rain, however, aioused Hooligan."This obstinate weather." he said, "makes me"

think of that obstinate picture of the photographerand the train. We were to get permission from aJersey railroad to let a locomotive run over one of'"'\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 the pent-ral manager, and thoughteverything was all right for a good fatal accident.We chose the fastest express to ,i,,the deed, and afew nalnutcs before the train was scheduled topass through Oranee the lade put a camera onthe track and stuck his head under the cloth. Amoment later the express hove in sight. It camethundering Bean the track at a furious rate, andwhen It was a quarter of a mile distant we substi-tuted the dummy.

"W>n. that engineer almost em hi? whistle eftbut we thought he had been ordered by the gen-eral manager •\u25a0\u25ba put lots of life into the picture.The seat Instant we saw him reverse th» levermd set the air brakes. The ground shook as the.ocked wheels of the cars slid along the track,, andthe engine drivers spun around and shot off sparkslike pinwheels. The locomotive almost came to astandstill as it knocked the dummy photographerand his camera Into a ditch. The engineer, flre-nan mail clerks, brak<-rnfn. porters, conductorand passengers leaped off that train and ran to thescene of the accident. One woman was sobbingoutright as she stooped forward, picked up thedummy, and looked Into the deathlike face. She*was so beside herself that she stroked its lifelessforehead ax>d muttered:"

'Poor fellow. Iwonder if he leaves any chil-dren.* She didn't let go until a negro porter cameup and said:"'Pardon, mann, bjt data ony a hi«r rn.s: dawl.'

"When the enjtfner-r and conductor found outwhat really had happened they were ready to runthe engine over the whole of us. They said thatthey hadn't had the slightest warnicg:. Of course,we were mighty sorry to give them such a nervousshock, and after things bad been :Bad up at head-quarters we took baa picture a month later withthe same express and the same engineer."

"Talcing a tumble with a horse is nice work."

teaidHooligan. "I've been run over by automobiles.

road rollers and trolley cars to furnish a good pict-ure, bat none of these pastimes are as divertingas failing with a horse. You've got to train the

"By this time the 'doctor' had circled aroundand was well up toward the top of the ledge. He.was slowly and carefully making his way down,

when suddenly he started a loose bowlder down

the hillside. Fortunately, none of the other hunt-ers was in its path, but there was an old rattlerwho was In the way, and if ever a snake ran thatold- chocolate-back did when the bowlder pinchedhis tall. Down over the rocks he came, his rattlewhirring a song of defiance and rage."After him!" yelled 'Cogg'; 'he won't hold up.

We'll catch him. He's the daddy of them all byhis looks!'

"Over the rocks, part of the time on all fours,the snake hunters scrambled. Ten yards down theledge the old fellow wan surrounded and knew hewas cornered. Up Into *. coil he roiled himself.

growing more enraged, shot his fangs into the ash

fork and writhed to free himself, and all the while

rattling his anthem of rage.-'Guc" It's time to finish him/ said 'Cogg. and

the veteran snake hunter jabbed his fork close be-

hind the snake's head. "Now beat his head off.doctor, and there'll be one less rattler in the den.

"His head was beaten to a pulp and the body

thrown on a flat rock, where feebly his tail rattled.••

'We'll cut his rattle off when we come back,

said 'Cogg.' .••'Yes. let him have the use of it as long as he

can.' remarked Dr. Monroe, dryly.\u25a0• 'You'll llkoly find them anywhere now,' said

Lee. 'Hear them rattle up there above in the

ledge.'"'Yes- thoy heard the rattle of the one we just

killed' explained 'Cogg.' 'and they know something

W after them. That rattle is more to tell other

rattlers that there is trouble around than it is to

warn you before they bite you. A 'tarnal lot tnese

snakes care about givin' you a warning. They

don't shake them rattles for you. but for them

other snakes to get out of danger'

"1 began to feel nervous by this time, for I

could hear that nerve racking whir of rattles allaround, and thought that every stick that stirred

underfoot was a monster rattler."

'There's one! Jab him!1 exclaimed Lee. as a

two-foot snake slunk sullenly from his sun bath

toward a dark hole in the ledge. IHttnaged to

get my senses together by this time, and in my

eagerness to 'Jab him' slipped and fell, but was up

again in tlm* to send th© fork over the thickset

middle of the disappearing snake. 'Cogg' came

with his fork and got a shorter hold, and In a

couple of minutes the snake was dead. He had

four rattles. For a beginner that was consideredhighly satisfactory.

