Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-10
THE BOSS SNAKE CHARMER.
He Has Been Bitten FOrty-nine Times
and Still Lives.

He Has Been Bitten Forty-nine Times
and Still Lives.
From the Fresno, Cal, Republican.
II have been bitten forty-nine times by rat
tlesnakes," said c. J. ronmonger Of this city
to Republican reporter yesterday.
Eyes, sir; forty-nine times, either while
catching them, handling them, or performing
before the public with them. I am known 90
| the great serpent charmer or tanner. have
handled thousands Of venomous serpents, and
twenty-three years ago I performed in the
Bella Union theater a. o snake chsrmer when
| that theater was managed by Mrs. Tetlow and
son.
II have often heard that if rattlesnake
break out again every twelve months. That
is not so. II you are once cured you are cured
forever. have often read in the newspapers
Of snakes charming little children and Of chill
dren feeding them without being bitten. That
Is all nonsense.
mo venomous snake will eat dead food; il
must be live food that be catches himself, and
he will not take food while Gagged up, not even
| the most inviting morsel. They can live re-
markedly long time without food. / once saw
q rsttlesnake in Marysvills in a cage that had
not taken food for eleven years. ! have kept
many Of them from five to eleven years without
food. They will, however, drink water-I sup
pose to keep their poison replenished.
"Rattlers are epicureans. They will crawl
out of their dens in the spring and, If they
catch q quail, a young rabbit, or a squirrel
during the summer they are satisfied. nnot,
they will take their drink of water in the fall
and 90 to their dens and wait until next spring
for their breakfast"
What remedies do you use for snake bites?'
was asked.
1T mt An ounce NJ ammonia into a &uo
ounce vial. Then add a dozen or so leaves
OF the mistletoe. The leaves soon dissolve and
the liquid becomes Of q reddish color. Put
eighteen or twenty drops Of this liquid into .
as you can after being bitten. Then drink
pint OF whisky. After that you must wait
fifteen or twenty minutes, and II you feel no
signs Of inebriation repeat the dose; but the
moment you feel the effects Of the whisky
drink no more but you may take another dose
"some people when bitten by snake keep
pouring down whisky until they get thor
oughly drunk, but in such cases the remedy Is
worse than the disease. Those. who know me
while ct the same time snake bite that would
kill some men would injure me very little.
Harmless snakes are all gourmands and want to
be swallowing all the time"
do you believe that snakes can fascinate or
charm other animals9" asked the reporter.
''That is an error" was the reply. "No
serpent has that faculty. Every animal has its
own instructive way Of taking its prey-by'
stealth, agility, brute force or strength. MY
experience during the last forty years confirms
great noise in swamp and ! used 70 say
There's snake charming bird would 10
down there to see what was going on, and sure
enough there would be black snake going
along slowly from on one b branch sa, 81 tree 70
other kind Of bird flying around the snake
greatly excited, while the snake moved along
slowly directly toward nest to rob IL Of 10
young.
makes her forget the danger In great meas
ure. So she fies around and over the snake
and futters along Just ahead Of him trying to
lead him In an opposite direction, but all to no
purpose, and rs he comes near the nest she be-
comes more desperate.
sShe pecks at his eyes, beats him with her
wings, and like nash he grabs her, for he
would a. soon have her - the young, because
she is larger mouthful, II not 90 delicious.
''She was not spslibound: She had all the
viii. On the same principle cats catch rabbits
and squirrels, only they use stealth and oun-
at the Sacramento state fair some twenty.
odd years ago was bitten by . RATHER IN the
formed with them in the tent until 8 O'clock st
night In closing up felt around my person
and pulled all Of the snakes out Of my bosom,
e thought, but I overlooked one. I went
around the town to see the sights, playing
game or two, and started for my hotel.
'It WAS called the Orc then, but the name d
changed now. Then threw myself across the
bed, and the first thing knew was bittsn. I
was smotheripg him. grabbed him By the
head through my shirt, and gave him twist
Hence broke his fan8s. ! held him up 10 the
moonlight, and found him TO be favorits Of
mine.
II had no remedies with me-, and the drug
stores were shut mp Of that hour. ~ last !
found doctor named Logan, who gave me 8
bottle Of vhisky and twenty-five drops Of am
monia, and was soon all right, but ths fangs
remained in me-. Ibegan TO grow SICK ct last
and the wound had to 30 opened afreah and
the fapgu sxtrAetsd. Nwas hfse mouths Aver
was bitten that the network of TT that covers
the bowels began 70 in6ams, and Il eafhe near
killing me.
q have not said anything about tarsasuias,
scorpions, asd ssptfpsdss, bat they ere I'll h
my line. have been stang b. I'll u them
and uss the ss0s remedy"
Mr.. BrishNy-ssThess parlor matches sss
good fcr nothing. The heads sss ~ stuck 20
gethee IN pairs"