The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-08-24
iylInssisas Il, s.i,ai,eery.

"A citr1on9 r1se has shtfh Ccclipyi Inc rtibI
: attention. and the Court Of ahahcats Ia Eht;
land very recently, and in:fart Is not al,
posed of yet. 1t exhibits one Of the mos
extraordinary developments OF modern time
in civilized country, and We must go bac
to the remote days of serpent worship in an
Gent Egypt to find its parallel. A gentle
man residing near Cnrlyle's house, in Lon
don, is in the habit Of keeping beacon
strictor, python, and several small Snake
in bis house, allowing them TO roam abou
freely in his garden and treating them n:
members of his family. The details are hor
rlblei and would be almost incredible but
that they have been sworn to before the
magistrate and in n court of law. The cir
cumstances are best narrated in letter to
the London Times. which Is too long to
quote, but is in substance as follows:
The writer of the letter called on the gen
tlelnan in question, who is m,lsc-naster,
named Mann, and saw him and his wife:
While conversing with them Mr. Mann pro-
| duced out Of closet some snakes, boa
constructor. aud 4 ttythQh. aud put them ON
his table. to the no small terror 0r the visitor,
whose fear, however, became mingled with
an'azement when he saw the boa and the py-
| tllon coil themselves round and round Mr..
Mann. Soon afterwards Mrs. Mann and two
little girls entered the room, and went to the
| boa which had been placed on an armchair,
and, calling it by the most endearing names,
| allowed it to Irvine itself around them. This
creature is, described IL .beiits as thics arOutid
rs small tree, and; after playing With tile
| children, it coicd itself around Mrs. Mann's
waist and neck, and formed kind of turban
| around her head, expecting to lie pettcd like
Il kitten. The children over and over again
took its bead in their hands and kissed it.
The visitor says that the animal seemed
much pleased, hut kept turning its head con-
tinualy toward him with curious gaze, I'M
til he allowed it TO nestle its head for mo-
| ment up his sleeve; and that nothing could
lie pretticr than to see this splendid serpent
coilcdall around AIrs: Mann %hilh she NOTED
| about the ro6ti.
1t is Il curious fact that these horrible and
deadly reptiles can form so strong an attach
ment to human beings as they seem to have
| done in this instance About a year ago Mr.
and Mrs. Mann were away for six weeks.
| and left the boa in charge Of one of the keep
crS of the geological gardens. The poor rep
tile moped and refused to be comforted while
there; but when its master and mistress ap-
pearcd it sprang upon them with delight.
coiled itself around them, and showed
! every symptom of intense pleasure. The
neighbors on Chcync Walk, however. did
not appreciate boa-constrictors; pythons:
and snakes; either generally or individually;
but looked upon them rs disgusting reptiles.
m, o1-as ~ b,;-
| dens and houses. The oCcupier of one of
the adjoining houses was kept in continual
| fear ny them, for they would crawl over the
garden wall and wander about his pre-
| misses to the terror Of his family and
servants. And as Mr.. Slam refused
to part with his reptiles, the neigh.
Dor (Mr. Cockburn) applied to magistrate
| for advice. The magistrate recommended
| him to make al application to the Court of
| Chancery for an Injunction to restrain Mr..
| Mann from keeping tin s.lakes OH his pre-
| misses. and TO bring an indictment against
| him for carrying on nuisance. Mr.. Cock
| burn applied to the court, and Mr.. Mann
was summoned to appear and show caIlsc
| why IN Injunction should not issue. He
| appeared by counsel, and alleged that tie
snakes were pets and harmless. The Judge.
| however, did not see it in that light he
| did not order the snakes to he brought into
| court and examined, il is true, but he made
| the defendant give ali Undertaking not to
permit any of them to escape into the
plaintiffs garden or house until the cause
| could be fully argued next term; and so the
motion stands over for the present. because
Of the long vacation. 1t is surprising that
| the nCi9hborS did not take the law into
| thcirown hands and destroy the snakes, i'll
stead of going into canccrv.
Gases have been known of children having
been so paralyzcd Ivy the gaze Of Il serpent
| that they became helpless victims: and birds
! have been dtstro;cH by the reptile in like
| manner. III Asia experimenting or " Charm
ing" us it Is called. has been profession
| from time immelnorial, but it has always
| been attended with danger. In hot climates
all snakes are vcnonOlls. This is not the
case in cold clnal-s, and ii Mr.. Mann'S
snakes are English they may he harmless. aS
| he says. But the hca-rOlStrictdr is native
of India and Of tile Southern portion Of this
| continent; it is Il most wicked reptile, and
| that renders the triumph of Mr.. and Mrs.
| Mann over the one they possess the more
remarkable. The subject is Il curious clio.
! Snake flScnations can be inherited is well as
snake propcnSities. In Or. O. W. Holmes 5
| tale of Elsie Fenncr," which he SAYS i,
| founded on fact, avery interesting illIstra-
ton Of this power il given.
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