"For an hour there was considerable hot scram-bling over the rough ledge and slippery gray rocks

after rattlers. Eleven of the reptiles was UM scorein that time, and then a reft was taken, when a

photograph of the rattlesnake hunters was taken

In the heart of the snake den."After- a ten-minute rest the hunt through th*

roughest part of the den was begun.""Now. be careful.' said the veteran T"gg." and

don't take hold of any of the shrives of rocks

above you till you have looked to see what may belaying up there. You might put your hand rlf?hton the back of a fat rattler, and they ain't likedogs. They don't like to have thHr backs stroked.'

"It was unnecessary to caution me. Iwould not

have placed my hand on the opposite side of astanding tree that was a foot In diameter for fear

there was a* raitlf>r In some way concealed on the

other side.

""Keep your eye peeied now. He's a-gettin' des-

perate. Watch him kill himself! I've seen thedevils do it many a time,' said 'Cogg,' as he con-tinued his torment of the rattler.

"Then suddenly the rattler ceased his exertions."'Now!' exclaimed "Cogg."

The snake quivered from his flat head to his nowsilent rattle. It was a convulsive little quiver. Thescaly skin drew over the glistening, beadlike eyes.the neck arched Itself into a graceful curve, andthen, like a flash, the diamond shaped head shotlike a dart at the body, and in a second the fangsof the rattler had dealt the blow that killed him.

And the tail of the rattler did not wriggle whenthe body was touched, like the tails of the. snakeswe had killed.

"'No, they never do,1 explained 'Cogg.' 'Whenthey kill themselves they are dead all over, andtheir tails don't wait till the sun sets back o' theridse before they die.'

"While the party of snake hunters sat down fora rest 'Cogg' related a little rattlesnake lore."

'I've seen them kill themselves when they'd getin fights with other snakes, too.' he said.

""One day. back about twenty years ago, whenIwas working along this side of the range, Isawa rattler— just about the size of this one—and ablacksnake fightln' a duel. They were r'ght downat the foot of a rock and Iclimbed up on top ofthe rock to watch them. They were so busy thatthey didn't see me, and for ten or fifteen minutesIwatch. .1 them. The rattler was colled up andseemed to be trying to gel h chance to strike theblacksnake \u25a0 Every once In a while the black fellowwould run right across th.' rattler, and Iguess hemust have hit him In the neck when be did thisfor after a while the r inter* nrck dropped justas Ifit w.i.s broke. When the blacksnake saw thisho gave the rattler \u25a0 good bite rtghl through th.>head and finish. him."

"Seldom do we find any rattlers on the east si-i.-of the Housatonio River. You see, they ain't watersnakes and won't cross the river. If you throw alattler in the water, of course he'll swim the besthe can. but he won't go In the water himself. Ih&ve often noticed them SOtofl through the grasswhen it Is wet. They always hold their tails hl^h,as high up as seven or eight inches. They do thatso th«.y won't set the rattler wet. If they got 'it

""They're a good bit like human hein

-s.' re-

marked the old snake hunter, as he rubbed thefork over the rattler's head. 'Keep tormentin' arattler and he'll commit suicide, Just lik(- somefolks when they get in trouble and despair.'

"The rattler would seize the fork in his mouth,and then, when some other fork prodded him Inthe back he would loosen his fangs, only to dartthem at the last tormentor.

"Arattlesnake at bay is a sight never to be for-gotten, especially if he is a game snake, for thtre

are rattlers who are 'quitters." Xo one along theSchaghticoke range knows rattlesnake nature betterthan George Coggswell. He saw the opportunity

to show a rattlesnake at his worst.'• 'Now watch him close.' said 'Cogg,' and then

he proceeded In a manner, horn of long experience,

to tease the snak'

He was a game snake and ready for the deal, but

against the lone hand he was playing there was a

hand of stacked cards. His flat head was poised

above the fat coil his mottled, sunburned body

made. His little black ryes glistened defiance and

bate, and the .spiteful dart of his pink, forkedtongue, as it Hashed out and in, was an assured

guarantee of his eagerneaa to sink his fangs Intohis tormentors.

