The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-07-13
AN EDUCATED SNAKE
The Nan Who Broke Up The Street
Car Strike Last Spring.
How He Trained a Snake to Watch
His Opponents Hands While
Playing Cards-His Part
ner Plays a Bad Game.

''ssNs y st1t w hhNS " kp htl1
further, just exactly what brought the
street car strike in Columbus, Ohio. 10
such n sudden end the other day. said a
man TO a reporter i'm Columbus the other
day.. Mutual concession and all that is
all right, of course. That's what did il,
n everybody is glad; but what pushed
concession to the front on the part Of the
strikers so blame quick? There's only a
few of us know, but I'll let you in on the
secret. Anyhow the credit Of the thing
ought To he put where il belongs.
"lou know that the day the strike
ended the strikers committee handed to
the citizens committee a schedule of just
what they required the company To accede
To, and the citizens committee lugged the
schedule over and loadcd il on the COM
pany's committee. The strikers had a
big tent down by the Oak street stables,
where they were living good on cake
aud pie That us sympathizing fellow
citizens cheerfully Clipped i'm
for them. Tho strikers committee sat in
the tent anxiously awaiting the decision
OF the company, but full of a determina-
ton founded on right, justice and starya-
ton wages. While the committee were
thus bnsily engaged in waiting a tall,
hungry looking maj entered the tent,
spread his gaze over the tables of pics and
things for maybe a minute, and then ap-
preached the committee.
"'Excuse me, gentlemen he said. but
II you'll tell me where | can 90 out and
Kill a iive-ace snake I'll show You tri ks
The committee looked at the man a
little startled, for they thought he was
crazy. He stared back for a spell and
then said:
"'Seems like you don't understand me.
Can't he, can il, that you don't nave any
ve.ac snakes around here?'
"lhe were kind hearted and
didn't want to hurt the strangers feelings,
SO they said the five-ace snake was a new
on to Columbus.
well, them" exclaimed the stranger,
evidently delighted. and sitting down in
front OF a big lemon pie, I've got some
tiiilg To cheer you up. I'm from the
north. Henry county is my native heath,
and Black Swamp is my domicile. have
long known that Henry county is the only
on in Ohio where the black bear still has
his range, but l thought that perhaps the
hve-ace snake had by this time spread
around the commonwealth, but seems
like IL hasn't. The five-acer had its origin
in Henry county. and the history of that
Is What i want To cheer you up with.
Don't 'spect yer ever knew Junius Can
ield 'Taint likely. Junius used 10 be a
great chum of mine, and we always cab
lned together when we hunted around
Black swamp. Blu | discovered in a sim
gular way once that Junius had betrayed
the confidence ! put in him, and we
parted. We were living in a Black swamp
cabin, and when we weren't out hunting
wild game we enjoyed ourselves
with domestic game, principally
poker. Some folks call il draw.
There was a snake in Henry county in
those days that We called the white whis-
tier. IL was a short, chunky snake, harm
less as ginger u tame as flies. Ii could
whistle something like n quail, and I've
seen greenborns come out there hunting
and follow one of those white whistlers
around all day, just by the sound of its
whistle, thinking they were after a quail.
] made "A pet OF one of these snakes, "A big
she one, and she was useful to me in a
good many ways. She had way OF hang
ing around when | was having a little
anne of draw with any one that she
wasn't acquainted with. and kind ~ skim
ming her eye over my hand and then over
the strangers. III the strangers hand
sized up a little better than mine, Sarah
Ann-that was my snakes name-would
whistle "A low and careless chirp, and
laid down right there and then. But Sarah
Ann knew Junius Garfield well.a and trust
ed him AS | did, and never int rfered
when he and | were having a recreating
~gamc-that is, never until the one time
that is now historic i'm Henry county.
"'As j said, Junius and ! were living in
"a Black swamp cabin. One day we were
playing Our ~favorite game and the hands
thai Junius held were amazing. Aces
were his strong hold that day, but | never
suspected him. BY and by ] pulled in "A
hand that had three kings and an ace and
another card in il. | held the ace to the
kings and drew one card, aud that card
was another king. Junius drew one card
too.
"'Seems like ! got you this time" | said
to myself.
"Sarah Ann had noticed the hands that
Junius was holding, n Ia n got un-
easy and began To move around. She saw
my hand, and then slipped behind Junius
and got a squint at his. i had raised
Junius back two or three times 10y this
time, and was ready 10 sit there all night
n stay by him, but just as | was about
TO get back at him again the heaviest kind
i heard Sarah Ann whistle. / looked up
surprised. Blu there was Sarah Ann on a
shelf behind Junius, her eyes bullying,
and she a shaking her head at me like
mad. looked at my hand. Thore were
the four kings and the ace.
"'By the spotted buckeye? ;" | said to
myself, 'therc's nothing in the deck but "a
straight flush can beat this handv
"'Then ! looked at Sarah Ann. She was
still shaking her head at me and looked
wild. She had never fooled me yet, and l
knew il.
"'Junms filled as sure as ague" said /,
and laid down as meek as a lamb.
"'lf there was ever IA disappointed man,
that man was Junius. He was mad. too;
but he didn't say anything, and began
gathering the cards To deal. Sarah Ann
anne back and laid on the table near me.
She had her eyes plumb on Junius. Then
IL seemed TO strike him all at once that
she had given his hand away. and he up
with the whole heap of cards and
slammed them on the snake. She wasn't
expecting il and Il scared her almost into
IA III, and she q oil To her hole all broke
up. The game broke up. too. nj still l
didn't suspicion Junius of doing crooked
work ON me.
"'About a week after that Sarah Ann
dug a hole i'm the sand, out in front of the