The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-01-18

throngs OF people
MS strange doings drew around him
BY opening the jaws Of that RATHER with
his thumbs was a dead man. suggs
claimed that he had a divine mission
and proved Il by passages out OF the
Scriptures which clearly showed that
no others but those called Of God could
immunely handle rattlesnakea. copper
heads, cottonmouths and water moe
caslns. sllaa Suggs was IS years old
He was a failure as a farmer, and Tor
sixteen years had made his living as
a silversmlth. The peculiar religious
phase OF his character developed about
ave years ago. when he evolved a sott
Of theology from the Bible In which
snakes and Christianity seemed 20 bear
about equal parts. According 10 him,
Chrlst's mission on earth was 10 repeal
that law which ordnlns enmiiy between
mankind and the snake. whose persua-
sion brought about the fall sugsa
was very careful about his snakes.
They could bite him a. much as they
would. urhe,jnyariably handled them
a. though they We're glass and he was
afraid Of breaking them. In the en-
tumn he turned them loose among the
rocks Of Illinois. and he said they al
ways came back In the spring
In his big deal box he carried a four
foot rattiesnake. three or four copper
heads Of various sizes. a hve-foot cot
fonmouth or highland moccasin. sew
eral water moccaslns. and pulling adj
der. For several months this strange
man had been going from town 10 town
IN Southern Illinois and Western Ken
lucky and Tennessee preaching with a
rude eloquence that wonderfully stirred
the rustic sinners ranged around. and
Afterwards performing miracles before
the affrlghted gaze OF thousands. Ills
followers claimed that he performed
miracles. for how else could he plunge
his bare arms into a big box OF with
Ing. wrlggllng. kissing snakes, the
moat deadly known on the continent.
ALLOW them cfa.hls hands and arms
time and hgain, and i've. -'rrhse Q1
this and then demonstrated that the
snakes had not been rendered innocu-
Gus By the removal OF their fangs by
letting them Immediately afterwards
bite chickens and dogs. which speedily
died. Then he would let the same
snakes bite his hands and arms again
But all this time suggs himself was
unable 10 frame an cxplanatln2 Of th'
big rattler's failure 10 bite.
just after his story was told In the
Journal In June. this huge diamond
back RATHER was captured In the Bal
Bottoms. and. on Suggs return from
Nashville. presented TO him for mir
purposes. suggs thrust his aru
into the rattlers improyised den a
nonchalantly az though reaching 10
fha best rolled Concstoga In a box,anl
drew him forth. remarking at the sam
time that unless his "plzen works
we're In working order. he didn't nee
him. Inserting bis thumb between Oh
ratller's jaws. suggs examined N
venom glands. dues and iangs. with
careless air. and then pitched his lates
ophldlan arrival into the cracker bo
along with the others. But. unlike IN
Others. the diamond back refused q
bite him. even when scratched betwee
the eyes with a spear Of timothy fe'
days ago.
Suggs was on his return home af,c
an itinerary embracing the county fair
and fall sessions Of Circuit Court D
Egypt lie wore new store cloihc.
and his pockets hulged with silver. n
offerings Of the awe-struck Wiinessc
Of his miraolea Just after a heart
dinner a score Of his followers IA
gathered about the hotel porch. and 81
las was urged TO show what he coul
do with the snakes Tor one last tim
before he returned 10 bis little lionel
log cabin just over the Pope count
line. What he did and what followo
Il only what be had done with impuu
~ a hundred times before.
lie opened the box and thrust IN hi
haired arms.
The snakes oolled and wrlthcd abou
his arms ne drew forth the wrir
Cling. kissing mass and lot the snake
wind about bis neck and hans aero
his shoulders Tho bic RATHER did n
more than give keoner buzz an
thriler whir than had ever befoi