The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-13
HYPNOTIZED BY A SNAKE.
DIR. Brayman's Narrow Escape in an Anna
ran Forest-His Guide Saved
Ais Life.

a.
What in modern days we have called
! hypnotism is thing which, under one
name or another, or unnamed, has eS-
listed as long as animate life in the
world said DR.. A. q. Brayman, who
has devoted considera BILE study to the
hypnotism both as an abstract science
and in its bearing on medical practice.
In the most ancient histories we have
evidences of this force in the belief in
the power Of certain men to bewitch
others, which In the Latin races sur
wives in the fear OF the evil eye. And
from the earliest times in civilized
rural communities. as among all savage
people, the belief in witch doctors
men and women who cure ailments by
lamentations of one sort or other-has
prevailed. No doubt these occult heal
ers often accomplish all they profess,
and the secret of the cure Is the hyp-
motto influence they exercise upon the
mind of the patient.
I'm lower forms of animal nature we
find manifestations of this power in
the charming of birds and animals by
snakes. The thing that first led me to
study the subject was when in boy
hood | saw "a frog fascinated by
snake. The snake, which was about 3
feet long and of a non-venomous spe-
cies lay coiled by the roadside, its head
resting upon its coils. the forked tongue
darting from the mouth, while its eyes
We're fixed on the frog. which sat mo-
tionless gazing at the snake foot
away. This was as they We're when
found them; how they came together |
could not tell. There apparently was
nothing to prevent the frog from hop
ping away out of danger, but he chose
to squat there within reach of his in
veterate enemy. / had an errand that
took me a mile beyond. l left the two
as they were, did my errands, and hur-
ried back. The snake had retreated
into the long grass, where | found it,
with the frog half-swallowe in its
mouth the frog was fully alive. but
was making no resistance or attempt
to get away from the snake
Ten years later on the Amazon river
I had a startling evidence of the hypno-
tizing power of the snake family. In
my occupation of collecting bird skins
for mounting | was threading a forest
PATH carrying in my hand gun loaded
with very fine shot, while my Indian
guide followed, carrying a heavier gun
charged with buckshot to use In case
we should come across a deer or jag
uar. A bird of brilliant plumage flew
up into a tree which overhung the
path and as / peered into the foliage
to discern the bird / became aware of
something swaying before my eyes and
a flashing of prismatic colors, producing
on me something of the impression of a
Kaleidoscope So unobtrusively had
this thing come into view that II dawn
ed only slowly on my mind, preoccupied
with the search for the bird, that the
object so softly reaching toward me was
the head and six feet of the neck and
body of an enormous water boa. From
its mouth the forked tongue was shoot
ing and vibrating and changing lights
were from its eyes bent upon me. With
my cooked gun in my hand / did not
think to use 1t or run away, but stood
gazing. literally spellbound, as the
snake, slipping from the bow on which
it lay, advanced its head toward me.
Il heard my guide shout from behind
me. The snakes head drew back with
an angry hiss as the Indian crowded
pastime, raising his gun to his shoulder
as he did so, and with the loud crack.
crack of the two barrels he seized me
with both arms and rushed me back
away from the place. Then | saw the
snake, which had dropped from the
tree, writing and twisting in the path,
an immense fellow, % feet long and of
girth In proportion. Its head was shat
tered by the two charges of buckshot.
but the commissions of the body We're
enough to show the reptiles enormous
strength. and give an idea of how |
should have Jared if once it had thrown
its coils around me. The boa would
have done this in a few moments more,
the guide told me, and If he had not
rushed to my aid / would have stood
still. fascinated and never stirred to
i
snake had charmed or hypnotized me
beyond all power of resistance or re-
treat.
The two episodes just related We're
in my own experience. A third case,
Illustrating the human power Of hypn0-
tizing, with an unfriendly purpose, &C.
Cured with friend of mine named Je-
rome Parker, who at the time was re-
siding as a sheep ranchman in the Ar
gentine Republic He had In some way
! 4.
| the pampas are called-a race of wild
! riders of mixed Spanish and Indian de-
scent, with the yengeful and bloodthirs-
| ty characteristics of both strains of
| ancestry-and, unknown 10 my friend,
| the gaucho had determined to kill him.
| The time and place he selected for car
rying out his design was a holiday fes-
| tyal in a little plaza town called Santa
| Clara. Parker was there, but. as after
| the fashion of ranchmen at that time
| in the pampas, he carried a pistol in
! open view, and moreover had friends
! with him likewise armed. the gaucho
/ thought ii too risky to try the business
/ with his knife, and SO resorted to his
/ other deadly weapon, the lasso. But
/ to use this effectively it was necessary
| to catch my friend off his guard. and
! the first effort of the gaucho was To
! engage his attention.
During the first part of the day there
| were tricks and games by the horse
| men to amuse the crowd. At last the
/ gaueho referred 10. dismounting from
| his horse and taking his position in
front of Parker, began a performance
with his lasso He had two musicians
as accompanies. and To the strains of
| a wierd air played in slow time on a
guitar and an Indian drum, he made
| the rope writhe and roll on the ground
| like thing alive, then swung ii above
| his head in loops and spirals. his feet
| at the same time keeping step with the
music. Without missing step and with
| the lasso still twirling. he set foot in
his stirrup and swung himself upon his
horses back: then. as the crowd about
gazed in rapt silence at This strange
/ performance. the lasso suddenly shot
/ forth, straight as an arrow from his
| hand and the loop settled about the
/ shoulders Of Parker. With 4 yell the
| gaucho wheeled his horse and set spurs
| to MIN. intending TO drag Parker to
| death While making good his own es-
cape. Parker was jerked from his feet