The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-11-12
4aTC1ep IN 4 SNAKE.
A Tough Yarn OF How Serpent Acted ~
an Ostrich Incubator.

A Tough Ynrn OF How Serpent Acted AZ
an Ostrich Incubator.
Five years ago, living in west
was German of the
name of Cheesmeyer who was very
much interested in various methods
of incubation. The thought occurred
to him one day that eggs properly
handled could be Matched in the sun,
and desiring to thoroughly test his
idea he wrote to his brother, living
in southern California, to express to
him post haste three ostrich eggs.
The eggs arrived in due time, were
carefully arranged on a sheepskin
mat and placed IN the sun. 1t was
necessary, of course, to remove the
eggs every night to some warm spot
in the stable in order to maintain the
high temperature to which they were
subjected by the sun during the day.
This process had been continued
for some time, when one day circus
arrived in town and pitched its.tents
on what is called the old Goosetown
hill, little south and to the west of
the house Of Mr.. Cheesmeyer. The
good people Of Leavenworth were
very much frightened by reading in
the morning papers the day follow
ing an article to the effect that one
of the attaches of the circus, in feed
ing the snakes after the evenings
performance very carelessly left the
cage door open and that the largest
boa constructor had escaped in the
darkness. People residing in the vi
cinity of the circus grounds were
naturally much exercised for some
days over the escape of the snake,
but the excitement gradually abated.
On the morning the story of the
escaped snake appeared in the local
papers Mr.. Cheesmeyer went as usu-
al to the barn for the eggs, with the
intention of again putting them in the
sun. To his great surprise, no eggs
we're to be seen, but in their place
lay the head of strange looking an
imal, appearing to be 26 or 81 feet in
length. Mr.. Cheesmeyer was a
courageous man and resolved at once
to capture the strange appearing
creature. After several attempts he
succeeded in throwing a rope over
it's head, which was no other than
the escaped boa constructor.
Its long captivity had made it quite
docile, and Mr.. Cheesmeyer expert,
enced but little difficulty in replac.
ing after few hours the rope with
a chain. To one end of the chain
was attached an iron band, which
was fastened around the body of the
snake to serve as a collar, while the
other end of the chain was fastened
to stake driven deep in the ground
in the center of the yard. In this
manner the snake was kept and gov
erned with little difficulty. So en-
crossed did the German become in
his curiosity that all thoughts of in
cubators and the missing ostrich eggs
entirely escaped him. The snake
was fed regularly three times day
and soon manifested a knowledge of
the approach of mealtime. In an
incredibly short time it had learned
to rear up and catch on the fly food
thrown to it by. it's master. Just 10
days from the time of capture, as the
evening meal was being served to
the reptile, large bone was among
the other food tossed to it.
AS it opened wide it's mouth to
grasp the bone Mr.. Cheesmeyer was
greatly startled at seeing between
the widely open jaws of the snake a
feathery animal. The plumed crea-
ture continued its journey through
the precarious exit and walked calm
ly into the yard, followed by another
and finally by third. Think of it,
real live birds making their entrance
into the world through the mouth of
a boa constructor! These strange birds
proved to be ostriches Their ap-
pearance accounted for the disap-
pearance of three ostrich eggs. AT
st. Charles, Mo, in a small barn in
the outskirts of the town, the three
ostriches may still be seen. One of
them has been taught to dance to the
music Of hand organ, but up to the
present time all efforts to educate the
other two have been unavailing.-
Chicago Post
Chicken on the Shell.
Tn a cor+air rafhar rro+o,,f 4; 1,,a hrk