News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-06-27
A SNAKE CHARMER,
A FARMER WHO LIVES IN A
HOUSE FULL OF REPTILES.
His Unaccountable Fascination for
the Shiny Creatures, Who Come
and Go at His COMMANDMENTS
Unsociable Reptiles.

1dnh Will fuSneS ana skunk cabbage,
took me, says Stratferd Conn., letter
to the Boston Globe, out into "No
Mans Land, where the farms are as
much In state of nature as they are in
the backwoods of Maine. Cattle and
pigs ran at large in the streets, and hens
croonlngly lowered their chickens in the
dust of the roads.
Poor Sam Greenrod, the snake
charmer, the man who has received
more notoriety for his odd conduct than
any man in the nation, was found at
last.
He lives in a double decker, two-story
house, the upper part painted white,
the lower IN state of nature, stood IN
the midst of q frog-haunted swamp a
few rods away from the dusty roadside.
In many respects it was q marvel of
architecture. The upper story was
much larger than the lower, and stuck
out over it like felon on the end of q
finger. 1t was tall, ungainly and for
bidding. English srarrows and swal-
lows fought under the jutting edges,
and spiderwebs hung in all the protect
ed corners, like so many wells put on to
conceal the deformities SO very appar-
ent.
The human filling of the picture was
as follows: A brown eyed, plump girl of
fifteen, who would have been pretty had
she taken pains to wash her face and
comb her hair; an overalled and grimy
boy of thirteen, who carried q gun in
his hand and the remnants of his dinner
on his face; two plump and earth-grimed
lads of uncertain age, who quarrelled
about the exact ingredients of q mud
pie they were preparing, and O pretty
but rather solid little toddler of some
three years. In the midst of this group,
lank and overalled, was Sam Greenrod,
the taXidermist and snake magician.
He was forty years old, feet 10 inches
high, and tipped tho scales at $50
pounds. Yellowish- brown hair, oakum-
colored mustache and goatee, and big,
lack-lustre brown eyes showed under q
tan -colored SLOUGH hat, while his broad
and stopping shoulders moved auto
matically as he slouched along, giving
me the impression that he walked fully
as much with his shoulders as with his
feet.
"Mr Greenrod2" said I.
"What there is left of me-" was the
reply. He stopped and looked at me
carefully, as much rs to ask why should
want to see him.
"Where are your snakes2" 1 asked,
abruptly. A smile of maternal Joy
lighted up his face as he replied:
"Here are few that have taken out
for an airing, and two that have found
to day" and he began to pull the scaly,
writhing reptiles ont of his pockets. 1t
was surprising to see how many pockets
he had. Tho only thing that was more
surprising was to note how many snakes
every pocket contained.
They were of every size and color and
age; gray and grcasy-looking snakes
from the swamps, dapper and shining
striped snakes from the folds, sleek
coated and corseted ring neck snakes
from the stone-heaps, spotted, abhor-
rent, fat-headed adders from the low
meadows, pink and dirty cardinal little
wriggling ''varmints" from the plough
ed fields, were all there, and all looked
healthy. happy and free from care. He
pull ed them out by twos and threes and
half-dozens. They came from every,
where-from his overalls, from his boot
legs, from his vest, and even from the
inside Of his gray flannel shirt. wait
ed, expect 'ng to see him pull them from
his ears and his mouth. He toyed with
them, carcsscl them md talkel to them
as girl will talk to her pet dog. They
wcro nil over him at once. He opened
his mouth and allowed loathsome
adder to touch his cold and fangless
jaws against his lips. He threw them
over his neck, let them climb up his
sleeve and coil about his hand and wrist
in perfect abandon. It was an ophi-
dian carnival, and had there been any
liquor for sale in the town which | had
lust left ] should have mistaken my eyes
and come to the conclusion that [ hal
better go to bed and take dose of bro
mide at once.
'"These be only few" said he.
Come into the house and I'll show you
some beauties. | know not whether /
was charmed by the man or by the
snakes, for | was badly disguised, but L
followed obediently.
The menageric was in the room evil
IDENTIFY intended for the parlor, but for
the time converted into q museum.
had Just time to notice that the walls
and even the floor were covered by
birds, mammals, reptiles and fishes i'll
all attitudes and all stages of dustiness
and decay when he took down lot of
tin and glass jars and began to let his
ophidious pets loose. They went with
ing and squirming over the floor, even
as the rods of the high priests of Egypt
did when they enlisted in magic with
Moses. I would have given weeks
salary to get out of there, and should
probably have fled in terror had not n
large and good looking woman opened
n back door Just then and come into the
room.
"My wife" said Sam, with q nod to
her, and kept on exercising his charms.
The power lie had over them was truly
wonderful. 1t was no freak of the
imagination, either. The snakes came
and went ut his call as obediently as
trained dogs. They coilcd around one
and stuck out their split tongues in n
way that WAS ut once caressing and
terrible
"Do the snakes know YOU" 1 asked.
"Know mo I should laugh. See
here Ned (and MS he spoke he gave u
sharp chirrup), como to me. " No
sooner had he said this than striped
snake, about four feet long and MS big
around as my wrist, left his gnmhols
with a fat adder and came zigzngging
over to Sans foot and began to climb
his leg the way n hop vine climbs pole.
When nearly up to his body the snake
stopped and opened his trnp-like jaws.
Sam pulled BIT OF raw flesh from the
COW bunting he had just mounted, put
it in the reptiles mouth, and his pet
descended again. Another sharp
whistle, and that snake was coiled up i'll
the shape Of an od-fashioned &, while
his head and cleaning eyes stuck out
from the middle. 1t would take
whole book to tell of the other tricks
that were performed then and there.
Whenever snake would do anything
unusually brilliant Sam would reward it
by bestowing q piece of cow-bunting
meat. 1t is not likely that the show
would "take" on public stage, but it
was interesting for all that, and set me
to wandering about a great misfortune
which happened about 5000 years ago
in beautiful garden, and if it were not
really possible for snakes to talk as well
rs facinate.
"These snakes love me us they do
their father, " said Sam rather vaguely
81 know it. if | go away they will not
beats all how tho do sotby me. When
/ began over 20 ycrrs ago, it was just
to see how they lived and got along. In
little while [ grow Interested, and
then / studied them for information.
They know moro than IL horse or q dog,
and nearly as much rs woman"
If the Globe was a paper devoted to
spreading the gospel of Darwin it would
be very interesting to give many of the
stories he told me. Enough to say that