Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-01-02
FOR THE WORLDS FAIR.
Catching Deadly Reptiles for Exhibition
at the Great Columbian Exposition.


JACKSONVILLE, FLA, January AT
2O6 West State street, this city, resides
Silas Foman, cupper-colored fellow
about five feet eight inches in height,
broad sholldered and open-faced. He
is good dresser, and proud of collar
and cuffs and belts of rattlesnake skins.
The home in which Foman resides is an
unpretentiouS one, and there is nothing
about IL that suggests it is the residence
of the most famous snake-charmer in
the world, and that in the rear yard Is
one of the finest collections of poisonous
'creepin' things in America. In stout
but amateuriShly constructed cages are
magnificent rattleSnakes huge mocca-
sins, the deadly zepher and the vicious
coachwhip, besides scores OF less proml-
nent members of the serpent family.
Foman is as much at home with these
Shiny creatures as is father with his
children. He handles them at will and
with the utmost confidence, The crea-
lures do not appear afraid of him, yet
submit in Il passive sort Of way TO his
manipulations.
Tuesday, December 80, Foman left
| for the everglades, where he proposes to
secure IA collection of snakes for the
Worlds Fair that will surpassS In num-
bers, variety, perlectnesS and deadliness
anything that the world has ever known.
Foman tells n story OF his life in these
words:
al am a native Of Hayti and have
been in this country seventeen years.
A few years ago determined to engage
exclusively in the snake business. In
my childhood my parents would gratliy
me by permitting me 10 have snake as
companion, and as grew older | be-
came fonder of these reptiles, and al
ways delighted in making them n study.
would sometimes get bit by them, but
nv father has a remedy that would soon
heal the wound. In 1888, while in Lee
county. near the everglades, | captured
snake which was shipped to New
York. was paid seventy dollars, and
| have been following the business ever
since. On all rattlesnakes four feet long
and over | realize from twenty-five to
fly dollars each.
The smaller snakes / generally my
self use for the manufacture of my
snake oil, which will cure any rheuma-
tism or neuralgia in existence. learn
ed this from the Seminole Indians.
When | first went among them was
crippled with rheumatism, and was u
great sufferer. / was completely re-
stored in few days by the application
of rattlesnake oil.
Before Pablo Beach was thoroughly
settled | caught hundreds of snakes In
that vicinity, but the largest and best
quality of rattleSnakes to be found III
this country are at Fort George Island,
at the mouth of the st. Johns river.
The snakes at this place are very gen
tie, and can be easily tanned. Last
month | succeeded in capturing forty
four snakes there, and was only bit
eight times. have secured from the
Seminole Indians fluid that use when
bitten, and with it the bite of rattle
snake, or in fact any other snake, is no
more serious than the bite OF mosquito.
A few DAYS ago Foman gave an eXhi-
bition of his process OF snake-catching
to n number of New Workers. He has
small dog trained to point snakes. Ac'
companied by it the party proceeded u
where rattlers were likely TO be found.
Ii was fully an hour before the dog OBJ
tanned a elew and began barking; final
ly he dropped, and pointed his tail
straight into the air. The snake
charmer ran to the spot, and by the use
of mirror attached to a stick ten feet
long he gradually drew the snake until
within arms reach, when he reached
out and secured the reptile, not, how
ever, without the fangs penetrating his
right hand. He applied his antidote'
and smilingly requested the reporter TO
"take bite" too. which was emphat-
ically refused.
s5Returning home theS snake charmer
took out piece of red silk, shook it in
front of the reptile, which with its
deadly fangs, penetrated it. Silas then
jerked the silk violently away, and the
fangS were removed.
The rattlesnakc," continued the
snake charmer, ''Sheds its skin twice
wear. and at that time il becomes per-
fectly blind, is helpless and easily cap
tured. At this stage they are assisted
by a nurse or pilot, who guards and pro-
tects them. This guard is the young
kings snakes. The king snake, when
it becomes grown, however, is the hrst
enemy the rattlcsnake has, and can cas-
ily kill them in combat. have seen
rattlesnakcs fleeing from the old king
snake to the Young king snake for pro-