El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-09
.YNNSNS/S~S

citizens earn their three meals q day.
the N ethOd of a woman who resides In
the extreme eas tern part OF she city Ia
by far the most remarkable.
The woman does not eat snakes alive
hut she possesses herself with all III
reptiles Jnat can be caught 10 three
counties, and manufactures on small
scale q patent medicine from the oil OF
the serpents, the formula oil wnlch IL
known only to herself.
No other snake will do but the rat
tier, and there is q standing order with
Nick Neisius, the taXidermist on San
Antonio strest, for ali the ratslesnakes
that he can get.
A few days ago Mr.. Neisius was
in front of his store when
man with rattlesnake In
. box came up and began to tell Mr..
Ne sius Of The manly and virtucu' quail
1JieB sAe reptile possessed. The oroer
for such snakes had already been lett
with the taxid ermist, SO the snake was
purchased. Il was kept in Q box on
the glass CASE in the store for seVerA
days, and attracted considerable at
teution. In remarkably short time
tho news that MIR. ~ eisius had rat
tie enake spreau over the c1ty, ana ne
soon had more prospective purchssers
tnau he could have supplied with AL
The most persistent of those desiring
the snake were two Chinameu who
haunted the front room OF the taxioer,
nist's work shop, for days, and insisted
upon carrying the big reptile away.
According to Mr. Neisius the celestlals
did not intend to start Q museum. nor
q ID they desire Mr. Rather as y curlos-
iay to be sent back to China TO their
cousin. The Chinese in this city, De-
SIDES their inseparable occupation OF
rendering dirty linen clean, carry on
as a side issue . land ONCE business OF
making various dou btful ellxirs, war
rsnted TO cure snythiog from she lano
grabbing propensitles of Russia to
pain In the BACK.
The Cinnamon offered double the
price which The taxidermiet would get
from his regular customer, put MI.
Neisius tola John and his friend that
Inc monster snake was sold. To make
sure he sent the boy around to the
woman who lives On she east side, and
whose occupation is patent medicine
% skiing, aad she came around In such q
hurry that she forget to wear her hat.
Then follow al interesting opera
ton, performed oy Mr. Neisius. The
woman desired the poison Tags re-
moved. That is child's play for the
LAxidermist, and MIR Neisius was about
to kill the snake in an approved man
ner. The woman insisted that the
reptile be ohloroformed, so Mr. Neisius
did IL to please her. When the RATHER
WAS overcome by the drug. and lying
out In his box like dead stick, the
taxidsr mist picked him up in hls hands
and removed the poison fangs and the
glands. He then cut the head on, AND
the woman wrapped thf two parts up
in Q piece o. paper and carried them
q n tn her private laboratory.
Before the day wa: ous the womsr
had converted the RATHER into
many neat and imposing looking bot
ties, each containing salve made OF
snake oil. The woman who carries on
this strange profession claims all OF the
curative qualities known to any medi-
C ne for her snake balm. She insists
three to five days, and some apparent
~ marvellous results have been obtain
4. i from this uncanny salve.
Mr.. Nsisius said last night that
whatever curative properties the snake |
balm had was due to the fact that
snaze oil is one of the most penetras
ing known. Ii will reach the sess Of
lain almost Immediately, and he /,
thought there was no doubt but that 1t |
~ in paralysis and rheumatism. |
Medicine made from snake oils 10 one |
of the oldest In medical history and is
the favorite concoction of the old |
fairy tale writer's who tell of witches ]
and their dark and mysterious ways. !
Snakes however, are not the only
isagrt cable looking reptiles which
can be converted into drugs and medt- |
cine. Mr.. Neisius has large trade in |
horned toada, and moot Of them go
a 10 the boiling pot of the medical i
The Cinnamon are large |
purchasers OF these toads, and they |
a m that they are wonderful pre-
ventive of death, ~ bich ChiDamen like |
every body else, are anxious to avoid.
To the civil zed mind their meth
DDS seem to be more undesirable than
me disease itself, but that may be
merely the prejudice of the American
q gsiust the Mongolian.
Mr.. Nsisius has sold many we'll dew
sloped specimens of the horned toads
20 the Chinese residents of the city.
The wash Johns invariably want the
argess he has, and as they pay good
prices for them, they can get what
ever they want. Experiencing some
curiosity about their ways that are
strange he discovered the following
ormula which he 10 willing to give to
hose who feel unwell and would like
good tonic.
1t IL very simple, and child could
make . large quantity OF the medicine:
Take three horned toAds, the larger she
peter, and place them carefully In a
AZ, alive. Then fill the jar with whis-
roy, the worse the whiskey the better,
nd allow to stand for several DAYS.
Then drink the whiskey. The tosds
re supposed to die delightful death
a the moonshine rye, and impert tb cir
lealth giving qualities to it. This
MIXTURE is said by the Chinese them
elves to be n sure cure for every dis
s.e on their visiting lists. They are =