The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-10-30
~ VICE BITTEN BY RATHER,
OWIFier OF a Tent Shows
HiR biggest Reptile to n Visitor
nv Has Poison FanSs Buried in
Bot1h Arms.

Mr.. Il. c. Crouch of Winston. who
IS conducting a menagerie tent at the
fair grouE1ds here, was bitten twice by
a rattlesI lake yesterday, and is now
dangerously i'll at the ~resbyterian
Hospital an this city.
Mr. Crot1ch is a cripple. and has a
wife and !seven children. 4 year ago
he started, to collecting snakes and
other ANIMALS and exhibiting them
and has m$1de a good living by this
industry lis letters on his tent de-
clare that ne has inside ground hogs,
guinea plgs'f angora rabbits, Joe, a
Io~ur-tegged rooster coOn, squirrels
and rattlesn3 kes."
Crouch haas five rattIesna kae-+vo
large ana thIIee small ones. He bought
THESE "Ilnlh the year from men who
captured tne1al in their wild state. I'm
I'll Yesterday Crouch had handled all
ms SNAKES with safety though he re-
aIlzed that ute poison had not been
extracted from the fangs of the two
large snakes.
Inc largest lsnake is over four feet
long, and hasf a number of rattles.
Yesterday AFTERNOON Mr.. Crouch took
TINS snake Irorh its box to show it TO
q young man Vho was IN the tent. The
RATHER was plainly in an ug1v mood
He was held at the neck by the hand
OF crouch, putt the rear part of his
body descrlpeH writhing curves and
@rIehed the forearm Of his owner.
With a sudden wrench the reptile
jerked his head loose, the
head went up quickly, and then the
fangs settled in the middle finger of
Crouch's right land. With a scream
Crouch grabbed at the snake with
both hands and flung it away from
him.
The snake fell to the earth but be-
fore it could move Crouch pinned it
down with his foot resting on the back
of the head. Then, recovering his COM
posture, he had a man to cord his fin
ger tightly.
At this time the RATHER was singing
a mad song with his rale: his little
: wicked eyes were shining deviIshly,
5 and he was kissing out of his distend-
: ed mouth.
When his finger had been tightly
bound Crouch cache down and again
seized the snake by the back of the
neck. He did not lift his foot up until
his fingers completely encircled the
neck of the RATHER and he felt that
he could keep his hold. Then he lift
cd the snake and stepped toward the
box from which the reptile had been
taken.
! Crouch had reckoned without his
host. The RATHER seemed possessed OF
y AAAR 'ASs 49,
body crept out convuls1vely and once
more the coils were on Crouch's fore
: arm.
The fierce head was pulled again
l from Crouch's close grip, and rose n
foot above the wrist of the owner.
: Down came the head of the reptile.
and the fangs were buried deep in the
: f~orefnger of the left hand of Crouch.
. CrOuch'S left arm went out. The
snake dangled for Il moment holding
4 by its teeth, and then dropped.
D Crouch gave a yell of terror: forgot
? care of his reptile, and dashed out of
4 the tent with a ook of horror on his
t face. Both his hands were out
stretched.
: Though a cripple. his speed was as
l fast as that of a professional sprinter,
and he was soon on a car bound for
town. At the first sight of a bar-room
he bounded from the car, rushed in,
. crying that he was snake-bitten ana
asking for whiSkey. He ~disregarded n
small glass that was handed to him
= and bought and emptied, at one pull,
: half a pint of raw spirits. Then he
ran to the Presbyterian Hospital.
BY this time both of Crouch's hands
; were greatly swollen: he was vomiting
. and suffering great agony.
Physicians came hurriedIy to his
= aid, and first gave him rapid injections
: Of permanganate of potassium. His
arms were tightly corded for several
hours the hands being released in Or
der that the poison might not be con-
fined to too small ii portion Of the
body. CrOuch's hands and arms. to
the shoulders. are several times their
normal size.
He had sinking spells. and his heart
became SO badly affected that it was
necessary to inject strvchnine reneat-
edlY.
It was stated at 100 O'clock this
morning that Crouch would probably
recover. though he Is still - a very
precariouS condition. He will cer-
tainly be confined at the hospital for
a good many days.-Charlotte OBJ
| server.