"And yet. according to Jewish law the hus-

band would be acting within his rights. In-deed, if the man should frankly tell his wife

that he had found a woman better looking than

she—

that is. Ifhe dared to tell a woman such athing— that would be a sufficient cause forhim to ask a divorce. And yet divorce has

been until very recently rare among my people.The first cause of divorce arises from the mar-ryingin extreme youth. InEastern Europe mar-riages, arranged almost entirely by the parents,

are celebrated when the couple are under twen-ty; with years comes dissatisfaction; that is, inAmerica, although it did not in Europe."

"The seed of the evil in America, in New-YorkCity, lies deep down. The most frequent in-stance arises in this way. A Jewish citizen ofCzernowltz, lumbers or Cracow decides to seekbetter fortune In America, and so. leaving theOld World, he comes to New-York. With thefew years necessary to gain enough money toprovide for the coming of his family he becomesAmericanized. His dress, his language, evenhis religious ideas, are modified by the conductwith the bustling Gentile world. He goes about.sees American women, and enters to some de-gree at least into the spirit of the New World.

"AH this tim«» he has clung to the Idea thathe willhave his family as soon as h<? can scrapetogether the money, and presently the ambitionis realized, and he goes down to the Battery towelcome his wife. When she comes ashore hesees in her at once the old absurdities ofEurope. She wears a wig. She Is a green-

horn. She does not grasp the new language.She clings more closely than her husband to theold religious faith. Instantly begin differencesbetween man and wife.

'"There Is another reason quite as poignant.The first reason nay, in part at least, be senti-mental: the second is practical.

"The condition of the Jew In Russia is under-stood but slightlyhere In America. Despite thecommon notion to the contrary, the Jews inRussia <lo not suffer Individually. They suffercollectively; they suffer as a race. They livetogether in Russia in their own community. Inthat little village they have religious libertyand their own public opinion. They have almosta communistic existence." Increase of family isnot a burden, it Is not a misfortune, for thecommunity will take care of the needy. But InAmerica all la different. Th« economic pressure

"Divorce," he said, "is. after all, a new thing

among the Jewish people. Of course, according

to the Talmud, it is comparatively eaay for a

man to get a divorce—

bear in mind, it must

always be th,? man who asks. What would an

American girl think ifher husband should say

to her some morning when the biscuit did not

rise: 'Your cooking is atrocious; Iintend to di-

vorce you'?

With the recent case of Eny Maslow in mind,

it is not uninteresting to turn to the general

subject of the rabbinical divorce as it exists

on the lower East Side, and to see the strange

and foreign notions that persist almost under

the shadow of thi Broadway skyscrapers. Of

the growth of divorce the following account

was given by one of the best known Jewishworkers on the East Side:

"Now, it seems to me that what would be

merciful to the individual would not be justice

to the community. There are many people in

that densely filled East Side who do not under-stand the sacredness of the office that they hold

and who are constantly divorcing men andwomen and who are causing the illegitimacy of

children and are inflicting great evil in many

case? where ?he man or woman could readily

resort to the court and secure the dissolutionof the tie. and the children would not be brought

into the world suffering under this stain ofillegitimacy, but who. because of the false state-

ments of some persons occupying th«r position

of rabbi, are led into these acts. And so it seemsto me absolutely essential, to conserve the pub-lic interests, that even this poor unfortunate

should receive some punishment."Thus it was that poor Eny Maslow, still ig-

norant of the wrong she had committed, stillpuzzled by the whole proceeding, was sentencedto a month in the Tombs, not for her own sin,

perhaps, so much as that the majesty of thelaw might be maintained, and that the Ghettomight know that the lav.- of the free America

was not the law of the Great White Czar, and

that divorce here belongs to the courts, not to

the rabbi.

The unhappy woman was brought into ccurt.and herself confirmed the words of the DistrictAttorney that she had believed she was acting

rightly. At first Mr. Jerome asked that sen-

tence be suspended. Later he changed his mindand said to the court:

When the convention of the union r,f ortho-

dox congregations, meeting in an East Side syn-

agogue last week, openly COUIICHIIMfI tbe rab-

binical divorce and recommended drastic steps

to do away with it. a check whs put on MM of

the most serious, and at the same time perplex-

ing, evils of the Ghetto. It would lie a surprise

to a large portion of tlw community to know

that within the limits of Manhattan live tens of

thousands of men and women in whose minds

the rightof givinga divorce r-Hts with the rabol.

and not with the eoort, and yet such is the case.

