Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-01-07
A snake Charmerss Feats.
now lie MAKES THE REPTILES BE
GOOD.

~1C1N 49,
opinion OF snakes. Win w. Howe,
of Camden has. He considers that
a snake has as much right to be
treated as a pet, as a dog OF cat or
bird. Behind the counter of his
liquor and billiard room, corner of
Arch and Fifth streets, stands a
pine box, and in this a visitor found
a six feet pine snake, which at a dis
lance of three or four feet closely
resembles a rattlesnake. Mr.. Howe
thrust an arm into the box and lift
ing the squirming reptile by the neck
tossed him on a billiard table to the
CONSERVATION of a man who was
reaching across for "a bali.
That's the only one / have at
present." said Mr.. Howe, as he
stroked the creatures back, "but /
expect TO get more soon. This fell
low | caught about three months
ago, neal Chemung Station, New
Jersey, and he has turned out one
of the incest pets | have eve had.
He was pretty ugly at first, but by
gentle handling l have made a de-
cent snake out of him. Why, he
would not eat for six days after he
was caught, but | got him reconcil-
to his fate at last. He now eats reg
ularly and is quite lively. | feed
him on sparrows, mice, eggs and
milk, | put the birds in alive, and
1 sometimes feel sorry for the poor
things, they do take on so. He kills
them and then swallows them whole
feathers and all. He swallows an
egg without breaking the shell.
That sounds like a pretty stiff snake
story, but the throat of the snake is
capable of wonderful distention. |
feed him three and four times a
week. After a meal he will lie four
or five hours without stirring a mus
Gle.
RULING SNAKES WITH THE WHIP.
'"The rattlesnake." the snake fan
cier continued, "rarely feeds more
than three times a week. He is so
much more vicious than the pine
snake, and it requires more skill and
patience to subdue him. 1t is the
same way with a blacksnake. The
RATHER has the nature of a bull dog
to a great extent; the only way that
anything can be done with him at
first is by brute force. / have to
whips RATHER into subsection. How
is that :? Oh, the whipping +? Well,
sir, / find that a snake has about as
much intelligence as almost any an
imal, and when it strikes at you it
knows it has done wrong and under
stands why the whipping is admins
tered. | take a small switch and
whip the snake over the head. Rat
tiers are stubborn at first, but they
can be conquered finally by the little
whip, and then give little trouble.
When a RATHER gives in and squeals
then l know that L have conquered
him. Now, with the pine-snake it
is different. If | should take a
switch and whip that snake there on
the head, it would cry like a child.
That is strange isn't it !? But it is
true. There is no need of whipping
a snake more than two or three
times, for after that it fears you and
if you go at it right it will soon
learn to love you the same as a dog
or cat. Before / tanned this one it
jumped clear out of the box one day
in an endeavor to strike the clerk.
1t never made IA single strike at me,
and it probably never will, because l
treat it kindly. Would you like to
see it climb a tree 2"
CLIMBING A TREE.
The snake was carried to a tree in
front of the store and hung over the
first limb. In a few minutes it had
climbed to the very top of the tree
and swung to and fro in the summer
breeze. There was a commotion
among the birds and loud angry pro-
tests YER made against the intru-
sion. Mr.. Howe and the reporter
sat down under the tree and talked
of snakes and lizards and all man
ner of creeping things, the former
discoursing volubly on his preference
for snakes as pets and playthings.
He GLAZING TO have owned and hand