The herald., 1897-08-04
BILL HAUSTETTER'S STRUGGLE
Animal Keeper Nearly Loses His Life
in a Reptiles Cage

CINCINNATI, O., July 21.-Head AMI
NAL Keeper Billy Haustetter of the Zoo,
whose special charges are the jungle
ferocities, gave an exhibition of supreme
nerve and daring today. Ever since the
mighty python Pandalya some two
months ago fell in it's sleep, breaking
it's back and dying, its mate, Pandora,
huge boa constructor, has INDUCED itself
in it's own kind of mournful eccentrici-
ties, among which has been that of stay
ing at the top of the big glass cage,
coiled at the very top of perpendicular
rail. 1t has remained there week after
week, usually motionless. No reasonable
amount of prodding has had any effect
on it. Today marked the fifth week it
has hung there. Fearing i'll results from
so long siege of posing, and, notwith-
standing Pandora's body is as big as the
upper arm of the average laborer, and
powerful enough to choke tiger or lion
to death, Keeper Haustetter determined
to put his wisdom against that of the
serpent and cause the doing Pandora
to stir itself. AS he had tried every other
means, only one thing remained to be
done-"get right in and do it," as he
expressed it.
He had not noticed and probably did
not care for the score or more people,
mostly women, who happened to be
standing in front of the cage at the time,
and who of a sudden were Mortified to
see him slip in through a little door
which closed upon him with a slam and
left him without means of escape. The
suddenness of his appearing in the cage
with the vicious reptile terrorized sew
eral of the women who ran from the
building. The mans first move showed
the expertness of his knowledge. Hav-
ing fully reconnoitered the lay of the
boa's body, and especially the head, be-
fore entering, made it possible for him
at the first jump to grab the monster
around the throat up close to the back
of the head. 1t is the one hold to ever
risk getting on a reptile, but even this
does not mean all of the battle by any
means. Gripping the boa, then, by one
hand, Haustetter slowly Grew the head
downward. One by one the mighty coils
swung loose from the cage tree, until
just as the last was coming, the monster
suddenly swung it's tail around and be-
gan coiling about the upper portion of
the arm, the lind of which was gripped
on its throat. Almost Instantly it had
wound a dozen coils around the arm,
welting up the flesh in great purple
knots. Haustetter turned pale as death.
With his free hand and arm the keeper
tugged and fought with the awful coils
until the blood oozed from his nose and
his eyes stood out like balls of glass
The struggle continued for what seemed
fully five minutes.
Finally, bending far over, Haustetter
managed to unband and get his foot
upon one coil, when, with a strain that
almost broke his back, he slowly forced
the steel-like bands to loosen, and at the
same time he went round and round the
cage tree coiling the awful body upon it
as he uncoiled it from his own. Then,
the door having been opened, he watched
his opportunity and succeeded in getting
out
Il have handled the reptile before"
said Haustetter later, in speaking of the
affair, 'but bad no idea of it's giving me
the trouble that it did. Perhaps it has
taught me lesson, but man in this
business has to take what comes"-Chi-
cago Chronicle.