Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-08-29
SNAKES AS FIGHTERS.
A Sport Who Keeps Number OF Reptiles
Always Ready For the Ring.

Sport Who Keeps n Number OF Reptiles
Always Ready For the Ring.
The best sport the writer ever wit
messed was snake fight which took
place just across the bay from Biloxi,
Miss. The owner of the show was a
native of Biloxi, large. powerful
built man. with an extraordinary wide
mouth and stentorian voice. He had
fitted up beneath commodious shed
a regular pit, similar to those used in
chicken fighting. This was a ring
about seven feet in diameter, and the
owner used it for fighting snakes. He
also had long line of cages covered
with wire screens. in which several
arge reptiles were housed, and were
always ready when a crowd came to
see a battle.
The favorite snake in the lot was a
monster spotted fellow whose fangs
came out of his mouth and reached
around under his chin. This was
what is called the king snake, a native
OF the southern parts of Alabama,
Mississippi, and louisiana The name
is given it because it is known that
when travelling it will catch and kill
any other kind of snake that it meets.
1t is very large and muscular, besides
it is game and aggressive. as its name
indicates. The next largest specimen
of the snake kingdom in the extreme
Southern States is the gopher snake.
These reptiles always live in pairs in
holes with the gophers. 1t is a COM
mon thing down there in the pine
woods to see children go to a gopher
hole and, inserting a pole or rail.
compel the pair of snakes to crawl out
and be killed. The gopher snake is
very much like the black snake, yet
he is very much larger and stouter.
Also along and adjacent to the gulf
coast may be found the cotton-mouth
and ground" rattle-snakes. Each OF
these specimens of snakes the Biloxi
man had in his cages. and the fights
he gets up are always between the
king snake and either species of the
above that visitors may select. He
charges an admission of twenty
cents. and after all visitors are COM
fortably seated he proceeds to the
cage of the king snake, carries it to
the pit. where he dumps it in, and
then proceeds 10 get an enemy for it
to fight. The contest the writer wit
messed was a king against a male and
female gopher snake, and it was very
exciting as well as amusing. Their
attitude for war was not in coil, as it
is with most Northern and Western
snakes, but lying lengthwise and very
yn6 ho, -
eighteen inches. After watching each
other for a moment they dart forward
with a spirit of energy and determin-
alton that makes ones blood stop in
the veins.
The king snake keeps this mode OF
battle up for a long time, and worries
his enemy down until he become weak
and faint; then he slowly advances
upon him, coils himself around his vic
tim until the two are in heap and look
like pile OF tangled rope; then. after
he has made ready, the king stretches
himself out, and in doing so literally
tears his foe into small fragments. I'M
mediately the last act in the contest
begins; the popping of the victims
bones can be heard distinctly. sound
ing similar to but much louder than
the popping of a persons finger when
stretched Or wrenched. 1t is, wonder
full to see the agility of the king snake
when venemous reptile is in the ring
for fight. He darts his head on either
side. ducks and raises to suit occasions
in the twinkling of an eye, and in this
way worries the enemy down. fire.
quently compelling it to swallow it's
own poison. The cotton-mouthed
snake is the kings greatest terror, for
when pitted with one of these he
shows greater caution. and is always
on the alert lest he gets bit. in case Of
which death would be certain to ensue.
Betting on the result of snake fights
on the Point at Biloxi is as common
as betting on chicken contests in the
North. East and West. As a rule.
however, the king snake will win
about seven fights out of ten against
every other species of snakes it meets
with.-COr. PITTSBURGH Post.