The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-09-03
CITY INTELLIGENCE.

CREATIoN.-Among the many attractions which
our city offers to pleasure-seekers and novelty
hunters, is the SNAKE AND VARIETY SHOW"
on the south ast of Pratt and Mill streets,
up stairs. To the habitues of theatres and concert
rooms, this place of entertainment is probably com
paratively unknown, owing, doubt to the want
OF enterprise on the part of the proprietor, who,
unmindful of the success of Brandreth Bonner and
Barnum, does not believe in the efficacy of adver
tsing. Yet the ''Snake and Variety Show is
literally patronized, and by class of people who
need no advertisement to tell them where to find
what is good, but whose instincts lead them to the
spot with unerring precision. At distance of two
squares from the place, the ear is greeted with
concord of sweet sounds" which are subsequently
discovered to proceed from ''hurdy-gurdv;' the
tavorite tune played by the professor who presides
at the instrument being '.Sich n gittin' up stairs"
Our reporter, by special invitation visited the show
a few days since, and furnishes us with the follow
ing account Of whgt he saw and heard. The ex
terror of the building is decorated with several pan
oramic views of mammoth size and in the highest
style of pictorial art, one of which represents
a man five feet high, swallowing snake fifteen feet
long. Another represents a ''terOcious animal in
'the junge; while third is picture of "the
"greatest living wonder 0'the age'-( subsequently,
discovered to be dead, and the skin stuffed "a
horse with only three legs. The entrance is on
Mill street. up flight of stairs, the steps of which
are sprinkled with sawdust-a precautiOn taken, as
our reporter was informed to prevent the noise of
feet from interfering with the music, and also to
enable the Snowman to usher his visiters into the
august presence OF the animals without their know
ledge, which causes them to put on an air of sur
prise, which makes them appear to greater advan-
tage On gaining the head of the stairs. the re-
porter found that he was not to be alone in his
visit Two gentlemen from the rural districts were
N1pO fhn 10, NGf
entering the room the reporter found cages of va
rious sizes arranged along the sides, ends, and run
ming up the centre of the room, in which were wild
cats, monkeys, coons, snakes, white mice, par
r0ts, birds OF different plumage, and variety of
stuffed skins. The first cage to which attention
was directed the one containing the
white mice. "There,' said the gentleman,
who stirs the animals up, ''there's white mice for
"you" Two hundred in that cage and it amt half
"tull sells 'em at 81. so pair There's scarcely
ga respectable family in town, gentlemen but what's
"got pair OF EN-. You, my friend" addressing
cone of the countrymen who had entered at the same
time with the reporter, ''yOu, my friend, should
purchase severile pairs, and take em with YOU to
"the Eastern shore Thered soon be no necessity for
''your bringing hoop poles to Baltimore" you've
"mistook yCur man." said the Northumberland
Gin an indignant tone Il does mt deal in hoop poles
''water millions is what deals in" "Beg pardon
sir beg pardon but you'd soon cease even that re-
"spectable ayocatiOn There'd be necessity, sir;
"yOu'd soon be rich" The snakes next attracted at
"snake of the male sex, cOpperhead, "A wiper, and
'fty young rattle snakes, whose mother are in an
"other cage, sufern' all the pdngs of despair,
'"cause she thinks she's been bereft Of her
''of1spring. We're wauin' 'ein, and it ill be
''joyful suIpIize when them snakes returns to
"their mother, as they most aSsuredly will-full
'grown. Imagine the meeting, gentlemen ~ This
"harangue was interrupted by screech which came
'Irom an eagle, chained by one leg to the floor.
You heard that scream, gentlemen said the
Snowman at came from that bird of Jove, the
emb OF our beloved America. Eagles arnt pro-
pery curlosities; they're to be seen frequently.
"But it is the history of that bird what makes him
nteresting. That bird purchased at'an incredi-
ble price from gentleman who gothim from DR..
"kane the celebrated Arctic navigator. The doctor
caught the bird settnon the top of the North Pole,
fNo doubt that bird was mission of discovery
as we'll the Doctor, and if twere possible for him
'to speak, would doubt be able to give some vau
cable Information relatin' to the northwest passage
"My heart aches when thinks how much science
closes by that bird not being able give utterancet to
its knowledge. Go back, ,Jacko, said parenthetica-
''y to small specimen of the monkey-tribe that
chad caught the Snowman by the coattal-'I
''sympathiZes with you, Jacko. Gentlemen Jacko
"lOst his mother, a very extraordinary animal
ga few days since. Her skin is now stuffed and
al would point it out to YOU were it not for the fact
"that If Jacko saw calling attention to his
"departed parient he would burst into flood of
clears cry all the afternoon or at least until he
"gets ground-nut. He takes her death very hard
"wery hard indeed, gentlemen" One after another
the animals and birds were thus shown up and the
history of each detailed with minute precision
The gentlemen hailing from the Eastern Shore
asked various questions all of which were answered
with promptness and courtesy. The last animal ex-
hibted was coon, and as the exhibitor stirred him
up, he remarked, ''There, gentlemen is that
"same ole COON. That am the identical animal
what made such fuss in 1910, ard | guess
t generally conceded that he is the greatest curl
osity living. Many of the visitors TO the show re-
"cOgniZes him the minute they enters the ROOM
''They saw him in 40,on the top Of the log cabins,
when he was worshipped by large ma jority of the
'ciiZens of this glorious Union. There he sits
gentlemen, the identical ''same ole coon," except
"that he has one more ring his tail Some people,
"what knows more than the law lows EN- to know say
"that the additional ring caused by the advent of
1.-THE American party but other people who We just as
good right to an opinion, say that can't be the
cause, for II 1t weret ring would gradually dis
"appear, as the party is doing. |, what knows the
''natur of a coon, however, knows that'the animal
"what becomes of the cause that created it,
The animals being all exhibited one of
the countrymen addressed the Snowman, WITH
"S'pose now you'll swallow the snake?'
'.Not in my line" was the reply. "That's an
"after-night performance. The gentlemen who
"tends to that business will be happy to crafty you
"to-night. Never swallows snakes in the DAYTIME
"cause the snakes don't like it,
"JOe, said the visitor who asked the question to
the other. pose we wait till nght-it's only six
hours to dark. The snake swallowing is the best
part
'Well, ;, said the other, "I hant got nothin to
"do, and I'd just as soon wait as not"
The reporter accordingly left the gentlemen
standing at the side of a cage containing two mon
Keys, feeding the animals with ground nuts.
AocrDENT.-Mr. Andrew j. Bowen, one of the
reporters of This Republican, was painfully injured
at the Bolton depot on Thursday evening. He at
tempted to get on train of cars whilst in notion
when his foot slipped and he fell, the cars passing