In Russia, where the CHwttO exists as a thing

apart, this authority is certainly vested in the

rabbi! He marries and dissolves marriages; his

decree is final. This is also the case in Ru-

mania, in Galicia. and. in fact. In most of the

Eastern European communities from which the

New-York Jewish population is recruited. When

the Russian rabbi and his people come to Amer-

ica they assume that at least the liberty of

Russia must be allowed them in this free coun-

try.

"We may do all we could in Russia, the au-

tocratic, and much more besides, here in free

America." This is their point of view. So the

rabbi issues his divorce, the arm of the lawintervenes, and then comes a pitiful, and fre-

quently a dreadfully mixed up. proceeding.

A complete illustration of the most pathetic

and unfortunate circumstances attending the

rabbinical divorce was furnished in a local courtrecently, when the judge, the District Attorney

and the attending lawyers were alike moved by

the pathos of the situation. The case was one

-vhich is unfeelingly docketed as that of "Th«People against Kny Maslow." This unfortu-

nate woman against whom the majesty of the

law was invoked had secured a "get," that is. adivorce, from a rabbi. Inopening the case Dis-

trict Attorney Jerome declared that he was con-

vinced that in remarrying on the strength of thedivorce she had believed herself acting in ac-

cordance with the law.

The Fifty-first Year of This Place a3 a Sim-

mer Resort.Manchester. vt . June -' (Specian.-M.inrhe3T*»r

begun its flftr-first season as a summer resort thisweek, with "very prospect for the best in its Mj*tor) ."ha Equinox House was opened on "Wednes-day, 'the smaller boarding houses have ha«l Riifst*ever since the first of June. All of the cottages

have •••\u25a0II rented lot th.- ion

The. r'kwanok Country Club gn'.f links w.ia nev<»r

In better condition than at present. The bad ef-

fects if the spring drouth have entirely disap-

peared. There will be at least one tournamenteach week of the summer. For the first time sines

the Units lias been laid out here a women's tour-

nament Is scheduled. Th* fixtures f^r th* seasonare a»: f.\u25a0!!\u25a0\u25a0« Open handicap. July 2. 3 an.! »:Taconic cup. July Si 21 and \u25a0-.">; first president'scup. August •» 7 anil \u25a0>. women"* tournament.August 20. Zl and —: presidents cup. Aagust :T. -*and 3. Krjuinox and Orvia cups. September 10. Itand i.:. t>avM Ball, \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 the Chevy Chase CountryClub, this year succeeds Georei* l»sv as profes-sional of the Ekwanok Club. The latter wilibe itUaltusrol this summer.

Manchester fortunately escaped IThj ttevastadooaof the forest rtres this sprtmr. The nearest flrewas more than twenty-five miles away.

Among the cottagers who have already arrivf-lare C. M. Clark, of Philadelphia; Mr. and Mr«. W.li McCture, of Albany: Mr. and Mr*. CharlesI'lemenshaw. of Troy: Mr. an<l Mrs. Mrrbert Crtrt-s.ir.t. of Paltlmore: H. \V. Brown, of Pbitad»t-phia: Mr. .in.l Mr*.J. J. C.unther and SOsa Brown.«.f New-York: Vr. Clark Hurnh.im. of Rrnnklyn:

Mrs. William I?ear.l ami .Mrs. I\ B. Shntt*. ofProoklyn: M l>:dlett. of Philadelphia: .Mr. ;i»''Mrs. F. S. \Vhe»-l»r. of New- York: Mr*. Sh"pard.nil Mrs. Stronir. of Washington; Mrs. R. F. *'>*r-ver. of Chicago: A. M. Gilbert, of Chicago: r-and Mrs Day Mcßtmey. of Chicago; K. O, Horst-man. of Washington: the Rev. Pascal narrowerof StHt-n Island. N. V.: Or. Gears* H. Smythe. vtKast Orange. N. J.; Mrs. C. A. Stands, of Es*tOrange. N. J.. and W. M. Coler. Ir.of NtW-TOffc

The arrivals at the Equtnos Houm inoliute M".and Mrs. W. W. P>irton Kdwtn Shuttleworth. C. RCleghorn. Paul Waterman, Will!;* Banner. Mw*Ritchie. Mr. md M-*. A.

