Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1900-09-22

eon0us snake bite from experience
Before going into the details OF
the effects of bite from a poison
Qua reptile, II will be necessary for
me to give u brief outline of my ex-
perience with poisonous snakes aud
how I came to drift into the profes.
sion that almost caused my death.
II was about the year 1895, or there
abouts, while in Southern Caiifor-
mia during one of the Fiestas thnt
were held annually in that part OF
the country, that l came in contact
with Snowman. travelling under
the name of ARIZONA Bill" exhibit
ing reptiles of every description.
saw the money that was in II ut a
moments glance to anyone that
had the nerve and courage TO han
die the reptiles. II took me about
as long as il takes To tell II to make
a proposition 10 him and his party.
They accepted my proposition and
in few days we were on our way
to Northern California. meeting
with great success, for we had one
of the rarest collections of reptiles
ever exhibited in that part Of the
country, and as ARIZONA Bilp' was
known from the Pacific TO the At
lsntic as an honest Snowman, never
incorporating anything about
his show, many times during my
connection with his show did WE
give private exhibitions TO doctors,
students and other professional
men who wished to be more thor.
oughly vcrsrd in the habits, ways
aud modes of reptiles. believing in
the old prOverb. seeing il believ.
ing" II was Bills delight to have
such an audience, for il WAS TO in.
telligrnt prOple tina, he liked 10
lecture on the different specimens,
their habits, etc. / shall never !or-
get u little incident that happened
while we were exhibiting in n small
town in California. There were two
papers printed in the town daily;
one we had given some advertising
matter to; the other We completely
overlooked. l think il was he Her.
aid. The evening edition came out
with an article the substance cf
which was this: Thrt a certain
Snowman was exhibiting IN such II
street in the city sevrial hundi ed
dormant. fangirss reptiles. | did
my best To keep Bill iiGm seeing
the article, for up 10 that time no
paper had ever published amy anti
Gle hut that wac beneficial IL his
show. However, lie saw the artic e
and when he raw IL the expressu a
of his face WAS u stud! but no ma =
ter wha, happened, he never l"st
hi. temper a,.d IN kind of 81 r
castle wa, he male this re nan :
The Ike will be un that frllow 10.
morrow and su'e enough IL VIA. .
The next morning Bill armed u m
self (but OF ~ the reader mig hi
suppose, with n shotgun. or Culis
revolver hut with ak of the largest
ralilrsrakrs that he could find ia
his collie tion aud putting them in
y grip he made his way 10 The I'd
TORS office. Upon entering the of-
lice he asked the Office boy TO call
the editor. In the meantin Bill
had placed the reptiles in such a
position that the editor could not
help but srr them, and sure enough
he-did rec them. for he had scarce
Iy entered the door when he let out
a-yell that would have Hstonish-d a
Comanche Indian, at the same
time jumping hack several feet. aud
I think that il. was only owing to
the fact that the window WAS closed
which prevented him from jump
ing 10 the sidewalk. AT this time
Bill advance toward him and in-
PRODUCED himself; then il WAS that
tine editor made all kinds of apollo
giles for the article that hr said one
of his men had written, but he that
as il may the lasi we saw of him he
was making his retreat towards the
press room, no doubt to nave the
article contradictetl. as the next rdi.
ton that came out did 40, and Hill
kept his word for the joke was on
the editor after all. and the Other
paper took il up aud Wade il quite
interesting for him. 70 much 40
that il WAS rumored that he had ia.
ken n variation TO the country hav-
had an attack of nerv rus prostra-
ton. But that IL something l can.
not verify. This is about the time
that Bill and parted, not through
any disagreement, but lie had
planned a trip TO Europe. His am
biii0n was to exhibit at the Paris
Exposition. l remained and am
known almost from the Atlantic To
the the Pacific as "Bosco." OF
course the reader will understand
that a Snowman always adopts
some name suitable. ] was all last
fall and winter on the Pacific coast.
We left in April after exhibiting at
the Sacramento street fair which
was great success. Our next town
ahow was Salt Lake. From Salt
Lake to Kansas City. to Oklahoma
City. TO Joplin street fair; from
there to Carthage market fair, and
several small reunions Ia the Ter
ritory. Reaching Baxter Springa
the 9th of August. I have reason
to remember the 18th, the day fol
lowing, for as a great many of Bnx-
ter Springs people viii remember.
il was on that date while giving an
exhibition that came so near los-
ing my life.
(To BE coNTINUED)