The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-08-28
How Daring Hindoo Performers
Hypnotic the Deadly Cobra
~Di Capello.
EDUCATION OF PYTHoNs,
Hrandu, Who Recently Arrived
in America From the Orient.
Explains Interesting
Facts About Reptiles.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
New York. Aug. Gin a serie th'
proprietor has many mouths to provide
for. Il the weekly feed bill in a larg,
establishment runs into biz figures. anc
yet there is one class OF his charges fol
which he il always glad to provide the
d~clicacies Of the season.
A snake which will eat regularly anG
heartily is OF far greater value than one
which has to be kept alive by milk bath:
and soaked In starch water, and when the
Snowman gets hold OF one which not only
takes what is put before him. but. like
Oliver Twist. asks for more It is a reptile
worth owning.
In all the varied collection OF birds
beasts and crawling things which 20 &c
make up the complement of a modern
menagerie there Is no more dainty feeder
than his snakeship.
He does not eat often. but when he does
the menu must be to his liking or he will
have none of It. No carbon for him. no
cuts of butcher killed meat, even of the
choicest.
There Is no Kosher brand which Will
satisfy him.. but lis food must be taken
20 him alive for his inspection and then he
does the rest.
partake OF food even after all their
prejudices are consulted and their exact
ing demands satisfied. and the snake
charmer must get very busy II ne wishes
10 continue to charm these particular
specimens.
Bottle feeding one OF them. especially If
II happens to he OF the most poisonous
variety known to snakology. is not q task
which most men would banker for. but TO
the HindoO snake charmer with the Bos-
took exhibition at Dreamiand IL is simply
part of the days work. and he does 1t
with the confidence which a mother shows
I'm administering a bottle of milk to n
hungry baby.
His full name is Kcgao Moolo Paradise
Brandu. which in itself ought to charm a
snake II IL was shown 10 II all at once,
butsf0r business purposes he is considerate
and except on special occasions uses only
the last. two syllables.
THE SNAKE CHARMER.
He Is neither large nor old: his race does
not produce large men and his profession
is not conducive to longevity.
But what there is of him Is principally
bone and muscle. as one realizes when he
walks easily about with moro than 800
pounds OF live snakes draped artist!cal'y
about him.
His strength is a living demonstration
his religion forbids the eating of meat.
Have you ever seen Il cobra da capeilo.
the hooded snake OF India? II not. o
have never seen the incarnation of the
wlckcdness Of all ages.
The knowledge Of all evil. since Eve
first yielded to temptation. is hidden be-
ish head is raised and sways above the
coiled body. the hood d%istending in anger.
one remembers the injunction to hruise
tho serpent's head with the heel and-de-
cides to let some other fellows heel car
ryt 1T out.
With the las. consignment OF animals
which arrived at the Bostock arena there
we're some c%Iriously woven circular East
tened and bearing strange characters on
the labels. which looked like those on a
Chinese Laundry ticket.
But there were also the plain English
"Venomous makes Danger!' IN
large haring red letters.
The stoiid attendants who herdeJ tie
lions. tigers. leopards and other vicious
beasts from the travelling cages to the
dens. unmindful of their snarl-
ing protests. carefully rave the baskets a
wide berth. and when It was necessary to
which are used to clean out the cages.
But when BraTdu caught sight of them
and read the queer characters on the la
bells his impassive face showed unwonted
VI ItibVkCSL anu ls1tltN
Carefully he broke the seals and undid
the fastenings Of the largest of them, and
with n quick movement took off the
cover.
1t may be said right here that the on
made equally quick movements.
and. ave for the HIndoo. there vas a
space left for MANY feet about the
basket.
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Brandu sat upon bis heels close to It.
.;~~n.- -r-- a-.l r-~- IL, a4-tn-4z
The straight black hair fell to his Shout
dcrs on either side Of a face whose tense
lines and set expression indicated A con-
centration OF mind on the object before
him which allowed of no interest in the
surroundings.
The strange hierogly2hics on the labels
had informed him that the basket con-
tanned something which would task his
skill to the utmost and require the eXer-
else Of all the arts conveyed to him in
the hereditary secrets of his caste.
No mere RATHER. whose bite can be coun-
teracted by. a liberal use of whisky. no
which had been rendered harmless
the extraction of its poison fanGs, but
the dreaded cobra da capelIo. the hooded
terror OF the Jungles Of his native coun-
try.
The secrets of Brandu's calling are nany
handed down from father to son in a Ian
where a child IS born to a trade or n
profession. but tie cure for the bite Of a
cDia Al ~ cfi@ VI Nh~' "s' ''E -'N'~
ranks are never overcrowded
It's venom Is death. mercifui only because
It Is quick. and Brandu knew that one
false movement. the relaxation OF vigil
lance for a single instant. meant the fate
had Overtaken so many OF his fore
His hands made rapid passes above the
basket. a low. plaintive whistlinG.
seemed to come from his throat I'M
aided by the sensitive lips. accompanying
he motions.
slowly and cautiously. az II curious tn
know who was disturbing his long sleep
by giving the master call of the poison
the head of the cobra was raised
about eighteen inches above the rim of the
swayinS from side to side to the
rhythm of the Hindoo's whistling. Sud-
lenly IT rebe'led. the swaving ceased. the
hin neck puffed out on either side to form
he hood and the spectators instinctively
moved further away.
When the stage conjurcr is explaining
he mysteries OF the CARLOAD of ve2eta-
DieS. rabbits and ankle notions which he
removes from an innocent looking silk hat
ne assures the audience that the hand is
quicker than the eye but ORG realized
II without the necessity for explanation
watching tho motions of Brandu.
Hands there must have been at the ends
81 those sinewy. brown arms. with their
,ba,t aI,e oS SSbrs!s head ssf tls as Snsy m as inl
visible as the spokes of a swiftly revolv-
Ing wheel.
QUICKER THAN THE EYE.
TIE eyes of the charmer followed every |
OF the vicious head. and the
face seemed dangerously close to
It.: but gradually the measure Of the
whistling was d%uickened. the 1.-the body
the Hindoo moved RAPIDLY back and
Iortb. and with a last shrill note he spranz |
10 his feet. the body Of the cobra flashing
about his arm and coiliig on it.
An exclamation of horror came from the
for SO quick had been the
movement that they thought he had been