Thursday, August 31, 1951
FARM NEWS
The Pocahontas 4-H Livestock Judging Team took first place in the annual State 4-H Livestock Judging Contest at the State Fair last week. The Pocahontas team scored 1,345 out of a possible 16,50 points.
The team is composed of Fred Johnson, Richard Cutlip, Robert Gay and Robert Cutlip.
The state winner will represent West Virginia in national competition in Chicago in November during the International Livestock Exposition.
Bob Gay, a member of the Buckeye Winners 4-H Club, won first place in the Greenbrier Regional 4-H Sheep Shearing contest held last week at the State Fair.
OUR ARMY AND NAVY BOYS
Carswell Air Force Base, Fort Woth, Texas – Dempsey L. Trainer, son of Mrs. Maude Evans, of Marlinton, has been promoted to the grade of Sergeant in the United States Air Force. Sergeant Trainer, a graduate of Marlinton High School, has a total of 18 months service with the USAF.
Robert Dilley of the Coast Guard, stationed at Wilmington, N. C., is home on furlough. He has been in the service two years.
Corporal Glen Varner, son of Mrs. Oleta Varner Baker, has been transferred to Camp Joseph H. Pendleton, Oceanside, California, where he will receive overseas training.
Corporal Luther L. Fowler, of Cass, was one of 52 soldiers from West Virginia to land at Seattle, Washington, last Wednesday. The transport Buckner brought 1,214 rotation troops from Korea.
W.A.C. Lenore McCloud, of the Air Force, who has been stationed at Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky, returned to duty at Fort Myers, Virginia, Tuesday after spending several days furlough with her mother, Mrs. June McCloud.
FIELD NOTES
Friend James Workman, of Burnside, crossing on the Greenbrier, had his experience with poison snakes last week. The score was 14 rattlers and two copperheads. It all happened on the east side of the Greenbrier, about the Kennison curve. Mr. Workman was hunting bees, and he was following a course which took him up and over a steep rocky knife blade ridge spur from the Workman Ridge into the Rock Run Country. This ridge is so narrow on top there is danger of falling off on either side. It is steep with high rock cliffs jutting out every few rods with narrow bench-es in between.
Tracing a bee course in such rocky snake country is no contented pastime. Keep your eye on the bee line and you are liable to tramp on a snake or fall over a cliff. Keep a weather eye out for snakes and watch your step, and you have lost your bee course.
When Jim hunts bees, he hunts bees. So, the first thing he knew, the warning whiz of a rattler brought his eyes to earth. He was literally surrounded with a whole congregation of rattlers and copperheads. There was no way out, but if there had been, Mr. Workman has never backed off from a snake yet, so he laid about him in a proper manner and when the smoke cleared away there lay 12 good rattlers and a copperhead. The smell of snakes was sickening, and the experience was sufficient for one days’ outing.
The next day, friend Jim took up the bee line where he had been interrupted. Over the knife blade ridge it led. In descending the other side, the way was through a rift in a high cliff. The passageway was of a size for a man to comfortably squeeze through.
Friend Jim was making his way through this long crevice, when he smelled snake. On a ledge of stone, not much over a foot from his face lay a big old rusty rattler.
The snake was blind as it was just about ready to shed, and all snakes are deaf. However, it did appear the snake did sense the presence of the intruder and was continually licking out its tongue. The bee hunter eased back and brought his snake stick into deadly play.
Of course, this was enough for one day, but my friend was not to be buffaloed for long out of his bee hunting. Going back next day, he took up his bee line and was more intent on keeping his eye on the bees than where he put his feet. So down he stepped right plumb on a big, coiled rattler. Jim says this was actually the meanest, most ill- tempered snake he ever contended with. The snake struck and landed on the calf of a leg. No particular damage was done as the trousers were of heavy cloth and he has to tape his calves on account of varicose veins. The big snake measured a full four feet and was a black one.
The net result for the week in the woods was 14 rattlers, two copperheads and two bee trees.
BIRTHS
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Ray, of Clover Lick, a daughter, Sally Kay.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. James Wilfong, of Clover Lick, a son.
DEATH
William M. Jones, aged 65 years, of Green Bank; funeral from the Dunmore Methodist Church with burial in the Dunmore Cemetery. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Stella Kerr Jones and their foster daughter, Mrs. Hub Binton, of Durbin.
