Rattlesnake

Itawamba County Times

September 12, 1946

Itawamba Rattler Attracts Attention

Displayed Here on Past Week End

Gordon Sheffield, Itawamba game warden, brought in one of the largest rattlesnakes ever seen in this section this week, that is in some time. The snake measured 5 1/2 feet long, and had 11 rattlers.

One of the local "experts" on rattle snakes said it was a velvet back rattler -- but most people who viewed the snake on display at the local court square, merely shuddered and said, "I'd hate to meet that snake alive anywhere."

The snake was killed by being run over by a car on Highway 25 between Fulton and Smithville near Bull Mountain Creek bottom. Mr. Sheffield picked up the snake and brought it into Fulton.

As always when something out of the ordinary turns up in Itawamba County, someone around has always seen or owned something bigger or more "out of the ordinary."

One man viewing the snake said, "That snake is big, but -- I was going down that same road one day in my car and saw a bigger snake. I stopped my car on top of it and got out to kill the snake, but the snake nearly dragged my car off the levy before I could kill it with a long piece of pipe I happened to have along." He added that it would have been dangerous if his car wheel had not been on top of the snake, for him even to have gotten out of the car. He refused to let his name be quoted in the write-up, but he concluded with, "That's no joke, son."