The Big Sandy news., 1908-06-05
KILLED
By the Bite of a Snake Was chas.
Conn, Known on Big
Sandy.

In Louisville Friday night very
tragic affair resulted in the death
of Chas. Conn, of Lexington, who
was formerly a civil engineer employ
ed in the Big Sandy Valley on the
engineering force that built the ex-
tension OF the c. & o. railroad. He
was located at Prestonsburg for quite
awhile. He was in Louisa about a
month ago.
Following is an account Of the |
horrible affair taken from the
Louisville Times:
From the effect of a rattlesnake
bite, Chas. Conn, 27 years of age,
travelling salesman for the Amer
lean Law Book Company and prom
inent Mason, of Lexington, KY, died
a raving maniac at the Deaconess
Hospital. Conn was bitten last night
by huge rattler on exhibition at
the Mary Anderson Theater cigar
store and all efforts to save his life
were in vain.
AS he lay writhing in agony on the
floor Conn begged the bystanders
to amputate his arm, exclaiming,
Boys 1t is all up with me, don't be
afraid. l won't mind the pain" The
Mortified spectators stood as If par
alyzed and finally in his delirium the
man took out his pocket knife and
began to cut away the flesh from
the tiny wounds, but the knife soon
fell from his helpless hands.
Witnessed by scores Of persons on
Fourth Avenue who peered through
the glass show case the weird and
4 terrible struggle between Conn and
the deadly reptile took place. Bit
4 ten three times by the monster ConI
still struggled on, holding the rep
tile by the throat until the panic.
stricken people in the store made
their escape in terror.
According TO the story of witness
es, Charles Conn, accompanied by
friend, Eugene osier, drummer TO
= a New York firm, with whom he rool
. ed at Rulers Hotel, entered tn,
store shortly after o'clock, an,
after purchasing cigars viewed tn
, snake which was on exhibition il
small wooden box near the ciga
case Edward Ries, clerk in tn
"a store, who owned the snake, warne
1 Conn to be careful OF the reptile.
Conn, who was a former civil en-
.yJ gnieer and who had lived in Arizon;
- only laughed at the warning, Bayin
that he was a snake charmer an
70 that no rattler could best hin
With these words he withdrew tn
n reptile from its cage, and, holdin
~ i. by the throat, exhibited II
length to those present. The small
~ struggled in his clutches and tn
whirr Of its seven rattles frightent
;, Ell the audience. Conn then r.
= placed the snake in the box and
ra few persons gathered and talked {
the incident.
oy Before anyone had recovered fro
the first exhibition of the amatu'
&c snake charmer, he again drew u
reptile from its cage and allowed
"a to coil about his right arm. Hard
noticing it, he began to chat wi
a. the men in the store of his experien
IL the West with rattlers, when su
80 denly the writhing object struggl
from his grasp and plunged its fan
into his right hand.
With a cry of pain he twirled {
snake through the air and threw
NJ, far across the room, where 1t
The lighted on the shoulders of bysta
the der, who shrieked in terror. Real
ear ling what he had done Conn ran
at the aid of the terror-striclOen ms
ice and then began the struggle
in tween man and reptile. After I
ter. seconds, which send hours to the I
rified onlookers, Conn released
man unlnjured, but was himself
ten twice in the arm by the inf
sed iated rattler. Throwing 1t to
With floor, he attempted to kill 1t,
the growing weaker he swooned
ris- leaned against the cigar stand
en- support. The snake for the time m
two Its escape behind some boxes.
Conn was carried to the cafe
the basement Of the building VIII
nearly pint of whisky was pou
down his throat. A doctor was
With mediately summoned and arrived
ers three minutes, but by this time
hn's unfortunate man lay on bench
mic state OF colllpse. The poison
en- already permeated bis system
the awful agony was apparent