Here is another memory of Henry Wetmore (VI) just as C.C. Bronson recorded it.
My father came here with a single span of horses and one of them was bitten and died, which proved a great loss to us at that particular time. A man Samuel Baker, came here about 1808 or 09, and built a Log House just North of the Cemetery, …at that time a plan was formed to watch every spring at the different places where the snakes came up out of the Gulf until they should be exterminated. And Baker said he would be one of the number if Sunday was given to him, as he could not spend a working day, which was agreed to. One Sabbath morning, about 10 a.m. he discovered a large number of snakes just opposite the Cemetery coming out of a small crevice in the rocks about 10 feet below where he stood, at the base of which was a narrow strip of land above the abyss below, upon which the snakes were sunning. When Baker supposed they were all out he pulled off his coat and dropped it down the mouth of the crevice, and then with a pole prepared for the purpose he croked the crevice with his coat.
Then with the pole he descended and killed 65 rattle snakes. My Father, Brother, good old Deacon Butler, myself and others saw them counted, why I have mentioned Deacon Butlers name is this: he, with the few inhabitants here, was holding a Deacons Meeting at Stow Corners in a Log House, and just as Mr. Butler was in the midst of a prayer Bakers son came bounding into the room exclaiming at the top of his voice, “O, Dads got a pile of snakes; Dads got a pile of snakes!” The Deacon said “Amen”, and all ran out to view the slain enemy, which was a sight for is indeed and which I will remember. My Father hired Baker to blast open the den the next day, and found only one more in there, the largest one of all, supposed to be the pioneer, and the mother and grandmother of good share of those killed. The Den was like an old out door brick oven, only larger, and full of leaves carried in by animals before the snakes took possession. This watching was continued every spring until they were exterminated in this vicinity.
