Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1859-02-04
MIS- c Il LII A N Y.
THE SNAKE TAMER,

One day. towards the close OF the fashion.
abls season a, enc OF tho most celebrated Of
tile Virginia watering.places. a nan carry
ing large box under bis arm, made his ap-
pOarance in tho front yard Of tho visitors
hotel. lie was tall and sinewy in person,
with tho air and depor,ment OF foreigner.
The steady gray eye, and the rigid mould
Of his features, indicated yigor Of will and
energy Of character. In. other respects
there was nothing noteworthy in bis Ap.
pcarancc or movements.
Having approached to within shor, dis
tance Of the hotel, he deposited his box up
on the ground, uncovered ii and took out a
large rat,lcsnake. whici ho held in hi.
hand, graspns I, firmly around the body
about six inches from its head. and fixing
steady gaze upon itsslittering eyes. Tho
reptile coilcd il, body around the arm OF
the man. or writhed in slow. wAvy motions
through the air, darting it, arrowy ton que
with sibilnnt sound. through the halt
open jaws. In q few moments the erect
bead drooped, the mouth closed. and the
subdurd serpent lay noiionlcs' in the hand
Of the operator, who during the whole per.
iormancc. stood cree, and silent, in tho p.
sition DO had frs, taken.
\ spectacle 50 novel and exciting a,,rac.
tel AZ once the attention Of tie visitors at
the Springs. The ladies crowded on The
iron, gallery Of the hotel, and the men and
boy. gathered in dense circle around the
mysterious stranger, to wi,nc,, his porlIou'
feat.
To convince the spectators iha, the sShi.
bi,ion was not a deception. the performer
drew forth another iars, rattlc.nake from
his box, placed short, blunt stick upright
in hi, mouth - asto bold the auccs apart,
and then inserting another stick 5encath the
ans., he pressed them ou,wardly until their
nll length was exposed to view. In ,his
condition he carried the r;cr,c round the
circle of men and BOYS. an through the
crowd Of ladies, that all might see It was
ycri,abc snake armed with fang and poison
with which hi. ;<.rimeni. were performed
Thi. done: he r--frned to hi. first position,
placed tho snake upon the ground, and com.
mgcci kicking At it with great violence,
taking care, however not 20 strike It with
hi. foot Quickly irri,atei by the Hmula.
tel assault, the snake threw itself into a
coil. shook IT, ra,tles, and seemed eager to
strike IL. a..lilan,, Who. leaning forward,
seized and held it up wri,hIns anil Kissing
IN his grasp. H. looked steadily ior short
time into IL. eyes, when as in the iir', cNpe-
mcni, the head dro,ped, the passion 'uh'i'
dei, and the -erpcnt ren,in'd subiucd aud
still IN the uand Of tho tamcr.
lie mex, cmpiIcI upon the ground tho
content. Of the box, consisting OF a dozen Or
more large. vcnomou. looking n,tlc,nake'.
the reptile mas, coilcd. or gliIcd. hi'.Ins
and fierce, at hi, feet. H. p,cSed them uP
one by one, gael inten,ly lor snort time
into their eyes, and then placed some Of
them in hi, bosom with their heads and
neck. prv,ruiing a, IRON a den others he
,wined around his neck and arms and the
rest he seized AMI held alofG 10 his hands
The reptile. writhcd ard twisted and coilci
as il tightening their hold upon the person
Of the performer. Their eyes gltterei aud
their tongues .ho, forth aud back, like t..
nv arrows FROM ,heii mouths. But the omi.
nous rAttles all we're still, bel,kcning that
curiosity and not anger ELECTED these rep
tile demon,irltion,. The snakc.amer, DO.
grit with this .erpenlile sriIc, remaining
not only anharmed, but apparently quite
unconc.rnsi. lie had rAlatel the mystic.
nou, spell Of the human eye upon them,
and man asserted hi, lord'hip over the must
cunning Of all beast. OF the field.
Tic report Of these wonderful Ieats hav-
ing spread through tho ncichbcrhoOd. with
the olTcr Of u liberal price, by the perform
er, for ike, venomou, snakes, Of every de-
scripuoh, a lad came in one morning to the
Springs, bringing large rattlesnakc which
ho had i,.t eau b, in the neishborins noun.
lains. Se snake tamer paid the promised
reward for it, arl proceeded at once to sub.
due i: in the presence OF nearly all the vi''
tors.
Having cautiously removed the lii Of the
box in which the snake was confined, and
turned it over upon one side. no withdrew
a few steps and awaited the result. In a
few moments, rusty and most venomous-
looking rat,lesnake, Of very largo size.
enwleI lcisurely out upon the gras, with
which the yard was covered. It is the m.
ture Of this species of the serpent neither to
betray fear nor excitement at the presence
Of man. Deeming themselves secure in the
possession Of enormous Gang. and supply
of virus sufficiently copious and deadly to.
produce almost instant death in man or
beast, they neither hasten to escape from
sight when discovered, nor betray the leas,
alarm when assailed. |, is even the popu.
lar faith that they masnanimonsly give the
warning before they strike, by shaking
their rai,les, which produce peculiar,
whining sound, startling to the nerves, and
to the mind.
The presence Of the performer. aad Of the
large crowd which surrounded him, seemed
no, to disturb or even arrest the attention
Of the -caly monster, which, having crawled
Iorth out OF the box, lay mo,ionless and OK.