Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-06-07
At n Menagerie.

NEw YORK, Correspondence Pioneer |
| Press was q woman that had snakes
exhibiting them. she stood in the |
fourth ring at Barnum's circus, nearly |
opposite my seat She had q Lsngtry |
bang lowering over her eyebrows and |
her dress was cat very low in the instep |
and there was a hectic flush of vermi- |
! lion on each of her plump cheeks. She |
said ''Hol' and "Hll" and other words |
borrowed from the circus vocabulary of
Sissy supe, Sleary 4 Co., and, with viz
! lille fort lifted the heavy head of an
enormous boa that coiled around the
lower portion of her person as y Shiny
substitute for pantallettes. She put It's
head on her bare shoulders, placed il
against her cheek, opened its mouth
and exhited its teeth TO the spectators.
Then she smoothed it and triumphant
ly said "Hll' When the exhibitor
tripped OF, and couple of men
gathered up the big snakes in q
wheelbarrow and trunaled them
off, went under the seats to see about
it. The big snakes were already in n
box three feet square and two feet high
land they two-thirds filled il; they were
sixteen and eighteen feet long, and the
larger was six or seven inches thick at
the swell. The beautiful sylph vino had
just exhibited them sat on wagon ton
que. wrapped in very faded water
proof and looking like the much abused
wife of u Comanohe. A man lowering
over the box was pointed out to me as
"Slone, the Snake Charmer" / asked
HIM if snakes were sick Ever sickY"
he repeated, with smile; "they're
never well-leastwiss in this latitude.
They're as tender as spring chickens
F. when you bring 'em out of their regu--
lar beat. | was Just a-thipking this
minute what to do Tor these. You can't
do anything for 'em; nothing can't be
done for EN-; they're real sick these
j. air-and Polly Is worse'n Ben. Canker
i ia the mouth that's what ails 'em;
g that's what allus ais tropic serpents
( that's travelin' up hereGways; that's
= what these big exhibition snakes most
allus dies of-canker. See how white
a Ben's mouth Isles look a. thatW
:, And be lifted up one of the snakes
s. in his hand, and opened its mouth with
e his finger 40 one would a cats. The
- uhN"hby S@NAtg vas hAtcd WIN u WINE
foam.
. "Cankerl" he repeated. "Itketched
e cold so fur away from home up here
IS in this damp, cold North-ketched cold
IT jest es baby might, and it took the
form of a canker. 1t always does. He
a amt been able TO swallow morsel OF
# anything for more than four months
70 We hitched pigeon to the box here
o right before him; he didn't care moth
ing about it AT all, moren efit he'd beer
so much tan bark"
e, / asked how snakes that couldn't cal
~ were kept alive.
+ "They soak in their victuals" he said
II owe give these Birds" abiding Il
D, the reptiles, "a bath every morning il
70 about fifteen gallons Of milk. They
d absorbs enough of it in their system L
keep them alive. They are quite chip
Or per for while after they come out .
u it. Don't hold your face down quit
le so near there, | wouldn't, fer he Nigh
he strike you, not knowing who twas"
Is sided off Little, and he contin
+ ued:
at a see one once that didn't die O
g. cauker; he died OF what the doctor call
D. cd confusion of the BRAIN"
ID Confusion? What made it con
D. tuse?'
% "Hatchet."
"Hatchelm
lg "Hatchet knocked him in the heaC
IN because he bit me. His name wa
~ Ebenezer; we called him Eb"
e. He held up his chin and laid fnge
oil iCV gfln of Ife 10. Il -,
w. two inches long that seemed to tun
white aud red rs he brought il to tn,
NJ light. ] was about to ask him if b,
re didn't die of it, when he added
IL They amt poisonous: none of thu
to big snakes is. They bite jest as do
Rs does, exactly, and they hurt eff the,
le git good hold. This feller did, an,
n he shook me fer az much rs half
I'D minute, till an assistant made hin
J. leggo."
I'D The jaded sylph had edged along t.
le the edge Of the box in q listening atti
tude. suspected her of having sent
nc mental designs on the snake charmer
b. 'Do you like tb emf" / asked of heI
at do you become fond Of 'em?"
D.. "Nawl" she exclaimed, making
ldf scornful mouth mot any / don
Is, waste my feelin's that way. Tney'r
so awful cold, ard then they're 80 blame
ne heavy"
ie They bite very solemnly, indeed
Id resumed the man, "but they're th
ri, champion huggers. / hev no dout
ks that this feller could hug middlil
H. sized elephant to death when he's fee
ID in real we'll"