Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-12-20

snakc house ai The New Work. Zoo
logical park, liuds many Women on
whom snakes exert u fascination SIM
liar to That which they exercised "s,r
Oliver Wendell Holmes heroine.
Mon. as u rule. look on snakes With
a cold and critical stare as objects Of
loathing or mere curiosity. he SAYS.
But women-Sonle Wumen-ar moved
by them. fondle them. commune with
them in Il mystic WY and seem to oe-
rive delight from Watching their with
i'm. bodies.
Il seldom lecture on s%n.ses. said Mr..
Ditimars to Il reporter. that the women
don't crowd around me at the close
and insist on handling my live exhih-
its. My big king snake in particular
never fails To excite interest.
NO. 1t isn't amy particular feminine
type that Succumbs to the spell OF the
snake. except that. %curiously enough.
ii is usually women Of the wcll-bric"i.
athletic type who seem To fan most
completely Under their. charm. You'd
think it would be the other way that
high-strung. emotional women. given
to introspection and Il triiic morbid.
would he the most sensitive.
But the latter generally run away.
while the calm. Steady-nerved girls will
prod and paw the snakes by the hour
u ~ II tiN lCNi WV W S'1' 'iti
mentally into their cXpressionless faces
and will drape the snakes around their
arms and neckS without so much as n
shudder.
AT the New York Geological park We
have had many illustrations of this
weird affinity which exists between
snakes and women. | shall not soon
forget the day when n pretty. Well
dressed young oma presented herself
In my Office and asked to be allowed
to go behind the cages and look IN
from the back. 1t was Il sunday ard
the place was crowded.
well. we don't ordinarily allow The
public behind the scenes. | told her.
But I am so deeply Interested ia
snakes she pleaded. Especially in the
cobras. DO let me look at the cobras
from the bnck.
The girl was carrying a big bunch
of red roses at the time. ] didn't like
to do it, but she vas so persistent tina,
I at last told the head keeper to axe
her around and le: her peep IN II, he
dor for Il moment.
THE mOment the door was opened
the girl flung her roses into the midst
% the cobraS. which We're placidly on
joying themselves in a little grouI, Ia
the gravel in the bottom of the case.
Instantly the age was In an uprctr.
THE cobras. terrified out of Their
serses. rose up with q tremendous Hiss,
u%rdulating from side to side with tnr
rocking motion characteristic of them
when excited and initiating their hoods
as they always do when angered. There
is something very impressive in that
graceful. Migratory lnotion OF the angry
cobra as 1t rears its body high in the
air. But II is Il challenge that no man
who has met his cobra face to face
is likely to forget or to court willingly.
Knowing that the cobras would
,nvyn ,,s
remained In the cage, 1 old the keep
ers they must get them out. and they
finally did so with iron bars stuck in
from the rear.
In the height of the disturbance
h young person wh" was the cause of
ii all disappeared. 81. came back again
IL week or two later. When she ~.
me she wished me an airy good morn
ing and passed out.
Il never found Oh: Who she was or
what she acted so .cr. and | can on,y
conclude that she was Il twentieth con
fury Elsie Nenner.
There was a girl who used to coune
day after day TO STUDY the big python.
1T actually seemed rs if she fell in
love with 1t. One day she surprised me
by exclaiming:
IF anything happens to that snake
want his skin to make myself a short
Jacket. How wide would his Skin be
spread out?'
From IA to is inches" i replied.
And how long,
"'Oh. almost long enough for a
three-quarter coat. or mt least II walk
ing coat / told her, blu wouldn't
advise you to Wear II on Fifth n
Well returned the girl earnestly.
III anything happens to the big python
IN the next five years you must let me
have his skin.
we don't let anything happen to
him.. but you can get another fine
snake skin without waiting for that
II don't care for another skin. II
is this snake / love. and his skin 1
mean to wear.
We'll, she had TO go away unsatis-
fed. of course. AS our python is SIN
alive and apparently in good health
and spirits. she is not likely to have
her wish gratified for many moons. II
ever.
The snake that this Young woman
fell In love with is thirty feet long.
weighs about $50 pounds. and could
XII a horse. It's yes are its most con
spicuous feature. They are tawny vel
low. catlike and intensely brilliant. You
can see them fix IN an object and set
like glass.
Snakes are said TO hypnotize their
Intended victims with their eyes. Ii
Seems possible hat this python can
exert hypnotic power. and that in the
case of the girl whose i%nfatuation
have described 1t actually did some
thing of the kind.
People bring all sorts of pets To the
geological park to have US prescribe
for them. 80 l was not surprised when
a lady and a little girl appeared one
day bringing with them IA pet snake
that they said was sick. They wanted
me to look at 1t.
The lady said tina her husband was
interested in snakes. so they had a few
harmless ones, including a couple of
king snakes. around the house. Their
little girl was very fond OF them. hand
ling them with the utmost freedom.
The sick snake carne north in n
n of bananas she said. That was
only q few DAYS ago. but the snake