Henry Johnson and His Collection

Henry Johnson was an elderly gas station attendant living in Goldsmith, Texas, a West Texas town of four hundred people. His collection consisted of enormous rattlesnake heads, gallon jars of rattlesnake rattles, eight-inch-long centipedes, specimens of Jerusalem crickets locally called “child of the earth,” (also known as the “devil’s baby”), and even a man’s finger, severed in an elevator accident. These specimens were preserved in rubbing alcohol and displayed in a rusty wire magazine stand. An enthusiastic naturalist at heart, Henry talks proudly about his collection and shows his favorite treasures.