Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-08-23
A DEN OFnDEATH.
a WIRE CAGE WHICH CONTAINS
200 IsATTLESNAIkES
Man Enters and FondIcs the Rep
tiles -Thcir Deadly Breath
Feeding and Washing Them
Once WeeL-

! l was taken to Dime Museum Oh
Eighth avenue, says Nym Crinlkle in the
New York World.
1t was one of those shows of which we
have altogether too many. A collection
of human monstrosities, human frauds
and human invaiids, with Il fringe of
museum and an attempt ut performance.
| But in one corner on the second floor.
where no sunlight ever came, and abutting
the little stage where disease stalked in
tinscl and 10 which morbid visitors came
with delight, there stood wire cage
about eight square, with movable lid i,
and by lis side sat II rather spare Young
man with a turban OH, made of II dirty
American flag. In this cage, coiled, i'll
| tcrlocl:ed, writing in convolutcd masses,
and darllly moving about were the two
hundred 1ttlcsnal,cs. They were the
mnistakablc crotalidGe, and represented
every variety of the animal that is known
| to our land from the lively and cinerous
| prairie RATHER to the scaled beast that one
seldom sees except in the rocky retreats
of the Aleghanies, the Catslills or the
White Mountains.
The wire cage in which they were
placed was not over three feet high, and
when the lid was lifted it was open
across one-half its top. Presently the
| iloor-walkcr Of the museum, who CON
ducts the crowd from freak to freak and
explains the wonders with provcrbial
rhetoric, approached this end of the room,
and rs he called the attention of the
| sight-sccrs to the den of snakes, the man
with the star-spanglcd turban, who had
been sitting on box by the side of his
cage, got up and with the utmost sang
froid lifted the lid and stepped over the
wire side into the box. / noticed that
hc was very careful where he put his
moccasincd feet, the toes Of which went
down very ginscrly in the narrow space
where there was no snake. But the
moment he put his hand upon the lid to
curious activity, aud there rose from
every serpent the whirring cicada sound
Of rattlcs. There was an unmistakablc
andeavor on the part of each snake to
get himself into the conccntric position,
which is most favorable for striking, but
20 intcrlOc!lcd and masscd were they that
It was not an easy matter.
The exhibitor seated himself in the
centre of the box. Its inhabitants were
now in Il most lively condition. They
;quirmcd and ratified, but not one of them
struck at him. lie picked them up, re-
gardlcss of their attitudes and warnings,
aid them one upon the other across his
knees, put them about his neck so that
The little black scaly heads came together
III his chin, and hung two of the smallest
over his cars, and presently he was pretty
we'll covered with Il writhing mass.
noticed that he exercised Il great deal
If dcXterity i'll picking them up. That is
20 say he picked them up gently, and at
he same time appeared to do it care
essly. His one great care was obviously
rot 10 irritatc the snake. In putting
Town his hands TO feel for thchi on the
ioor of the care he could not turn his
lead TO direct the motion of his hands
with his eyes, as his writhing ncckerchicf
ntericred. He therefore CROPPED deity
bout with his fingers, now collecting Il
make by the head, now by the tail,
md nearly every one that he lifted kept
ip the rafting, rather, however, in an
automatic than in vicious manner
He remained in the cage just two
minutes and thirty seconds by the watch
When he discngaged himself and slipped
nut he was i'll that condition called us
"a dripping pcrspiratioa," and his pulse
vas ahnormalIy high. The crowd paid
10 attention 10 Inn and passed on to the
'ther wonders. So had him alone.
found him to be an intelligent Irish
nan (O'Connell is his nance, and he told
ne that he could not stay i'll the cage
'ver three minutes, because "thc breaths
VI the snakes overcamc him."
asked him in what way lie was af-
ectcd. He said il made him weak"
This is curious aud interesting point,
md am inclined to believe that this man
ALTERED from IN unconscious fear. He
las been struck three times, and has cs-
apcd so far, but nc never steps over the
wires without sub-consciousness that it
my be the last time That this affects
lin i'll some way have no doubt
Mr.. O'Conncll told me that he had no
ear of snakes, and never saw one that he
:ould not handle. But this only amounts
% the statement that he was moi aware of
my fear, ana have heard the boast he
ore about handling scrpcnts. Once n
seek he washes his pets and rubs them of
gently with whisk broom, after which
hey shine, he says, like morning star
What is still more interesting, he feeds
hcm on raw meat, and has to open their
mouths and put it in, the snake OF course
iot being disposed to seek food that is
lot animated. lie has to put this meat
MO their tiiroats, so 10 speak, before the
tct Of degiut,tion begins.
All the information that he gave me
concerning the crotalid;c was correct
enough. [ asked him why he did not
extract the fngs, and he said they would
grow in again, which is true, for behind
:hc developed fangs are the rudimcnts Of
others, sometimes us many rs five | have
iccn an expert Indian boy jerk the tooth
out with piece Of canvas which The
snake had struck. Mr.. O'Conncll insists
hat the rattlcsna!lc never strikes unless it
| tnI