The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-26
MAGNET1z1NG A SNAKE.
Exciting Experiment in Which Blue
Gown Cut a Figure.
From st. Nicholas.

1t happened that few of US were
standing in field near my own house,
when we saw a large black and white
snake gliding along 1t took refuge in
bunch of weeds and grass about fifty
yards away.
Don't kill him, said. 1, S'and' 1. will
show you something you never saw before.
III make that snake follow me into the
house without ever touching him. In fact,
of his own accord, he'll 90 wherever
60"
They waited while ran in and hur-
riedly changed my dress, reappearing in
moment clad in anavy blue dressing gown
reaching down to within an inch of the
ground. Now it is necessary to mention
that it was very calm day. The sun
was shining overhead and not a-cIOud was
in the sky. The field was covered with
very short grass and trusted to the fact
that there was not a mole hole or a rat
hole in the entire acre, nor any other
place for the snake to hide in, except that
very bunch of weeds where he still lay
close. approached him, and took up my
station about twenty yards from where
he was hiding. I stood still as statue,
with my arms hanging mOtionlesS by
my sides and my face toward him. | then
asked them to 90 to the bunch of grass
by the farther side and to chase him out
side next to me But before they came
near he had already glided off, and made
directly toward me- | was gazing straight
at him as he approached me, and, with
out turning my head or moving my arms,
| began to move gently backward. Still
he followed. l 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 his 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 carefully on the snake to di-
rect 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
every turn till got to the door. When
finally / sat down gently on the step, he
glided in beneath my dressing-gown and
coiled himself on the tops of my shoes.
They lifted the skirt of the 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 col
lection of live snakes. Poor fellow he
died long ago, and his remains are in
bottle in the museum of Trinity College,
Dublin.
Now, they didn't drive him toward me,
for they had remained afar off, nearly as
far from him as they had been at hrst.
How did you do. it2" they inquired;
and l, in answer (as was my right, asked
them to explain it.
One believed had some food about me
to attract him. Another thought 1 had
rubbed on my dressing-gown some drug
of which he liked the odOr On being as
sured 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; other
wise ] could not keep control Of him"
Then they said, 1T is magnetism, or
hypnotism. It is by the power of your
eye that you did iG.n
NO answered cit was not my eyes
that drew him, The attraction was more
general: but yet it was neither food, nor
drink. noC odOr of any kind. He was at
uacted toward me very powerfully, in
deed. but the cause was neither chemical
nor electrical
Six words contain the answer; six more
the explanation. Perhaps the reader can
guess them. He wanted to hide beneath
me, as the shadow was tempting, and he
didn't know that ] was a living thing.
The dressing gown hid my moving feet.
Like the alphabet on the telephone, II is
very simple when you know II, but very
mysterious whom you don't.