The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-19
NEW YORK SNAKE SHOW.
Queer Reptiles That Are Attracting
GOtham's Attention.

Gothom's Attention.
New York Letter In Chicago Record.
AT the Grand Central Palace in this city
there as in progress an exhibition which
is not so attractive as the horse show.
but much more unique. There have been
dog shows, cat shows, bird shows, fish
shows, flower shows. and many other kind
of shows but this is the first snake show
l ever heard of. Several hundred serpcnts,
some of them as small as a horsehair and
one thirty-fve feet long and as large
around as a fashionable woman's waist,
are exhibited an tlte interest of science
and for the qualification of those who
crave the horrible. The ordinary garter
snakes and milk snakes that can be found
in any COW pasture are placed beside CHA
monsters, and boas and pythons from the
jungles of India and Africa, scorpions,
tarantulas, centipeds lizards, chameleons,
salamanders and every variety of crawl
ing and creeping thing can be seen amid
attractive surroundings, and their beau
ties are pointed out by the attendants with
as much zeal and satisfaction as If they
were blessings of inestimable value.
One monstrous boa constructor is really
beautiful, with ats fascinating eyes and
lustrous skin of ashen white, with long
brown lashes down either side. The keep
er says 1t would crush COW or "a tiger In
its coils, and IL eats as much as a horse.
1t belongs to Mr.. Highly an artist l was
not aware before that people raised snakes
for profit but the exhibitor declares that
il is a rational and legitimate business.
The market for this sort of pets is nat
urally limited, and until recently has been
confined to geological gardens, museums,
menageries and the side shows that fol-
low circuses, with few private collect
ors, but a snake fad is imminent and Is
said to have broken out in Paris already
The present show was suggested and
organized by Allen S. Williams, we'll
known newspaper man of New York, both
to crafty popular craze for novelties
and for scientific investigation. He Is an
enthusiastic student of natural history and
his taste runs to snakes, which, he de-
clares, have been unjustly mallgned ever
since that unfortunate affair in the Gar
den of Eden He regards them as inno-
cent objects of interest possessing beauty
as wen as wisdom.
One of the largest exhibitors is another
newspaper man, r. L. Ditmar, of the New
York Times, who has several hundred rep
tiles of all varieties la his collection.
Outside Of the dealers In snakes-who
are three i'm number-the most remarkable
collection belongs to Charles II. Highly,
the artist already alluded to- He began
by getting snakes for models in illustrate
ing works of travel adventure and natu-
raj history, in making posters and other
artistic Nightmares, and he contends that
for curves of beauty and the poetry of
motion there is nothing like them. He now
owns some of the most valuable specimens
in the world.
Gustav Won Moser, a German gentleman
Of means and scientific taste, is another
enthusiastic amateur collector, and there
is a merchant in Norwich, Conn, who is
possessed by similar fad. He has spent
a great deal of time and money in an en-
deavor to collect live specimens of all the
snakes and creeping things that nhabit
New England There are several other
exhibitors but one of the largest-perhaps
the largest-private collections in the
United States is not represented because
its owner DIR. O'Reilly, a physician of
New York, vanished upon one of his peri,
odical exploring expeditions in the jung.es
of Africa or India before the exposition
was announced.
There are two women exhibltors-Mrs. o.
Fggling of New York and Miss Alice
Beekman of Minneapolis The latter has
a remarkable collection of rattlesnakes.
which she handles fearlessly She is the
daughter of prominent physician, re-
Gently deceased
stylish-ooking woman Of 30 years or
so, with every appearance of refinement
and wealth, came into the show this ar
ternoon and after taking It ali in asked
for the manager. She said she wanted
ia examine a boat constructor that Is she'd
ding its skin. Mr.. Williams ordered the
glass case unlocked and to his amazement
nv lady took out monsters, one bv one
examined them with the air of connols
seur, let them cncircle her neck and waist
and arms, fondled them affectionately
us II they were kittens, and then made
herself equally familiar with case Of big
rattlesnakcs.
She said there was really no danger IL
you handle them properly, and then de-
clared that she had a collection Of pets
of the same kind that surpassed every
thing in the exhibition. Mr.. Williams beg
ger her to bring them down. but she
wouldn't promise, and declined to give her
name, because she desired TO avoid pub
Hcity. she explained, however, that she
had been fond of snakes from a child, and
preferred them to dogs as pets.