St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-05
SNAKE CHARMING IN JERSEY.
Mr.. Purdy Pays $3.50 to See a
Trick From India.

New York Sun.
Samuel Purdy owns house with a
large lot around it, on rather desOlate-
looking spot short distance from
South Orange avenue, about four miles
from Newark. He has never had any
reason to suppose that there were any
snakes on his premises, so that
yesterday when a short man who had
the appearance of Gypsy, and carried
a forbidding face, with heavy, beetling
browS, under a shock of raven-black
hair, approached him as he sat with his
friend. James Rennie, on his veranda
and said "Shall charm few snakes
for YOU, gentlemen, all the same as they
do in India, where learned my trade?''
Mr.. Purdy was little surprised.
'sI'll do it cheap" continued the man.
s'Fifty cents for a blacksnake, sew
enty-five for a copperhead and 81 for a
RATHER. It's beautiful weather for
charming snakes"
"Where are you going to find them?"
asked Mr.. Purdy. You are not carry
ing them about under your clothes, l
hope?"
NO" said the man contemptuously.
81 am not. l don't risk my life that
way. They are all in your garden, and
some of them quite close to you. All,
YOU don't believe that because you never
saw one of them; but snakes is sly.
They don't want to get their heads
bruised, and so they only come cut at
night. know the trail of the serpent
when / see it. though, and l would be
willing to lay my life that there is as
big rattlesnake as you ever saw in that
hole at the foot of the apple tree that
your children have been climbing every
day. Shall l charm him out for dol
lar?''
"Why, that is a rat-hole," said Mr..
Purdy. scornfnlly. 'There is no snakes
there"
"You may think So" answered the
charmer, but just say the word and
I'll soon show you your mistake. 1t
won't cost you much to have the gar
den cleaned. There can't be many of
them in it."
"What do you say?'' asked MI. Purdy,
turning TO his friend. ''Shall l allow
him to go ahead? He may amuse u.s."
Mr.. Rennie has passed several years
of bis life in India, where he saw some
thing of snake charming. He laughed
and acquiesced, and the heavy-browed
man was told to charm all the snakes in
the garden at his own price.
He had repellant rather than a
his coat and prepared for action. He
took FROM his pockets stout canvas
bag to hold the snakes, score or so Of
pods that looked like coffee beans, and
a short, rudely made wooden flute. He
tucked the bag under his arm,
asked Mr.. Purdy to hold the
pods, and, squatting in an
awkward attitude, as though he were
sitting upon a very low, invisible stool
near the hole, he began to play a slow
melody upon his flute. Gradually the
music grew faster, until it was wild and
very rapid, and soon some leaves in
front of the hole were disturbed.
A serpent was pushing its head
mense rattlesnake was visible. 1t had
emerged from the hole, and was evil
IDENTIFY angry as well as charmed as it
approached the musician, who moved
slowly back. The snake glided with
in reach of his hand. and with
quick movement, he seized
it by the neck. The next
moment it was prisoner in the bag.
Its teeth, however, had lacerated the
scharmer's forefnger. He stuck one of
the pods upon it, and said the bean,
which adhered firmly, would absorb all
the poison. Mr.. Purdy advised him to
drink copiously of whisky. He pro-
tested it was not necessary; but he
took drink for all that.
A copperhead soon joined the rattle
snake in the bag, and the charmer, in
course of an hour, had drawn snake
from every hole in Mr.. Pnrdy's garden.
He went away with two rattlesnakes,
four copperheads. and seven black
snakes in his bag, and $3.50 of Mr..
Purdy's money in his pocket.
( 81 had no idea there was snake in
the garden" said Mr.. Purdy to his
friend.
.You were probably right" replied
Mr.. Rennis. "Those serpents have
been familiar with each other for
months. They are all quite tame, and
their yenomous fangs are drawn. The
man liberated them in your garden last
night, and called them back into his
bag this morning. 1t is a WORKOUT
trick in India, butt never saw it played
here BEFORE"
Senator Brown struck the key note
the other day in a speech in opposition
to raising officers salaries when he said
ssthe public service should not be the