Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-08-08
A PYTHON
Fearful Plight of a Man Trapped
in the Big Snakes Den.
EXCITING BATTLE FOR LIFE.
Piucky and Successful Struggle to Es-
cape the Embrace Of the Writing
Monster, Which Would Have Crush
ed It's Victim Like an EggsheIl.


ed It's Victim Like an Egssheil.
Few men after having been roughly
squeezed by IA python have lived 10 tell
OF their spnSatinnS while in the em-
brace Of the biz snake. An English
man employed in the London zoologi-
cal gardens was. however. one of the
fortunate few.
The BritiSher while In Antwerp Wis
tied The Jar,iin ZooIogiqne. where he
observed that 4 biz py%thon-a female
about fourteen feet in lengtb-waS Suf-
fering from carries OF the jaw. with III
ceration of the mucous mrmbrnue. a
condition often fatal to snakes in con
Gnement.
Having pointed this out TO the resi-
dent director. the EngliShman obtained
permission to make trial OF m Oint-
ment that he had found efficacious in
the early stage OF the disease among
his own snakes.
Now. az i'll luck would have II. the
regular keeper was absent on this par
ticular occasion. and his place was ill
ed for the time Ivy another from some
ether DEPARTMENT nf the institution
This man spoke nothing but Flemish,
G tongue of which the Briton was ig-
norant
The Englishman went Into the py-
| thon's den with this attendant. taking
IL for granted. Of course. thar the mlu
was accustomed ~ snakes aud hand
f. Ia. 49, 49, - - az - hold nm
ill the Briton should be ready to use il.
When the EuglishmaD had brought
the python fairly down 10 y floor he
gripped her hard nv the neck. which
action had the effect. AS he Intended il
t6 have and which II always has with
snakes, Of making her open her mouth
While holding her thus he pressed her
head away from him ut the same time
to prevent her catching hold Of any
portion of his clothing in her efforts to
overcome him.
In her fright and rage she drew her
body up across the RritiSher's hack and
twisted her tail ronnd aud round his
other arm All that the EngliShman
now required Of the keeper was. by
teasing or pinching her here and there
or by u%nwindinG the tail when neceSsa-
~, to cause her to shift her coils con
stantIy and prevent her resting long
enough on one spot to apply undne
pressure.
The Englishman turned TO make a
sign to the Fleming to be ready TO hand
him the ointment. To the foreigners
dismay the Fleming's face. with a sort
Of full. impartial interest. looked at him
through the glass in front. the door
closed on the outside. He had become
| frightened by the python and had quiet
" departed.
At the same instant that the British
er turned the serpent frightened on him
| so suddenly and violently that be mo
mentarily lost consciousness. Then he
found himself staggering about the den
fighting for life. He expected bis ribs
to give way every moment. yet bis
chief fear at the time was of falling
through the glass.
He pushed the reptiles head away
| from him with all his strength lest 1t
should cross his breast. and be can re-
member catching sight Of himself. q
mulberry colored figure. in the mirror
All the time that be fought he knew
that he was trampling over the other
pythons. who. furious at the disturb
ance, were now darting about the den.
above and all around him in every di-
r~ection.
The Britisher exerted every energy TO
keep his feet. for he had retained suf-
fcient presence OF mind TO realize that
were he TO 70 down all would be over
with him. The heat was sitting. tie
felt that he could endure II no longer.
The cage spun madly round before his
eyes, and he let go the snakes head.
The big serpent now twisted sharply
over his right shoulder close to his face
and slid off to the ground.
The Englishman remembers falling
against the door with outstretched
hands. but nothing more until he found
himself sitting on the steps outside
coughing violently. while the phleg-
matte keeper was for some occult rea-
son putting a hot key down his back.
Fortunately the snake had only a
small part Of her body across the Eng
lishman's left side and back Had she
encircled him with q complete coil he
would have beer crushed like an egg
shell-HarDer's Weekly.