The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-07-30
nAMAJANTE,s sNAKEs.
A P1ucky Little Woman From Hin
dostan Who Braves Death 10
Earn Living.


Il think that this little woman can
talk in q much more interesting way
about show life than lean, said Chas-
A. Davis. press agent for the great
Forepaugh show, when asked By the
Hsrdld reporter to relate . few Incl
dents Of the varied and thrilling ex-
periences which enter into the life Of
nearly everyone connected with = cir
CTS. This" continued Mr.. Davis.
bringing forward adark-skinned. black
cred woman Of graceful carriage and
/ faultless form, sis NSla Damajante,
the Hindoo snake eharmer. She has
had enough wonderful adventures with
| her crawling pets In the last half dozen
years to I'll q volume" Fifteen min
utes' conversation with Damajante full
| " bore out what the agent said.
Damajante, although engaged in the
rather unfeminine occupation Of hand
/ ling enormous anacondas and twining
about her body the deadly folds Of
powerful pythons. is decidedly interest
ing in appearance and conversation.
Although a native of Hindostan she
speaks French fuently, has q smatter.
/ ing Of Portuguese, and Is engaged in
mastering the intricacies of English.
/ She is Of medium height. delicately
built, and shows her Eastern origin in
an oval face, exquisitely cut features. q
pair Of melting eyes. black as night,
and an abundance of raven black hair,
which, when unconfined, falls below
her waist. Her skin is of that peculiar
swarthy hue seen only among high
caste Hindoos. 1t is not dark. like
that Of the octoroon, nor copper-color-
ed, as the North American Indians. 1t
is rather a deep. rich olive, with the
faintest suggestion of peach bloom
shining through, which intensifies and
comes and goes as the speaker becomes
animated.
The snake charmer talked modestly
and with charming absence of any
''airs" that would lead one to think
she thought herself in any respect
! Drawer than ordinary mortals. q
hardly know how to begin, said she,
in her pretty broken English, because,
/, you see, am more at home with my
snakes than when talking to you gen.
tlemen of the newspapers. You wan
TO know why fear not the big snakesi
will tell you. II is because 1 love
, them and they love me; it is-ah, no;
mistake there; they do not always love
D me. Sometimes / shake-what yoJ
say in English? you shiver-becaust
tight. Then j feel afraid. Other PEG
pie are afraid? Yes. Some day thu
. powder-mill will burst and kill every
body. The people who are afraid arr
not killed because they are far away
You are killed because you are no
afraid. Do you understand meP'
, As if to illustrate what she said Mis-
Damajanta opened box standing il
5 the center of the tent and took from
under the folds of q gaudy blanket
Il huge python, whose forked tongue wa
>, darling in and out like lightning, ant
whose eyes were scintillating like dia
u monds. Without the slightest hesitan
9 CIV she wrapped the enormous reptil
about her neck, and there It writhed,
n living necklace. you see," she said
as the snake suddenly attempted t
d encircle her chest, ''this is what hav
VI to guard against at the same tim
9 seizing the monster just behind tn
10 head. causing it to hiss horribly
% when l was in Madrid my larges
5 snake, weighing nearly 120 pound:
= nearly choked me to death, and it too
I; two strong men TO get it loose. los
:, the grip on his head. Another time
in London, the same snake tightene
about my chest so powerfully that
Is made my nose bleed. In PHILADELPHIA
~ last season, a new snake that did nc
a know me got beyond my control an
before | could seize its neck nearl
VI crushed my arm. l was so sorry th
le newspapers published it, for | do ne
. want anyone to think that / am afraiC
ID In one of the Western States-I cannC
remember the name-I tried to sho
= how i handled three snakes at onc'
3 The smallest one got away from mt
and in trying to catch him | let g
of the others. The next momen
IF they were both wrapped around m
10 body and tightening the folds. wa
y unable TO speak, and threw myself o
10 my back to attract attention. Two al
N tendants rushed forward and rescue
me. find the greatest danger o
n warm days. The snakes are full {
Is life then and want to squeeze tigh
e On cold, damp days they will hardl
is move. l should like TO tell you how
l. give them bath every Saturday Ligh
and how feed them on live rabbit!
W but see you are impatient to g
IN Shall say goodbye in Hindoostane
Is We'll, then, 'kctah vale or, as the
would say in Paris, 'au revoir. ~
z. Chicago Herald.