The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-28
THE SNAKE DEN.

Not Quite So Big ~ Described, Perhaps.
but Big Enough to Attract.
Largest snake den In the world read
tho sign on the face Of the platform upon
which stood the barker calling on the people
to come In and see; and II it wasn't really
Just that 1t was perhaps the oldest.
-Four or Eve steps led up from the side
walk to the level Of the platform. in the
center Of which the den opened, its mouth
surrounded by wooden railing. There
was thick semioirole Of people standing
on the sidewalk in front. listening to the
man on che platform, who was energetic
in voice and manner. and at intervals
individuals would step forward from this
listening throng. convinced by his eloquenoe,
and pay nickel to another man, tho cashier,
who sat at q little desk at one side Of tho
stairs, and mount the steps TO tho plat
form and join the people there looking
down into the den.
And what one saw on looking down over
nine feet in depth. square at the opening
at the top, and about nine feet on q
side. It's sides soped down to the bottom,
where the pit was about seven feet square,
and where, to be sure, there were to DO
seen plenty Of snakes. and a snake oharmer.
The snake charmer, a woman. one could
judge by her garb, and an Indian, II long
straight black hair and a copper oolored
skin would vouch for that, sat in one corner
At the bottom Of the pit. quite undisturbed
In the presence OF the snakes. which lay.
lot Of them, big and little. around ON the
floor OF the pit, while there were others
to be seen in q fat, shallow, open basket
in one corner. They were for the most
part pretty quiet snakes, but now and then
a big fellow from the lot on the floor would
~ a n
in an effort to escape.
Occasionally the oharmer would bend
over from her corner and pick up q big
snake from the basket and add it to the
collection on the floor Of the den and some
times she would pick up a snake from the
floor and put 1t In the basket and then she
would pick up some big snake and handle
1t as snake oharmers do, while the people
looked down into the pit over the railing
around the top.
Once the barker turned and leaned over
the railing and said something to the
oharmer, who picked up snake six or eight
feet long and then stood up and handed it
up to him out Of the mouth OF the pit, the
barker then holding 1t up to the crowd In
front, a sample OF what was to be seen in
the den. 1t was good business.
Once again he turned and leaned over the
railing and said something, perhaps ia
Spanish. or 1t might have been in Indian,
but certainly It was not in English, where
upon the snake oharmer bent over the
snakes on the floor and began to make loud
strange, noises down there among the
snakes in the pit, while. turning once more
to the front:
Hear her holler!" shouted the barker
to the people. waving his arm as he spoke.
Hear her holler!"
Which was very good business, and the
people came in. dropping their nickels
on the desk Of the cashier sitting lust to
one side OF the stairs, and mounting the
steps to the platform to join those already
there looking over the railing down into
the snake den.
1t is possible that the sign on the front.
Largest snake den in the world, did ex,
aggerate it little, but as they put it up
1t was big enough to attract.