Arizona republican., 1902-02-12
BITTEN BY A RATHER
Prof C. Wharton James Given a Live
 ly Scare Yesterday.

| Prof. George Wharton James had an experience yesterday which he will l doubtless take unusual precautions to avoid repetition of in the future. He was bitten on the left thumb by
 monster rattlesnake. ct The Curio, and i to his Knowledge Of what to do under the circumstances and the most prompt medical attention. he is indebted for his continued existence on this
 mundane sphere. Owing to this good fortune there was never a grave fear of a fatal termination of the in cident. and two hours after his en- counter with the snake his physicians reported him out of danger.
 Prof. James is an author and lectu- Ter of national reputa Uion. his favorite subjects being desert and mountain life in the west and things pertaining thereto. He has given to the world
 an exhaustive volume on the Grand Canyon. book on the Mission Indians of California and recently a compre- hensive book on the subject of bas- i ketry. He is a regular contributor to several magazines and has other books in contemplation.
 few days ago he visited the Mari ! copa reservation. securing a large
 number of photographs for his future
 work. and yesterday afternoon he i visited The Curio for the purpose of
 photographing an immense rattle snake on exhibition there.
 The snake had been ia dormant condition since last September. and 1t was believed by all who saw it that 1t had not yet experienced it's spring awakening It was the purpose of MT. James to stretch the snake out in the sun, photograph it and return it to
 the snake box. While preparations were in progress a considerabl crowd had gathered. Ii was not the intention of MT. James to take unnecessary chances even with q dead rattler. but he had handled snakes SO often when
 they were very much alive that he
 thought he was safe with ore of a sluggish temperament However. h. discovered that sometimes dead things
 have been known to crawl.
 He thrust his left hand into the box quickly and seized the snake just back of the head. It was five or six feet long. very heavy reptile and proved q greater tax on his strength than he imagined. It wriggIed and twisted and eventually worked it's head through
 his fingers a fraction of an inch. or far enough to turn it's big, flat head to one side, then planted a couple of fangs in the flesh on the outside of the
 thumb. MT. James, with great pres ence of mind, remarked to MT. Brig gard: Hes got me- MT. Brizzard threw an old sack over the head of the reptile, and Mir. James placed it back in the box. Prof. McClatchie stepped up and tied a rope around the mans wrist as tightly as possible. The wound bled freely and it was encour-
 aged to do so in every way possible.
 MT. James sucking the wound. He got
 in buggy at once and was driven to the office of Doctors Duffieid and Dods-
 worth. Though it was thought at first
 that he would faint, he did rot do so.
 remedies to prevent the spread of the poison were applied at once and the
 necessary stimulants were admins
 tered. He was able last night to be driven out to the home of Prof. Me Clatchie. and though he will probably
 be little nervous and uneasy today, no serious results are anticipated
 But he didn't get the picture.
 This incident recalls another that oc- cured at The Curio three or four years ago, when a Frenchman. who preteh- ded to be experienced Snakologist
 thought to amuse himself by playing with big rattler. He grabbed the ami nal by the neck in similar way and received a bite on the back of the hand, from which he died the next day. But he was over sanguine of his knowledge of snake poison and did not apply the right remedies immediately. and fur ther. had received his wound in large blood vessel.