The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-24
THE BOSS SNAKE CHARMER.
lie Has Been Bitten Forty-nine Times
and Still Lives.
From the Fresno (CaI.J Republican.

| IRON the Fresno (Cdt.) Republican.
81 have been bitten forty-nine times by
rattlesnakes," said c. J. Ironmonger of thi
city to Republican reporter yesterday.
Eyes, sir; forty-nine times, either while
catching them, handling them, or perform
| ing before the public with them | am
known as the great serpent charmer OF
tanner. l have handled thousands of ven
omouS serpents and twentv-three years age
performed in the Bella Union theater as d
snake charmer when that theater was man
| aged by Mrs. Tetlow and son.
81 have often heard that if a rattlesnake
bites person the sore, even if healed, will
break out again every twelve mouths
| That is not so. If you are once
| cured you are cured forever. I have Otter
read in the newspapers of snakes charm
ing little children and of children feeding
them without being bitten. That is ali
| nonsense.
mo venomous snake will eat dead food
1T must be live food that he catches himself
and he will not take food while Gagged no
not even the most inviting morseI. They
| can 1--we remarkably long time without
food once saw a rattlesnake in Marys
| Vile in cage that had not taken food for
eleven years. have kept many of them
from i've to eleven years without food.
| They will, however, drink water-I sup pose
| W hcOp CuclT pOlSOu T6pl6DISuoU.
"Rattlers are epicureans. They will
| crawl out of their dens in the spring and
if they catch a quail, young rabbit or q
| squirrel during the summer they are salts
| fled. If not, they will take their drink
of water in the fall and go to their dens
and wait until next spring for their break
fast"
what remedies do you use for snake
| bltes| was asked.
TNYrN 60
| ounce vial. Then | add dozen or so leaves
of the mistletoe. The leaves soon dissolve
and the liquid becomes of a reddish color.
Put eighteen or twenty drops of this liquid
into tumbler half full Of water and drink
it as soon as you can after being bitten
Then drink pint of whisky. After that
you must wait fifteen or twenty minutes,
and If you feel no signs of inebriation re-
peat the dose; but the moment you feel the
effects of the whisky drink no more, but
you may take another dose of the ammo
| mated liquid.
81 Some people, when bitten by snake,
keep pouring down whisky until they get
thoroughly drunk, but in such cases the
remedy is worse than the disease. Those
who know me say that l am poison-p proof, out
that is not true, while at the same time a
snake bite that would kill some men would
| injure me very little. Harmless snakes are
ali gourmands and want to be swallowing
| all the time"
''Do you believe that snakes can fasci-
nate or charm other auimalsm asked the
reporter.
THAT is an error" was the reply. sNo
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 my belief. nave often
nAATd y,1sro
swamp and [ used to say, There's a snake
| charming bird L would go down there
to see what was going on, and sure enough
| there would be black snake going along
slowly from one branch of tree to another.
There would be cat bird, or some other
kind oflbird, flying around the snake
| greatly excited, while the snake moved
along slowly directly toward a nest to rob it
| of its young.
THE maternal instinct of the mother
bird makes her forget the danger In a
| great measure. So she flies around and
over the snake and tlutters along Just ahead
| OF him trying to lead him in an opposite
direction. but all to no purpose, and as he
comes near the nest she becomes more des-
| perate.
''She pecks at his eyes, beats him with
ner wings, aud ike flash he grabs her.
| Tor he would as soon have her as the Young.
because she is larger mouthful, if not So
| delicious.
| "She was not spell-bound. She had all the
use of her muscles and could leave him at
her will. On the same principle cats catch
rabbits and squirrels, only they use stealth
and cunning.
AT the Sacramento state fair some
twenty.odd years ago | was bitten by a
| RATHER IN the bowels and he left his fanps
behind. L performed with them in the tent
until O'Clock at night. In closing up l felt
around my person and pulled all of the
snakes out of my bosom, as | thought but 7
! overlooked one. | went around the town to
see the sights, playing a game or two. and
started for my hotel
ut was called the Orc then, but the name
Is changed now. Then l threw myself
across the bed, and the first thing knew |
was bitten. | was smothering him. I
| grabbed him by the head through
my SHIRT and gave him twist. Hencs I
broke his fangs. held him up to the moon
| light and found him to be favorite of
| mine.
| Il had no remedies with me, and the drup
stores were Shut up at that hour. At lasI
L found doctor named Logan, who gave
me bottle of whisky and TWENTY-FIVE drons
of ammonia, and was soon all right INIT
the fangs remained in me- began to grow
SICK at last, and the wound had To
be opened afresh and the fangs extracted
1t was three months after | was bitten
| that the network of fat that covers the
bowels began to inaame, and it came near
| killing me.
II have not said anything about taran
tulas, scorpions aud centipeds. but they
are all IN my line. [ have been stung bv all
| Oh tnem ana L use the same remedyn