The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-17
a BIG SNAKE FROM JAVA.
Ills First Meal In America Was n
YearlinE Calf.

yesterday and asked 10 see the snake edi-
tor.
They are having the greatest kind Of
time down at Donald Burns animal place
in South street" the man declared, try
ing TO get big snake into box. 1t IS
the biggest snake ever brought TO this
country, and when they tried 10 handle
him he got away from Burns and his
men and came near killing lot of them
A reporter was sent at once to see how
much of this story was true. Down at
Burns place, in South street, just north
OF where the Brooklyn bridge crosses that
street, there was a large gathering Of
people. The small office part Of the ami
NAL store, which IS separated from the
rest by high and strong iron network
partition was full OF men whose interest
seemed to be concentrated upon long
and strong new box which was in the in
ner room, close to the partition.
Hes in there" exclaimed one of the
men as the reporter entered. The snake
that had caused the excitement was evil
IDENTIFY safely Gagged by that time, but he
was still matter of local interest DON
aid Burns was inside the partition with
number of his lusty assistants, and he
was giving directions for making a hole
in one end of the box and connecting
stove with it to keep the big snake warm.
Il hear you have been having trouble
with snake" said the reporter.
Hush! whispered Bruins. Il have been
keeping the thing quiet. How did you
hear of It? You know l didn't want it to
get out that any animal, wild or tame,
ever got the better Of me. | have been
handling animals and snakes ever since
l was boy-elephants, lions, tigers, wild
cats, boas, rattlesnakes, copperheads-
and nothing ever pOf q hest M me- bp-
fore 1t was awful, l tell you. Look at
thsr'
Mr.. Burns threw back the hasp which
held shut the lid of a smaller box which
stood beside the big new one and opened
the cover. Then he loosened and raised
an inside lid of glass which covered the
contents of the box, and, making a quick
move, caught a big snake by the neck,
just back of the head.
Catch hold of him, boys" he cried to
his assistants, and three of them grasped
different portions Of the snake as Burns
drew it forth. They stretched 1t out I'M
til its head and tail were probably ten
feet apart; but the snake did not seem to
like the operation, and kept a good part
OF its length concealed by pulling itself
up in r.ngletted kinks Put him back,
yelled Bruins.
The snake was perhaps six inches in
diameter at the thckest part of it's body.
ne IL pretty gOOu-SlZeQ Cndp, ism [
hep asked Burns He's early twenty
feet long. but he's not marker to the
other one. You see l could handle him.
Then Burns went over to the big box
| and opened 1t cautiously. This box also
had an inside set of lids filled in with
heavy plate glass.
There" exclaimed Burns, us a snake
that is a snake. He is between thirty and
forty feet in length, weighs SOB pounds,
and measures two feet around the big
gest part of his body. Talk about hand
ling him. He's the only brute that ever
got away from Donald Burns. Look at
him noww
Burns had opened the glass cover. The
| great python lay coiled at one end of the
! box with his head resting comfortably
upon the upper coil of his body. He made
altogether pile about as big around and
| as high as one of the coils of hawser that
! are to be seen on the decks of a square
| rugged ship. TIE sntrl1es li,tle yellow
| bead-like eyes were alert, but he seemed
| not at all anxious to move. Burns ad-
| vanced a hand carefully toward the
snakes head and suddenly darted 1t for
ward and closed his powerful fingers
| about the snakes neck.
| The neck is slender compared to the rest
| of the body, but still 1t makes big hand
| full. The moment the fingers closed the
| snake began to stretch out It's head, and
| it became apparent that even a powerful
| man like Burns could not hold it, Burns
suddeny released his hold. The snake
| poked out it's forked tongue once or twice
and then returned to its former position
| He has been fed since we had the tus-
| sic with him." said Burns, "or 1 couldn't
| even do that much with him. I fed him
| a yearling calf and he swallowed 1t whole
after crushing every bone in its body. He
| is a rock python from Southern Java. He
| " n q M
here in the trap am sorry that let the
| Italians carry off the trap and break II
| up. II was a curiosity in itself. 1t was
| made of lakewood and bamboo. At one
| side was a hole and this had pieces oil
| pointed bamboo running in from 1t like
| the wires in our rat traps. The natives
On Java put a goat into the box for bait
| and the snake went in through the hole
after the goat. When he got in he couldn't
| get out. He was never taken out OF the
| trap until I took him out. He was sent
| to Singapore, where my agent bought
him, and he was sent to me on the shiI
| Notwithstanding or other. She goi
in on Thursday at the foot of Market
street. They brought the trap down here
on a truck, and I got ten 'longshoremer
| to help get 1t into the shop and take the
| snake out. We took the trap into the
front part of the store, behind the parti-
| ton, and put it beside the new box
| where the snake is now.
81 opened the trap and caught the bis
fellow by the neck. Everybody catch
hold I called. Every one of the ter
| 'longshoremen got a hold and we pulled
the big fellow out of the box. We'd just
got him Strengthened out when he began
to rear. l weigh more than 200 pounds
| but do you know that he lifted me up as
! II were a child. He lifted me up about
two feet and thrashed the floor with me
All the men behind were being thrown
around the room as II they were infants
every time the snake twisted. Then the
brute drew himself up and l saw he was
getting ready to wind himself about some
| of us.
Save yourselves, boys" l cried. and
just then the snake gave a great swish
| and broke loose. 1 let go, and the snake
made straight for the back room. 1 tried
to get hold of him again, but he faced us
and twisted his tail into the bars of the
! little elephants cage and didn't dare to
! go near him. The way we got him into
the box was to tangle him up in a net and
then work him in. I tell you he's a