Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-17
SNAKES ANpFusEL on.
A Snowman Dies from the Bite OF One
ofHis Strange Pets.

of HIS Strange Pets.
James Reilly, a professional snake
charmer. living at No. A Bond street, n.
Y, says the World Of July IA, has long
been regarded as an expert in handling
dangerous reptiles, which he exhibited to
admiring crowds at Kyle's Park, High
Bridge. Yesterday while handling a
large rattlesnake il suddenly coiled It's
tail around the mans arm and fastened
its fangs on Reilly's right hand between
the thumb and index finger. Reilly was
almost transfxed with horror and
completely lost his presence of
mind. DR.. Meigs Case, Of High
Bridge, was called. He took Wig
orous measures to eounteraet the effect
Of the poison. Incisions were made IN the
flesh near the wound, from which the
blood flowed but feebly on account OF the
effect already produced on the heart 5 ac-
ton by the poison. The patient ap-
piled the sucking process to the
wounds, however. and extracted as mucn
blood as possible. The man was by this time
almost pulseless. DIR. Case administered
a quart of coffee and corlous draughts OF
whisky, which, however, produced appa-
rently little effect, and the Doctor ex-
pressed the opinion that the case was Ia
tai. Reilly was taken to the Ninety
ninth Street Hospital where he now lies.
The above case recalls that of Reynolds,
a New York man, who was bitten by
rattlesnake about two years ago at one
onta. Ny Reynolds was lifting snake
from a box when the reptile bit him on
the hand, but the man notwithstanding
this picked the snake up and was again
bitten. Stimulants were resOrted to and
wound, which latter was freely cauterized.
REYNOLDS was intoxicated at the time.
He swallowed large draughts of whisky,
producing an apparent benent, winch,
however, proved only temporary. Within
ten hours after being bitten his entire
arm to the shoulder was swollen terribly
and turned perfectly black color. Death
resulted in fourteen hours after he receiv-
ed the wound. Before his death snch was
the great tension on the skin that numer-
GUS incisions were resOrted to TO Afford
relief.
From the time of his admission to the
hospital Reilly's condition has been grow
ing worse, his death being not unlikely at
any moment. He presented a horrible
appearance Monday. The right arm-he
was bitten in the hand between the thumb
and forefinger-was swollen to three times
its normal condition from che wrist to the
shoulder, and the hand itself would have
made four of the unbitten one. Although
the rest of his body was not
swollen, blotches had broken out
all over him, and they gave
him the appearance OF having been
tatUooed. Reilly was still conscious, eX-
cept at intervals, when he relapsed into
semi-uncOnscious state. He apparently
suffered but little pain, as ever since his
admission to the hospital hypodermic in
jections of whisky and ammonia had
been made almost every hour. He expect
GRATED and vomited blood freely all day,
and was in a very weak condition.
All the physicians attached to the nos
pital have watched the progress of the
poison in the mans system with extra
ordinary interest, as there had never
| been a case of rattlesnake poisoning treat
ed in New York hospital. No treat
ment for it, except the injections OF
whisky and ammonia, is known.
DIR. Spalding, the house surgeon at the
| Ninety-ninth street Hospital, was over
run with persons yesterday, who brought
| remedies which they warranted would
cure the poisoned man, but as none OF
them apparently knew how the remedies
should be applied, they were not needed.
| Finally, however, an individual carrying
a brown paper parcel under his arm and
attIred in suit Of blue flannel, with an
open-front blue shirt, brought up sud-
| denly in front of the hospital steps.
He announced his intention of
| curing Reilly, and said he was willing to
| 90 to work at once, and asked to be al
| lowed to do so. He would neither reveal
| his name nor the nature of his remedy,
| but said he came sail the way from York
| town, this State, sir, to cure the man,
| b'gosh." He was allowed to retire to the
rear of the hospital, where a small NOR
tar, a basin of water and pint of salt
| III o4 10
| carefully unwrapped his paper parcel and
| drew therefrom a quantity of green leaves
| and roots, which looked like pepper
mint, and which he began indus
| triously to pound. After break
ing the mortar carefully into two
pieces, he removed his plants to the door
step, where, with equal energy, he pounded
them with hammer on the stone until
he got them reduced to pulpy state. He
then emptied his pulp and the salt into
/ the basin of water, and asked to be taken
| to Reilly's bedside. He confidently as
sured the doctors that he could cure the
man inside of three hours, The herbs, he
explained, had been used hundreds OF
times in similar cases, and always had
| proved successful.
| Inside the tent the blue-shirted indi-
/ vidual knelt down beside Reilly's cot and
plastered his cOncoctiOn all over the ter
| ribly swollen arm, from the wrist to the
shoulder, and put small chunks of ice on
top of the leaves. Reilly made no resist
| ance, nor did he seem to know what the
| fellow was doing. After the stuff had
been on the arm for almost an hour, and
| without any apparent effect, it was taken
off. After waiting until Reilly died the
amateur doctor started YEARLY for the
train to ''Y orktown, this State"
Among those who called to see the
poisoned Snowman was Frank FeraldO
He said he had known Reilly on and off
for % years, travelling, sleeping and eX-
hibiting with him on many occasions. He
averred that the alleged diamond-back
| rattlesnake was nothing more than
common Florida rattlesnake. He laughed
at Clark's story about Reilly having
captured the snakes IN Mexico, and
said that he (Feraldo) was with Reilly
when the latter bought them in
| Pensacola for 81 apiece, and paid dearly
for them at that. They were as veno-
nous, however, Feraldo said, as the
genuine diamond-back, and, if anything,
of a more savage nature after having
| shed their skin. He told of a case in
which a negro in Jacksonville was
| bitten by one of the snakes in the
little finger. Almost Immediately
after the bite the finger began to
swell, when, with great presence
of mind, the darkey amputated the
finger himself and saved his life thereby.
Very few cases of snake poisoning, Feral-
do said, were ever cured, but whisky was
! the universal remedy. Amputatl0n Oh tne
member poisoned Immediately after the
bite was Sometimes effectual, but it rarely
could be done quickly enough to prevent
the poison from spreading through the en-
| i'm