St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-05-30
SNAKE BITES ONLY TICKLE HIM.

A Haytian Who Makes a Business of
Catching Vanomosls Creatures.
Silas Foman is a copper colored fellow
about five feet eight inches in height,
broad shouldered ana open faced. He is a
good dresser, and is proud of his collar and
cuffs and belts Of rattlesnake skins. The
house in which Foman lives is unpreten-
tious, and there is nothing about it that
suggests it is the residence of tie most IA
nous snake charmer in the world, and
that in the rear yard is one of the finest
collections of poisonous "crtepin'" things
in America In stoutly constructed cages
are magnificent rattlesnakes, huge moe
casins, the deadly zypher, and the vicious
coach whip, besides scores of less promi-
nent members of the serpent family.
Foman is as much at home with these
Shiny creatures as is a father with his chill
dren He handles them at will and with
the utmost confidence. The creatures do
not appear afraid of him. yet submit in a
passive sort of way to his manipulations.
Foman says:
81 am native of Hayti, and have been
in this country seventeen years. A few
years ago / determined to engage exclusive
~ in the snake business. In my childhood
my parents would crafty me by permitting
me to have rattlesnake as q companion,
and as l grew older became fonder of
these reptiles, and always delighted in
making them study. would sometimes
get bit by them, but my father had q
remedy that would soon heal the wound.
In 1885, while in Lee county, near the Ever
glades, / captured a snake which was
shipped to New York. I was paid $40 for
it, and have been following the business
ever since
"On all rattlesnakes four feet long and
over l realize from SIS to $50 each. The
smaller snakes generally use myself for
the manufacture of snake oil, which will
cure any rheumatism or neuralgia in ex-
istence I learned this from the Seminole
Indians. Before Pablo Beach was thor
oughly settled I caught hundreds of snakes
in that vicinity, but the largest and best
quality of rattlesnakes to be found in the
country are at Fort George Island at the
mouth of the St. Johns river. The snakes
at this place are very gentle, and can be
easily tanned. 1 succeeded in capturing
forty-four snakes there and was only Bit
ten eight times. have secured from the
Seminole Indians fluid that use when
or in fact any other snake, is no more Sc
rious than the bite of a mosquito"
A few days ago Foman gave an exhibi-
ton of his powers in snake catching to a
number of New Workers. He has small
dog trained to point" snakes. The party
proceeded to place where rattlers were
likely to be found. 1t was fully an hour
before the dog obtained clew and began
barking; finally 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 stick six feet long
he gradually drew the snake until within
arms reach. when he reached out and se-
cured the reptile, not, however, without
the fangs penetrating his right hand. He
applied his antidote, and smilingly re-
quested the reporter to ''take a bite" too,
which was emphatically refused. Return
ing home the snake charmer took out a
piece of red silk, shook it in front of the
reptile, which, with it's deadly fangs pen
etrated it. Silas then jerked the silk
violently away, and the fangs were re-
Notwithstanding Fla.) COR St. Louis
Republic.