The chronicle=news., 1913-02-19
BITTEN BY PYTHON
IN BATTLE WITH
SNAKES At ZOO

keeper, nurse and police doWIrimeht
oi the Central Park Zco. ha- sore
hand lie was bitten by % python
The snake. lacking. rs snakes hay"
lacked since Aesop's time. anything
resembling the stump OF sens" OF
gratitude. attacked snyder when the
keeper was about To give .h' creature
lis fiist meal in four month.
Moreover. six other snakn- broke
out of their winter prison aud went
sliding all over the monkey house al
their own sweet snaky viii except
one that WIS turned back 10y Baidy.
the lava monkey. after an 49," 10 eye
ccn;est which mad. the siN-fnot Gid
or seek 10 hid" his head under his
cnlcd tail.
The monkey house. whcr' the big
snakes have been kept. has been un-
dcrgoine repairs for two months. The
snakes were put In temporary quar-
tcrs aud were shut in n shallow pack
ing box. They did not nind IL. inas-
much ns they sleep through the win
ter anyway.
All the workmcn except the paint.
crs have finished in the monkey
house. The new snake cage was
ready. and SNYDER. with Louis +. Ia
Roche. OF Commissioner SioVcr's staff
and Hob IInrton. assistant zooiosisi.
undertook TO put the big snakes into
their new quarters.
Snyder pricd the lid from the box
ana CAV" It To Iurton TO hold, Then
he reached In and put h' hands
about tho comciy throat Of u thirteen
foot python. the bell wsthcr cf the
scaiy flock Thomas Brady ear
pcnfcr. stood by. a curions sp-cta-
tor
Now take from old Doctor "Eill"
SNYDER the only safe way to handle
anncondas Is la prevent them from
getting tail hold on any fixed OBJ
jcct. Once n snake gets n leverage
'nnl' says. yon may certainly OK
r"e, iroublons doinrs.
The thlrtccn-inoi python mad. a.
willy shift and wrapped It's tail about
III. leg of Carpenter Brady. Then
1t twisted away from Snyd"r's hands
and iunc.i NJ him. scrapinr his hand
from wrist to nails.
Young Mr.. Nurton. In his excite
men, dropped the lid OF the box and
u fell on the floor. In three seconds
there were snakes all over the place.
Tn. thrc. keepers were busy In their
efforts to prevent the big fellow from
absorbing Snydcr's arm. BY the
time II was ovcr-powcrcd there were
six snakes ihrashinE about the mon
key house. The painters went away
from there in n body. One of the
snakes mere child six feet In length
climbed tn" Gag. OF the Java Mnca-
aue.. Pythons love monkey diet.
As the reptiles head appeared be-
tween the bars. most of the pionkcy.
i,ook to the roof of the cage. uttcrinr
cries OF dlsapproval and fear. But
no, Old lnihv. He u '"rocious
beast. with tufts on his head like
a devils horns. Game 10 the curl
4 of his tail. Badly swung down from
/ a perch and sauntcred over To the
I intruder. He stuck out his lower
jaw with the expression n! police
.aan confronting rovstcrcr and say
ing. What you think you're goint:
10 do"
! The snak. looked at Badly and
Badly locked NJ the snake for few
seconds Then the snake went back
TO the box and waited To he lifted In.
while Badly uttered shrili laugh OF
contemptuous triumph.
snyder and Ia Roche. with much
difficulty. uncoilcd the snake from
Brady'- leg. The pressure of the
creatures grip kept the carperte.
yelling with pain and when he was
released he was In no share 10 help
recapturc the escaped reptiles, In
quarter OF an hour they were all
hu, one safely in the new cage.
! For half an hour the monkey house
was searched TO the Uttermost corner
The painters politely but firml. re-
fused to return until the missing
member was accounted for. The
snake was at last found under .ht
burlap bedding on the bottom c. III"
temporary box,
snyder was angry. of course. but
he did not lie, his personal wrath go
so far as to keep the snakes from
their long deferred mcai.-New York
Evening World.