The Rattlesnake Incident

On Monday evening last at about 7:30 pm, I set out in my truck to BiLo to buy kibbles for my dogs.  Along 108 between Tryon and Columbus, I come across a car stopped in my lane.  No one in the car but there is a man in front of the car who seems to be tending something in the road.

I leave my car and go out to play good Samaritan.  I find the gentlemen attempting to capture a snake with what looked to be a ski pole.  My first thought was that a putter would have been the better choice of club but he seemed to know what he was doing.  I ask what kind of snake.  Rattlesnake, he replies calmly.  I quickly begin to rethink my samaritanship.

It wasn’t a large snake as frightening, horrific, venomous snakes go, maybe a couple of feet long.  I take a quick look at the tail portion and decide that it did indeed look rattleish although not having any basis of comparison other more than a few Western movies seen in my youth.

The gentleman tosses me a plastic bag (I assume he keeps one handy for just such occasions) and asks me if I can hold it open.  I do so.  He then somehow manages to pin the snake with the ski pole, grabs the snake just behind the head, lifts him up and drops him in the bag.  Mercifully, as I’m standing there wondering what I’m supposed to do with a bag full of rattlesnake, he snatches the bag from my hand.  Very Indiana Jones like although Jones did not like snakes.  But I digress.

He thanks me.  I thank him.  As I reach my truck, I remember I have a camera and I take a quick picture of the gentleman and his capture.  He puts the bag in the backseat of his car and we go on our respective ways.

I wish I had had the presence of mind to ask him his name and what he was going to do with the snake.  I would love to write the story. It seemed evident to me that he wanted no harm to come to the creature.  I applaud his service.  If the gentleman sees this and would like to contact me, I would very much enjoy the update.  

I bought kibbles.

Through the power of Facebook, this gentleman to believed to be one Daingerfield Ashton. For any aspiring actors reading this, that would be one of the greatest stage names ever conceived.

Ironically, he taught my kids art at Spartanburg Day School.  I'm still trying to find out what he does with rattlesnakes.