The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-09-05
BATTLE WITH 4 PYTHON
Superintendent Stephens Has a Mar
row Escape From Death at
Cincinnati's Zoo.
Caught and Held In the Folds
of tho Powerful Ser
pent.
Tho Snake Nearly Finishes tho Man Bs-
fore the Attendants Can Come
to tho Rescue. @

CINCINNATI, Sept. 2.-Surerintendent Ste
rhens OF the Zoo daily takes his life IN his
hands who attending to his duties. He
has been the victim Of several mishnps. but
his latest adventure Game near being his
last. Nothing but purs luck saved him
from . horrible death. II has been sought
TO keep this last experience Of Mr.. stephens
quiet, but his illness caused inquiry, and
the Times-HtaI to- night published = column
OF the story.
been received from Texas. md for lack OF
other quarters It becnme necessary to place
them In the cage in which nro kept the boaa
and pythons. Before this could be done
several more small trees had to be placed
in the cage for the serpents to coil on.
The boas md \ fourteen foot python had
not been fed for somo time and were very
active.
On Tuesday Mr.. Stephens procured Il box
in which to place the creatures until he
could prepare the cage for them. He then
entered the cage, the box being left at ths
open door of the cage. He seized the
snakes and had succeeded in getting all in
the box but the python. Before moving
the python Stevens stopped a moment to
watch the snakes in the box. but was star
tied ut a fierce kissing behind him.. Glan-
cling around, he saw the python coming
toward him. its eyes flashing and it, tongue
dating.
Stephens saw his danger instantly. There
was no escape, and it was to be a fight.
Swiftsr than the se,pent's motion Stephens
grasped the monster sust back of the neck
with his right hand, the left olutohinR the
reptile two feet further back. whore the
bulk of the python's muscular power ia 10
GATED. He started to thrust the writhing
mass into the box. At the same instant
the python threw the twelve loose t cot OF
its body about tho uperintendent's legs
and began to squeeze with all Its might,
gradually but steadily moving the ever
tightening coils higher and higher. There
we're a number Of spectators in the build
ING, q long, low structure in which the car
nivora are kept, but all were too greatly
overcome by fear to render aid. Indeed,
they could only got to the struggling man
by removing the box OF snakes Mt the en-
trance to the den.
BY this time she hyenas, tigers and leop-
ards we're in a state of frenzy. They
bounded up and down in Shelf cages with
fiendish yells. They tore at tho lion bars
and beat the walls with awful fury. The
lions, all but one. roared until the building
BHOOA, NlN pubA
stricken. The one lion that remained 81
lent was Laura, a bsnst that has alwsys
shown An almost human-llke devotion ia
Mr.. Stephens. She left her Cubs in the
rear, and standing on her hind feet, her
paws against the railing, gazed hxedly al
devils about her. The uproarb brought the
attendants Of the garden to the scene
They were horror-stricken ut the sight. By
this time the python had worked it's folds
up to Mr.. Stephens groin. The constrio-
ton was terrible. Circulation had been
stopped in the lower limbs and they were
numb and trembling. The Precipitation ran
IN streams from the struggling mans face.
His bands we're so moist that the soaly
thing twisted in them as easily AZ if loose.
Suddenly the serpent seemed to feel its
victory near. 1t twisted its horrid head
and thrust its fiery tongue INTO Mr..
Stephens face. At tho samc moment one
of Stephen's hands became loossned, and
the snake. with the speed of lightning
seized and began swallowing il. The VIC
tim was SO nearly overcome that foOa mo-
mont he stood totterinR and the hand had
been swallowed without an effort to remove
it. The entire hand up to the wrist had
disappeared when Stephens sought to with
draw it. The reptiles mouth closed with a
snap, sinking a fang into the zone at the
base OF the thumb and swapping the fang
of. The pain reused Mr.. Stephens. and
with an almost superhQman strength he
caught the snakes throat with his free
hand and began TO squeeze with the energy
of despair. Soon the python easped for
breath and as it opened its mouth he jerked
out his hand
BY this time the attendandts had secured
the snakes in the box and entered the Gage,
where they beat tho python until it relaxed
its coils. and Mr.. Stephens WINS taken out
and cared for. The bite Of the python ia
not DANGEROUS. and Mr.. StephenH Wns in M
danger, but the pain from the bite was e1-
cruciatinR until the following day. when
the fang was found and removed. In speak
ing of the matter Mr.. Stephens, who will be
out in aday or two. said:
I'll had not held on to it's heaviest
muscle I have no doubt he might have
strangled me. As long as I kept my grip
thereI vas confident. Tn fangs are in
clined backward. and il WAS impossible to
free my hand without breaking then. though
] did not know l had done SO till tho next
day, whom l found tho fang in the wound."