The comet., 1879-11-29
A rouductor who Handles Snakes
Crops Along the ROute-Polttics'
CAIRO, Nov. %, 1879.


few lines from this point, ana
along the route here may prove inter-
esting to some of your readers.
There is a conductor on the Missis-
sinni Central Railroad who has great
fnndness for all kinds of pets among
these he has pet snake about five
feet in length, which he fondles, ana
seems to have much attachment for
the reptile. The conductor is very
communicative and affable, and every
body likes him. He said: me
snake keep in my room is about five
feet long, and seven or eight years oid'
7 have been so long with him, that he
knows even my voice from others.
feed him on slices Of beet-take nm
ont of the box sometimes, and he
wraps his whole length around my
LEGS and flashes his eyes, and darts
out his tongue at little terrier nave
in the ROOM" The conductor remark
ed: "I woke up one night ana 1elt
something unusually cold at my feet
such a strange cold feeling snakes
have. I got up, and there was the
snake coiled up at the foot OF the ped'
where my feet We're" He said; Il
dashed him out of the bed 50 hard that
the snake wriggled on the floor as II
his back was broken, but he crawled
back into his box, and staid there after
that.u "On another occasion,' he
said, "a drummer staid all night in
the room with me, and now drummers
don't like snakes much, they say
About y O'Clock the drummer aWoke
from his first sleep, not dreaming Oh
the hour, but of snakes. He called
me for Gods sake to come there IN
hurry, that the reptile was in the pea
with him. | FASTENED to his relief as
soon as could light candle, but the
snake was not there. His magma
ton pictured out as many huge rep
tiles on the walls and in the bed, as
the raving drunken maniac, suffering
from mania potu." The conductor has
talking parrots, canary birds, and the
wall of his room is hung with fancy
pictures, where he lives like a recluse,
enjoying his bachelor life.
Wenoticed, particularly in Tennessee,
that most of the cotton is still in the
fields-the people say they have been
too busy sowing wheat to pick out their
cotton. A large and increased acreage
is planted in wheat, which is now five
or six inches high, and tiourishing.
Cairo is now as cold as the Polar re-
gions. Such sudden changes, with the
thermometer down below freezing
point, pierces and cuts through you
as the North wind sweeps down the
Ohio. The st. Charles Hotel here is
five stories high and boasts Of 100 rooms,
but the fare is not quite as good as your
Aberdeen accommodations
The Ohio river here has been trying
to dry up, but has commenced to rise
now, and some large boats are running.
Cairo, back from the river, is right
nice looking city, and boasts of having
ten or twelve thousands inhabitants,
and some elegant residences and other
fine buildings. We noticed a great
many Mississippi negroes here; they
say they were brought here to vote
during the recent elections. Whether
for that, Or having had to stop here on
their way to Kansas, we don't know.
The conductor pointed out to me
little camp built out of boards, about
eight by ten feet; he said, "there is one
of your Mississippi negroes, and he has
been living there in that fix for three
months.
Politics here are rather mixed up
There are several things they seem to
be posted on, however, that is, the kill
ing of Dixon in Yazoo county, the
telegraphic dispatch Toombs sent Grant
at Chicago, and the sayings of Col.
Harper of the Okolona States. They
say all these things have furnished a
mint of political capital, which has
been used advantageously in the recent
elections.
The public sentiment seems to be
growing in favor of Grant for the next
President and we talked with men
from New York, Massachusetts, and
other States, most of whom think he
is the coming man. >.