The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-11-03
THE SERPENT cHARMER.
A Woman with Black Eyes That Can Fass
cinate Snakes as Well rs Men.

of the show, but the reporter was con-
fidentially informed by the animated
skeleton" and the missing link" that
her name was Mrs. Smith,"
She was seated on chair and big
anaconda was wound once around her
waist, the rest of its length lying loose
in her lap. In her right hand she had
the snakes ugly head. She was
brunette and handsome enough to
charm anything.
The snake began to stir its coils on
the woman's lap.
Don't speak, please" she said earn
| estly.
She moved the hand which held the
snakes head until the head was point
! ing straight ut her face. She then
fastened her lustrious black eyes on
the two small treacherous eyes of the
snake. Her eyes seemed to expand
and the snakes to get smaller Superb,
queenly, she looked, her features and
whole bearing seemingly expressing
intense mental effort. The snake ap-
| peared Mt first to avoid her gaze, then
it ceased stirring and Its head drooped,
| limp and listless, in her hand.
Now you may speak," she said.
"That was very pretty"
"Oh, indeed, there was no fake
about that If hadn't mastered the
| snake he would have whipped his tail
into that third loop he was forming
| and squeezed me until my bones
cracked unless someDouy came to my
assistance and cut him in two. A bear
can't hug tighter than an anaconda
can squeeze. This is only the third
time that / have performed with this
snake, and he is disposed to be ugly
unless lock after him. While l was
chatting my eyes went off him, and I
suppose he felt there was an oppor-
tunity to exercize what he regarded as
| his legitimate business. You observe
that | always hold the snake by the
head so that | can compel it to look
me in the face. Then when / get my
eyes on it can subdue it,"
"HowP"
"Ah, that's more than / can tell
| you. What causes the bird or tho
mouse that feed TO the snake to be-
| come powerless when the snake fast
| ems its eyes on it? What is it that en-
ables one man to mesmeriZc another?
| All | know is that | looked Mt the
,
might, to Weld to me. When | do
that seem to feel something going out
from me-electricity - magnetism
don't know what. | feel afterward as
though l had engaged in n physical
struggle with something and conquer
ed. There's where the pleasure comes
in. You may not believe it, but when
concentrate my will to subdue that
| snake the excitement is intense-the
enjoyment exquisite. l suppose it is
something like what Il soldier feels
when the music plays rs he marches to
battle
How do you acquired that power?"
alt isn't acquired; it's born. Many
people possess that power, undoubted-
ly, who don't know of it. Quite acci-
dentally found thatI had it. | never
had that fear of snakes that most peo-
pie have. When quite girl | noticed
some children running from n garter
snake. What possessed me TO do it I
don't know, but picked it up, fasten-
ed my eyes on its eyes. and found N.Y.
self willing it to submit. Then it fell
into a sort of stupor, and | found that
could do with it what l liked. This
discovery that | could subdue the
snake SO that it became entirely pas
sive in my hands pleased me. Ibegan
to experiment with other and larger
snakes, always selecting, of course,
snakes that are not venomous. Then
when circumstances took turn so
that | had to earn my own living /
took to the business. 1t pays a good
deal better than sewing or school
teaching or selling dry goods"
"How do you first go to work with
an anacondap"
81 first give it "A bath of warm milk.
This it seems to enjoy hugely and is
soothed by it and gets lanquid. Then
try to get it into position where
can fastcn my eyes on its eyes. This
often requires great deal of patience,
for the snake tries To avoid it, SEEM
ing TO feel that it means contest in
which it will get worsted. But the
opportunity comes ut last, and when
the snake droops its head listlessly I
know that / have charmed it and can
safely put my hand on it. The next
operation is easier and the snake is
more quickly rendered passive. With
each operation it becomes more docile
until can perform with it in public.
But always one has to be careful, for
the snake is liable at any time to try
squeezing. You can tell by the way
IL moves its coils when it is going to
do that, and can then charm it or mes
merize it until it is passive; but if you
are frightened and get bewildered you
cant exercise any control over the
snake, and the snake will actually try
to charm You. l have had one or two
narrow escapes through carelessness.
The worst place to have q snake is
around your neck, because it takes
very little squeezing there to mako you
feel exceedingly uncomfortable. Wom-
en- can stand great dear more around
the waist, you know"
Are the anacondas troublesome to
keep"
IL should say so; they require u
great more care than baby. They
are so liable to catch cold when con-
fined. You have to throw warm
blankets over them and exercise all