Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-05-14
Snake Charming IN Siam.

/ .t
! to see some amusements, writes trav
| eller, the performance began by til,
magician taking small pearl box ou
of his bosom, opening it and holding i
toward some butterflies. They seemed
to o'observe the downy cotton with which
the box was lined, and in circline
curves they moved toward it and
crouched down, with wings still out
spread, upon the dainty couch prepared
for them. The juggler closed the boz
at once, and as he did so, wesaw seated
upon the top live canary, that car
oiled forth sweet songs until It's little
throat seemed ready to split, as il
striving to compensate for the depart
ure of our butterfly favorites. Sud
denly the song of Joy was changed to
piercing notes that betokened horror or
alarm, and we saw at the coniuror's feet a
deadly cobra di capello, coiled as if for
a spring, and with it's glittering ewes
fixed on the bird, that seemed spell
bound to the spot, either too friehten-
ed or fascinated to move. The man
waited till the snake was in the yery
actlof springing, and then, with few
words spoken in low musical tones and
a gentle droning movement of his
hand, he seemed to throw the cobra
into the same trance-ike state that the
bird had eyinced, while the latter rous-
ed up and flew eagerly into the jug
gler's bosom, which had been opened
for its reception. From this same ca
less in its resources, were drawn out
Il l.
time to make each others acquaint-
ance, sometimes melting them to
anger, and again soothing to quietude
by his soft words and droning motions,
the juggler wrapped them both about
his neck and arms, and stood with ex-
ultant pride, allowing them to touch
his nose, the tip of his tongue, and IN
one instance even the pupil of his eye,
With their vibrating tongues. But all
this while he held small lutte in his
hand and when words seemed to fail,
he played a few notes on the instru-
ment, which soon reduced the reptiles
to state of dreamy quiescence. After
performing various daring feats with
them, to show the audience that the
snakes had been in no way mutllated,
he threw a large chicken between them.
Both struck at it, and it died in about
five minutes.
I afterwards saw more of this snake
charming in Bangkok; and in this
branch of jugglery the Siamese are
said to excel all other Orientais, I
have seen them hang half a dozen
different kinds of serpents-c -cobras,
hooded. sun-snakes and vlpers-about
their necks at once, placing whole
coil of them in their bosoms, and even
taking the reptiles heads in their
mouths. Then they will place some
ten or fifteen of as many
different species in deep basket
with long narrow neck, and without
looking in, thrust down their heads,
draw up one or more, toy with 1t for a
while, and then, throwing it back, take
up another, and SO on as long as they
can obtain paying spectators. These
jugglers devote. themselves exclusively
to the study and practice of their pro-
fession, and each company tries to out
40 al others in dexterjty and daring.
They are highly esteemed, exert large
influence in the community, and are
accredited by their credulous COM
patriots with authority over all dis
eases, which they profess to summon
or drive off at will, as well as evil
spirits, ghosts and genii.
Despite the palpable absurdity OF
! these pretensions, the reality OF the
power they claim over venomous rep
tiles admits of not the shadow OF
doubt, though how this power IS main
! tanned is not SO easily shown. 1t IS
! doubtless to some extent, the effect OF
music, which is always employed by
the iugglers to throw the reptiles into
a sort of spell during their perfor-
mances, aided also by a monotonons
waving to and fro of the charmer's
body-a motion that seems to hull the
snakes into dreamy. mesmerlc trance,
in which they can be kept for days
together. In addition to this, the
snake are very carefully tended, never
suffered to become hungry hor yet ted
to such repletion as to occasion
either topper or habit OF
hankering after blood. The. jug
4 glers also keep their bodies smeeared
with some oily substance, the nature
| of which thev will not divulge; but we
NAV infer that it is something for which
1 the snake has natural antlpathy or
! that exertss narcotic influence on-lts
nerves These. combined influences
seem quite sufficient to produce the
marvellous power exercised by Oriental
\ ssnake-charmers It is absolutely GER
4 tain that the poisonous fangs are not
4 extracted, as some have asserted, but
that the reptiles are brought wholly
unmutilated into the arena. nave
myself seen charmers perform VIII
snakes they have never before touched'
!, and which have been returned TO me
perfect as [ handed them over some
4 of these arc now bottled in my cabinet
Alligator charming is also enected oa
music, and is resorted to frequently pS
soothsayers and fortune tellers TO de
decide whether an undertaken is to pf
} lucky or unlucky. Offerings art
: thrown into the river, prayers art
made. and then in undlssembled awe
L the petitioners await lie monsters oe
1 cree. that is to send them OF happy O
the reverse. If he appears to ansWe
} to the call the omen is gooa. l
his alligatorship, however, sho1le 7 u nap
pen to be sleepy or absent, and fa1l t t
respond, his petitioners depart IN sad
ness, and never hesitate to give up Tn
proposed undertaking, whatever
may be. In this eonnectlon n = ms;nto lnsnsiG,
: fortune telling, IN when al Oeiel'a tl'a
q natives have such unlimited coi!llo'elio
a that betrothal in marriage, lourheI
or feast-in fact anything OF even sma ! ,;
! importance-is never entered on ~ ~
! the soothsayer has been sought or tn
f s'fortune book y consulted.
= Two Hundred Persons Suffering ffol
| Trichln@ SpiraiIs.
About two hundred persons who ma
Z eaten raw ham, purchased at the sno