The morning call., 1892-10-28
Squeezed BY A boa.
Unpleasant Experience Of @
Snake Charmer.
IN AN OPHIDIAN'S COILS.
Professor in Museum Vexss One HIS
Pets by Keeping 1t Too Long in
Cold Bath
New York Sun.

LII you happen TO own a boa constructor
you should not let familiarity breed care
lessness in handling him after his bath.
That advice will be given with a great deai
of earnestness to-day by Professor johnson,
the snake-eharmer Of Huber's museum, for
his neglect of observing it nearly cost him
his life yesterday afternoon.
The big boa. which arrived on the bark
Liberia from Africa two months ago, has
been Professor Johnson's special charge,
anu among the duties thus imposed upon
the pr ofessor was to give the big snake a
cold bath two or three times a week. Yes
terday was bathing day. The snake, which
is sixteen feet long, was lifted from the glass
cage in which 1t is exhibited ard placed in
tub OF cold water A cover was put over
the tub and the snake case was cleaned.
The case stands In the middle of a room
whose other attractions are troupe of
trained pigs, wire king. a tack-walker,
Iattooer, reverse orthographist and a soda
fountain girl.
The big boa has the usual fascination for
the other attractions in its room, just as if
they did not see teveTy day, and its bath is
always watched with intense interest. Yes
terday, after the snake case had been
cleaned and the cover removed from the
bathtub, it was noticed that the boa lifted
boa constructor knows when it wants bath
ard also knows when 1t has bathed enough.
The big fellow yesterday had too much of
bath and was cross. Professor johnson
knew this as soon as he took hold oil the
boa'S head 10 lift 1t cut of tho fob He al
once called to Professor Miller. the W.,
king. TO help him lift the snake, and 10 wipe
IT off at the same time. Professor Miller
told his part of the story TO Sun reporter
We terday.
Tob ba TN
don't like snakes and / thought he called
me just to show the others that was afraid.
But | took a cloth and grabbed the snake
three feet below its head and helped to lift
il. and at the same time wiped it with the
cloth. 1t was slippery and l felt it slipping
through my hands. Then l did what l
know now | ought not TO have done; | took
firm hold Of the snakes body and hell it
tight That gave 1t brace. DO you see?
Professor Johnson lifted its head up as high
as he could to the right Of his own head
but there was some slack of the snakes
body between JohnSon's hold and mine
aEd as we both held firm we gave it brace.
The boa pressed that slack around John
sons right arm and began webbing so that
l lost my hold and let 60"
Then this is what the boa did: JohnsOn's
right arm was bent, his elbow by his side
and his hand with the snakes head about
on the level with his neck. The boa crossed
lis length over Johnson's chest, got wrap
around his left arm and made two complete
turns around his left leg In the struggle
Johnson fell 10 the floor, and there was con
sternatit n in the room.
The first to comprehend what must be
done was Professor OReilly, the tattoOer.
This is his story:
81 rushed to where Professor johnson Law
on the floor ard grabbed the boa's TAIL |
unwOund the coils around .Iohnson's leg,
and 1t was like tearing up the root of tree.
Johnson was senseless. He was white, and
sweat was running down his face Then
the other men working in this room ran TO
US. and among US all We got the boa loose
from johnson and put 1t into the cage.
Another man who helped was Professor
Lii Kerslake, who directs tine performing
pigs. Professor Kerslake frankly admits
that he is frightened to death Of snakes"
When it comes to pigs the professor is at
home, so to say. He can teach pig TO DO
anything but STOP squealing. but he has no
use Tor snakes, especially 16-foot bOas. But
there is a very close cOmpaniOnship devel-
oped among the curious men who do this
curious work in freak shows. There is no
jealousy. Tie professor WIN eats glass has
an honest appreciation of the genius oil the
professor who can write ''idiosyncrasy"
backward faster than you can write it for
ward, and, generally speaking, any of them
will do fellow professor coed turn rath-
er than a bad one. So the professor of pig
culture rushed to the aid of the wire king
aud the tattoo professor. He said last
night:
II never touched a snake before, but
grabbed hold of this one between where
Professor 0Reily and Professor Miller
held him. ! saw that johnson was in
dead faint. His eyes were all white. Well,
l grabbed hold, and don't remember any
more except that l let go when some one
told me to-"
Professor Kibo. who, when he takes
stroll, prefers TO take ii with bare feet on
III nth Ia nd
wears green silk trunks. Although he is
supposed to come from some foreign e0uH-
try where snakes are Rs common as spar
rows in City Hall Park, he did not lend
hand Perhaps he knows too much about
snakes
The professor of reverse photography
jumped from his platform and lent hand
in hustling the boa into its case, and then
everybody helped Johnson. He was faint
and exhausted. but DIR. Martin. who was
called in, said no bones were broken.
johnson went to his home and declared
that he had ended his career as a snake
charmer.
II thought 1 was goner," he said to a
Sun Reporter last night Had it not been
for Professor O'Reilly think | would have
been killed. When the boa was crushing
me everything began to swim before my
eyes,"
johnson has severe pain in his right
side and thinks the snake had a coil around
his body. All the other men agreed that
the snake did not have coil around john
sons body. 1t had his right elbow pinned
to his side. its body across his chest, ana a
coil around his left arm. That gave it
purchase with which it drew Johnson's
right elbow so tight against his side that it
caused a bruise. Despite the doctors ass
surance to the contrary. johnson thinks
that one Of his ribs is broken.
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