-Benedict Mr. and Mrj.

J. W. Johnson. T. P. Bulbird Mr. an-.J Mrs. J. J-Sh:.in-i M139 M S. fto'cert. Mts^ U fttof New-York: F. C. Brown and Mr.ani ilra. J^aaKlriUmd Clau-k. of. BroolUm.

With this glimpse at the causes of the mat-

rimonial disturbances it is necessary now M

examine the manifestations of this connubialdisturbance. How doe 3the rabbinical divorcemanifest Itself? The most frequent example

is that of the man, who coming to America and

leaving his family behind meets another object

of devotion ina newer land. A neater, sweeter

maiden in a greener. cleaner land," as Jlr.

Kiplingputs it. Then he gets married again.

The second wife may not know it. or she may

conclude that wife No. 1 Is a long way off anddecide to chance it.

Presently wife No. 1. over In Bessarabiaor some other far province, ceases to getmoney by mail. Her letters stop and her hus-band ceases to communicate with her. Then

she gets worried and comes to America, andthough the world is wide she presently dis-covers her husband and wife No. -. T..egreat question then is. What can she do. sneis poor, in a strange land and without resource.So she consents to a settlement. That Is. .or a

consideration she sells out her vested mteresta

in her husband, goes with him to a raboi and

is there divorced. - -•••». i, r ,Now the trouble begins. Wife Xo>lls =ot

by any means satisfied; «he has yielded to

necessity only. Presently, along come some of

her relatives, and tell her that she is i*-vorced; that she has Hill a hold on her hus-band, and if ehe wants revenue, all she need

do is to go to the court and have him P""*""*for bigamy. Lawyers are called in and adii»e

her w sue for support. She sues, and the manis arrested for bigamy. He belied, for such

l<* the case in numberless Instances, that the

iabbi who had divorced him had the necessary

authority. But he finds to Mi sorrow that thelaw is far different. .raid^l

But there is even a worse sort or scanu.n

lock-d up in the rabbinical divorce the

sale blackmailing result!*, from tn---

tlons. Some time ago there came out in iou.i

a case of a woman whose husband had madeapractice of beating her and using her so shame-

fX that she could stand It.no longer and3,, J, m«.n! of her relative

\u25a0\u25a0liBgGßimmmmst3=§§? s¥lowance. or. failing soon h « fittST*!,

There is yet another source o: blackmail. it

111"Getting her coming and going. an d }™™rl'-

''orXS^S the regents of

the East Side declares that the cause oC th*

rabbinical divorce lay in ignorance, not In w"

—Why. even poor Eny Maslow." .aid he. £te«her husband the day discovered she was r.o

legally his wife. Over here the P^P.Jf "«"'._marriage and divorce as purely »gg«s£ggters. Just as they are InRussia and for the h.

of them they can't see what *£-*£££%*£to do with them. As for the *«N*^™=££he may tell them that they can t remarr> u.^they get a divorce from the courts. But that .s

meaningless to most of them."Itwas to remedy Just such conditions as ha%-

been presented, and they are by no means ra^or unusual, that the convention last wee.passed

their resolution. This resolution suKS<-«f *£sound remedy for this evil.the remedy wlwhi*advocated by the friends of the sufferers e%erj

here— namely, that rabbis should not gran, a

"get" until a civil decree has been sei J.ea.

Armed with a civil decree of divorce the rabbicould have no hesitation in granting the rellgious one. and all the evils ansms from a wversal of this order would be avoided.

SEASON OPENS AT MANCHESTER.

falls with .1 terrific force on the Hebrew, whichhp cannot stand. His family increases, am! th»

burden grows heavier. The work falls and thefamily difference follows where the income does

not increase with the family."

"So far all the reasons have been from themasculine side of the question; now comes thefeminine reason. In Europe the woman is un-educated, submissive, docile. "When she comesto America she beholds her American stater

neither docile nor submissive, neither uned-

ucated nor trained, to any appreciable extent.to obedience. She feels her position and shebegins to seek her rights and then the divorceproblem comes in."

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