The record-union., 1892-10-20
AFTERNOON SESSION.
BATTLE WITH A PYTHON.
Four Men Had a Lively Time Until
the Small Boy Came In.

Louis Ruhe of y North William street,
says the New York World, makes capital
of snakes, and is not temperance lee
turer either. His place is almost one
gigantic squirm Of reptilian life, but
when he received a tiiteen-foot python
from the West Indies three weeks ago he
said it was one OF the handsOmest snakes
he had ever seen.
It's coat was a beautiful mottled brown
and the outline OF its great trunk was full
of grace and strength. Its tail, too, has
thoroughbred taper and the two rows of
subcaudal scales are as accurately placed
as the buttons over the tails of dress
coat 1t has spent its time in an extra
strong cage on the second floor Of the
emporium, and is as ugly an inmate as
ever has been sheltered there.
1t has made several attempts at free
dom and banged about its strong prison
in fashion that threatened to break
something loose. II tell ye," said one of
the men who works about the place, IF
Sullivan iver gifts out, Wen have divil
av time, sure" !"
But then the python became quiet and
began shedding its skin. During this
time it was as composed as the little
garter snake that lay circled i'll a bed Of
damp moss. Yesterday Sullivan's last
years suit lay i'll it's cage in detachments
of two and three feet. 1t stretched itself
and then tied itself in a four-in-hand
knot.
-Four men were at work on the floor at
3 o'clock yesterday afternoon when the
boy from downstairs came up on some
errand. As he started 70 go down again
he jumped back as though from spring
board. "De pyt'on's got loosep' he yelled.
The men at once rushed toward the
cage. True enough, the door was partly
open and the last inch of Sullivan's beau
tifuI tail had just slipped to the floor. The
me in oR oRXyappa nf tho ntb1rG Il
self on the middle of the snake and
grasped it, but before the others could
seize the head and tail the python made "a
lightning twist and heavy caudal blow
on the side of the head knocked the man
sprawling. The others in their haste
tumbled over him.
The snake darted toward the front of
the room, but the men We're soon on their
feet again and right after it. This time
they had room to make a concerted at
tack, and fell upon the reptiles head and
tail. The men were big muscular fellows.
but that fifteen feet of writhing sinew
gave them all they could do The BODY
contracted and then the tail became free.
and the men holding down the head held
ganely on, and were almost encircled by
the snake when the other two men pitched
in again. This time they could not get
the tail down to the floor, and were
banged about by it in a most lively
fashion.
Sullivan put out great effort and
bending his body upward like an arch,
Strengthened out again and the men went
flying in opposite directions. The python
made toward the open window, and one
of the men named John, who was thrown
within few feet of the window, pulled
it down with bang. Sullivan was an
cry. Its eyes were red; its hiss cut the
air like buzZ-Saw and the little pits in
the scales around its mouth seemed more
indented and sharply defined than ever.
AS 1t reared up in front of the win
dow John seized il around the neck with
both hands and held its Kissing head at
arms length. The other men caught
hold, two at the tail and one at the mid
die, and tried to drag the snake from the
window. sullivan" however, had the
advantage, and making a half loop of
himself threw them off. It's body had a
good forward impetus and John was
dashed up against the wall, with the
breath well nigh knocked out of him.
Then there was a crash of glass as the
python's body went through the window.
The glass in the panes there is of an extra
strong quality, too. The falling glass at
tracted a crowd in the street and they saw
'Sullivan's" big body nearly out OF the
window on its way down the fire escape.
| Then it stopped and those in the street
could hear it hiss.=-J ohm had seized hold
OF its tail and braced himself against the
base of the wall under the window.
The python swung angrily to and fro
for a moment and then darted back to the
gap OF shattered glass. Look out, john;
cried the other men, who by this time
had OBTAINING hands upon SULLIVAN
1 They had scarcely spoken when the
python's head shot in. John let GO of the
tail and sprang back, but he was too slow.
The teeth of the reptile went through the
sleeve of his coat, but fortunately didn't
touch the flesh. Then John seized the
head again and his companions, who had
been surprised by the sudden attack, let
go the tail. 1t flew around with the
swiftness of whip-1ash.
Then the python took turn around
John. who still held the ugly head away
from him, with his disengaged arm.
''Grab the tall he shouted, as the coil
frightened and the taper end of the snake
was about to make another circle around
him. But the moment they grasped the
tail they all were twisted to the floor and
rolled over and over in a way that would
give points to knock-about song and
dance men, who do very much the same
work on the Bowery.
sullivan found in short while that
the coil was to its disadvantage and nm
coiled. By the time the python was ready
to straighten out it was all in the cage ex-