The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-29
Is FOND OF THEM.
An Indiana Man Who Has Real
Liking for Reptiles.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer
Columbus Ind.-In the hills of Brown
county lives Club" Monroe, who thinks
there is lots of fun in the catching and
handling of snakes. He has an irresistible
fascination for the canny things, and his
little home Is a Verltable den for all the
kinds that abound in the rather rugged
region. They are his pets. and in his col
lection of 40 may be found the deadly rat
tier, the almost equally dangerous copper
head and mOccasin blue racers, vipers
COW snakes, garter snakes. house snakes
and green snakes. He does not like to part
with them, and it is only on rare coca
sions that he will sell one. "Chub" is
altogether unique character, about 10
years of age, and lives alone in his little
cabin without companions, save his
strange pets.
He hates a dog and win not tolerate
cat about his premises for anything One
would think that snake was about the
last thing which man would try to ec-
ucate, but Club has a rattler and a cop
per head, whose fangs have been ex-
tracted, that will respond to commands
and do what he calls tricks He caught
them when they We're young, and says
that ii cost him a deal of patience TO
teach them what they know. Your CORE
spondent met him recently and he told him
quite an interesting story about his mau-
ner of catching the reptiles and his ex-
perience with them.
Ever since l was a boy" he said 81
had fondness for snakes. firsk began
to experiment with bull snakes. / would
their
heads off, and in this way l became bold-
er, and then commenced to handle them
l would hold their. heads tightly so they
could not bite me. / soon became So thar
/ could handle them as l washed. Next
| began to experiment with garter snakes
That Is the way l developed into a snake
charmer.
1.-THE first copperhead 1 ever picked ND
/ was unfortunate with. While extracting
his fangs with my fingers my hand
slipped off his head, and, in Its struggle
inserted of fasn
in the second finger Of my left hand. 1
was four miles from Delaven at the time
and 1t was a furious ride to the little
town for medical assistance. While riding
along at break-neck speed l took a chew
of tobacco, and began sucking the wound
ed finger. That is what saved my life
Some of the poison, however, got in my
system, and had quite siege of it, That
experience taught me it was safer to use
pair of forceps than my fingers.
Il always take the fangs out of the pois-
onous snakes, and have to watch them
closely to prevent their fangs growing
back They. grow up again in about three
months, and become full sized in a short
period. l have picked them up quite fire.
quently with fangs in, but 1 always re-
move them as soon as possible. When /
capture copperhead or a rattIer I ms
ually put them in my pocket and carry
them home in that way To get them out
of my pocket is not as dangerous a thing
as most people think, because a poisonous
snake seldom strikes unless he is coiled
My biggest RATHER, fine fellow about
four feet nine inches long, 1 lost some
days ago in a very peculiar manner. /
put large rat in the cage for him to make
a meal of. A furious fight ensued between
the rattler and the rat, and the latter got
the best of the battle by biting his snake
ship through the small of the neck, and he
died in two minutes.
II have ninety-nine young snakes. forty
seven of which were born from the same
mother on the eighth day of this month
each being at birth about six inches long
They have added about two inches to their
length since then"
Clubs collection of snakes will be an
interesting attraction at Sprunia County
Fair now in progress.