San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-06-03
HYPNoTIZING A SNAKE.
Mr.. o'Reilly's Experiments With
Large Black and White Ser
nent

1t happened that a lew OF us
were standing in a field near my
own house, when we saw large
black and white snake gliding
along. 1t took refuge in a bunch
of grass and weeds about sixty
yards away.
"Don't kill him." said |, land |
will show you something you have
never seen before. I'll make that
snake follow me into the house
without ever touching, him. In
fact, of his own accord, he'll go
wherever | 60"
They waited while | ran in and
changed my dress, reappear ing in
a moment clad in. navy blue
dressing gown reaching down to
whitman inch of the ground. Now
it is necessary to mention that it
was very calm day. The sun was
shining overhead and not a cloud
was in the sky. The fie Id was COW
cred with short grass andI trusted
the fact that there was not mole
mole or a rat hole in the entire rcre,
nor any other place for the
snake to hide in excepting
that every bunch. of weeds where
he still lay close. I approached
him, and took up my station about
20 yards from where he was hid
ing. | stood still as a statue, with
my arms hanging motiOnless by
my sides, and my face toward him.
| then asked them to go to the
bunch of grass by the farther side,
and to chase him out so that he
would make his exit on the side
next to me. But before the came
near he had already glided off, and
made directly toward me. | was
gazing straight at him as he APP
preached me, and, without turning
my head or moving my arms,
began to move gently backwards.
Still he followed. | turned to the
left; he still followed, He was not
angry-he did not want to attack
me, for he glided on very gently ;if
| moved to the right, he did so too
if | went to his left he did the
same.
| allowed him to come within
yard of me, and then asked the
others, but still with my eyes care
fully on the snake, to direct me in
my backward route, since | could
not turn my head to direct myself,
as | had to keep facing him. They
sent me by very winding route,
but he followed me every turn till
| got to the door. When, finally,
| sat down gently on the steps, he
glided in beneath my dressing
gown and cOiled himself on the
toes of my shoes. They lifted the
skirt of my dressing gown to look
at him, and he was frightened, and
shot past me into the door, taking
refuge among the furniture. /
picked him up and added him to
my already large collection of live
snakes. Poor fellow! he died long
ago, and his remains are in a bot
tie, in the museum of Trinity col
lege, Dublin.
Now, they didn't drive him to-
ward me, for they had remained
afar off, nearly as far from him
as they had been at first.
GLOW do you do it?" they in
quired, and |, in answer, Gas was
my right, asked them to explain it.
One believed / had some food
about me to attract him. Another
thought | had rubbed on my dress
ing-gOwn some drug of which he
liked the OrdOr. On being assured
that these guesses were wrong,
they remembered that | had kept
my eye on him all the time and
never once turned from him. They
asked if that was a necessary part
of it. | said, eyes; otherwise
could not keep control of him."
Then they said, at is magnetism
or hypnOtism. 1t is by the power
of your eye that did it,"
no." | answered; "it was not
my seye that drew him. The at
traction was more general, but yet
it was neither food, nor drink, nor
odor of any kind. He was attract
ed toward me very powerfully, in
deed, but the cause was neither
chemical nor electrical.
Six words contain the answer
six more the explanation. Per-
maps the reader can guess them.
lie wanted to hide beneath me, as
the shadow was tempting, and he
didn't know that | was living
thing. The dressing gown hid my
feet. Like the alphabet or the
telephone, it is very simple when
you know it, but very mysterious
when you don't.