New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-18
A HEARTLESS EMPLOYER.
G. II. HUBER PAID dot" SONwEIL TO RISK
HER LIFE IN PUBLIC.
UNFORTUNATELY, HE CAN HARDLY BE PROSE
CUTED-THE SNAKE CHARMER' NAY RE-

UNFORTUNATELY, HE CAN HARDLY BE PROSE
CUTED-THE SNAKE "CHARMER' NAY RE-
COVER FROM TIE DREADFUL BITE
Mrs ." Dot Sonwe the comely young woman
who, to earn bread for her three young children
and herself handles deadly snakes in Huber
Museum, in Fourteenth-st opposite Irving Place'
may recover from the bite which a rattlesnake
gave her on Sunday. Sympathy for the brave
little woman is almost overshadOwed by indig-
nation at the man. George H. Huber, who PAID
her to risk her life that he might increase his In
come from the place Of amusement
Huber cannot excuse his cold-blooded disregard
for human life by saying that the danger to the
woman from the venOmous reptiles was remote
Four times before had she been dangerously
bitten. Only three weeks ago snake buried It's
fangs in her arm, and her life saved with
difficulty. Sunday she made her first appearance
at the museum since her mishap She was still
weak. and in no condition to handle the deadly
diamond-back rattlesnakcs which had just ar
rived from Florida and which had never before
been subdued by snake charmer"
The Woman. in spite of her weakened powers,
was driven by poverty to apply for her place
opain. Huber didn't worry about her danger.
His manager, George NJ Jansen, saw that Mrs.
SonweIl was not strong, but allowed her to begin
work again When she picked up the fierce
rentile il struggled until its head was free, and
then bit her i'm the neck She was removed TO
Il Vinconts Hospital, where at first her life
was despaircd Of.
Huber is unquestionaby morally responsible
for the young woman's injury. Unfortunately
tbo law does cover his explicitly. Inc
statutes provide for the punishment OF similar
offences not so outrageous as his. sectlon oi
the Penal Code provides that no owner OF place
Of amusement shall permit performers 70 'hro"
knives about the heads of one another, 10 shoot
opples from one anothcr's heads, or 10 alio"
exhibitions on the trapeze, unless net is stretched
80 as to catch the acrobat who may happen 10
fall But nothing is said about the cXhlpltlon OF
snakes which still have their poisonous idhss'
Certainly Ithe element OF danger is greater !"
performance like " Dot" Sonwells than IN thosp
Of the knife throwers who have acquired srea'
kill. The law plainly sets up the principle tha'
men who pay persons to give eXhlbitlons a' uie
risk of their lives are guilty of crime, although
in This instance the statutes are deficient in not
snecifving the "charming7 OF deadly reptiles as
one of the prohibited "amusements"
II ;s hard to comprehend why Huber should
ho 50 totally Indifferent 10 the woman's risk OF
4 terrible death. People who enjoy seeing
d" chnrmerr handle the Shiny, dreadful looKihs
r,ors,ors would be none the wiser if the fanss
,vore remeved Probably IIuber's establishment
would lose not "A dozen patrons week If he
had taken the prccauton to make Mrs. Sonweii
task a safe one Most people would thlhk thi'
she earned her salary by mere contact with thc
creatures, without being allowed or compelled 10
take her life on the temper of the snakes
4 clanse in the Penal Code provides Ter the
punishment Of any one oufraglns the pupiio
dcccncy" Huber certainly does outrage the pun
lie deccncy with such horrible exhibition as lie
navs Mrs. Sonwell for giving, but there might Dc
difficulty about stretching the law so a. TO cover
lis ca.r TIE most effective way to punish him
for his dastardly course would De 10 revoke ',,''
Iiccns. Of his museum Mayor Gilroy could do
this Such a performance Is 50 offensive 50
horrible and 80 revolving TO public decency that
:, shorld no sharnlr punished. The woman may
soon bc r,ski1r Ter life in public again, to gam
food for her yonng CHILDREN unless the Mayor
nuts , sion 70 IT, Ii was said at st. Vincent
IJosrit,l Yesterday that if the woman continued
% show the same Improvement that was notice
alba j., b.r condition Yesterday morning, II would
M, be lonr before she would be able to 80 back
~ bor work again. Dr. Walker, the house sur
coon at St yinccnt's Hospital, said yesterday
that when Dot" was brought TO the hospital her
condition had bccn serious, and he considered h"f
cscopc duc 10 her strong constitution ana u
rho fact that she had becn bitten before. Inc
snake that bit Dot. diamond-backed rattier
from Florida. was five feet long and two ana
opn.hoIf inches thick His fangs entered the III,
side or rh,. yomans head, making sinal'
The story of Dot" Sonwcls Nfe is sal one
Slo ,,,s horn in this city twenty years ago: Her
maiden name was Margaret Smith. When she was
a more child she met John Sonwell snake
charmcr. and soon after she married him. liz
tamnLt her the secrets of snake charming, ana a
soon a. she was able 10 handle the ugly reptile,
Lcr husband gave up work and lived on what
" Dot" made in the museums. lie treated her III
. cruel way ard hcr mother. Mrs Jacob nerrini,
of 10 1i5 Allen-st., sail yesterday that Sonwell
did nothing hut abuse his wifi at all times. Al
nrnsent Dots" husband is "A dislwasher IN a
S;xthave. restaurant. The couple have three
children DOTS mother said that she never
wanted 10 be "A snake charmer, and that she was
in constant fear of some accident but that sh,
had 10 do it in order to support her three young
children ,... l.. L., .s
in a Roston museum several years ago. She was
tr;re bitten in Providence, and on July she
'r.s ocain injured by a damOnd-back rattesnake
in a museum in Fourtecnth-st