The Topeka state journal., 1900-08-20
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS.

ing man at the Fifth avenue while in
conversation with a gentleman who
seemed tca be posted on horses Il
heard of it for the first time out in Cali
fornia last spring. I was told then that
1t was a common occurrence in southern
California, Arizona and the southern
states, in fact, it is quite an ordinary
thing IN all countries where the oleander
is prolific. 1 was stopping with friend
in San Diego who owned very fine
horse which he thought a great deal OF
as it was not only a well bred animal
but was a general pet with his Ianliy-
One night the horse was taken SICK
and he sent for veterinary Who work
ed hard to save the horses life but was
unsuccessful. He told us that the horse
had been poisoned by eating Olender
oleander tree and had eaten some OF
the leaves. The veterinary then ex-
planned that the leaves of the Oleander
are poisonous and that he had many
calls for similar cases. If remedies are
administered in time the poison is easily
counteracted. but if it is not handled
promptly death always results. The
effect of the poison is peculiar, but so
distinct and characteristic that it can
not be mistaken either in its symptoms
or upon post mOrtem examination. The
animal becomes stupid, its head hangs
low, but 1t does not seem to be IN any
pain. The action of the poison immed-
lately paralysizeS the stomach and ar
rests digestion, for in all cases examined
Dy lnG QOClOIs ln0 COnlGulS VI lUG
stomach against which the leaves lay
had turned black. There is no sign of
poison in the outer wall of the stomach
and there is no breaking of the tissue
and none of the marks which usually
accompany poisoning. A horse turned
loose in a field where there are oleander
trees will not eat them but when hitch
ed near a tree where he can get nothing
else green will frequently nibble the
leaves. There is not much danger of a
horse getting at oleander leaves in this
state unless he should break into a con-
servatory, but in the south oleander
trees are very common and the danger
to horses is great.
'I have noticed that this town has
got the slot machine fever and has 1t
bad said a gentleman at the National
II believe l have seen more Slot ma
chimes during the past three days, the
time L have been in the city, than have
in any other town in the west. L am
told that every joint has two or three
and I see them in every cigar store,
drug store and a number of other
places. 1 am a great hand to play the
machines myself and that may be why
1 notice them so particularly. The
penny in the slot gum machine is as
fascinating as the Dewey machine
where you may get two dollars for
nickel, but where you generally get
nothing. 1 do not understand why peo-
pie will play these machines and l
really don't know why l do 1t myself.
everyone must KNOW lIdl the ulaCIAilO
is made to win for the house and that
they are going up against a sure thing
game. No one ever heard of a slot ma
chine that didn't work in favor of the
house. and no sane man would keep any
other kind of a machine on his premises,
but people will continue to play them
just the same. l think it is the gam
bling instinct which is in every one to
a greater or less extent. A great many
people who would not take a hand in a
poker game or bet on horse race will
play a. slot machine or buy chance in
a rattle. They argue that it does not cost
much and they are out very little if
they lose and they may win. I believe
that the gambling instinct is stronger
in women than in men and if the dry
goods stores in this city would put in
dozen machines they would be running
all the time. Did you ever go into
drug store with a lady and drop a nickel
in the slot machine that she did not be-
come instantly interested. If you have
never noticed it just watch the first OPP
portunity you get and you will see that
it is true. OF course. if the store is
filled with strangers she will not say
much, but if there are only one or two
present and she is acquainted with them
the chances are that she will want to do
the playing herself. Another thing which
shows that women like to gamble is
that they will buy tickets in a rattle at
almost every opportunity. Do you re-
member how the first convention hall
in Kansas City was built and the great
rattle or lottery they held there. Well,
almost two-thirdS of the tickets that
were sent out were to women. A wo-
man will buy any old baking powder
if there is a chance that there is a ticket
in the can which will draw bed room
set or a dozen knives and forks. Enter
prising manufactures have proven this
over and over again. When some genius
devises a slot machine that can be
worked in a dry goods store, or, rather,
finds some good excuse for having them
there he will make more money In one
day than he would in a week at a shirt
waist SALE
ST believe heard the champion snake
story of the year while 1 was coming
in last night, said story telling travel
ing man at the Copeland. The man
who told the story says he will vouch
for it but l guess no one would Vouch
for him. He said that out in New Mex
leo where he lived rattlesnakes were
plentiful and that people paid very little
attention to them. Occasionally, how
ever, an exceptionally smart snake
would take up its residence with a ram
lily and would become q household pet.
The people out there do not object TO
this because the snake is perfectly
harmless after it becomes acquainted
and drives away mice, rats and other
snakes who would venture to intrude.
In that respect the dOmesticated rattler
resembles a good dog: he Will allow no
other dog to stay in his yard lie VIII
also drive away ella monsters, very
poisonous reptiles that infeSt the south
ern part of the territory. At his home
there lived a big rattler which had been
there for years and had become so we'll
educated that it could do almost every
thing but talk. 1t had been very
sociable snake and was always good
tempered, but early this year it seemed
at times to be very surIy or dejectedd-
The family tended it carefully and his
snakeship seemed to brighten up, but
again got morose. They noticed also
that some days it would have 80 or 40
rattles or buttons on it's tail and then
again it would only have one or two. 1t
was too much for the family and one
day the owner decided to watch. In the
morning the snake went away and he
followed it. 1t went to an old aban-
hole After waiting a while he went to
a window and looked in and there he
saw a dozen ratt1ers which belonged to