Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-05-15
RATHER BITES
SNAKE CHARMER
SNOWMAN POISONED DOING THE
EAST INDIA" STUNT.
Butte Hospital Physicians Save MANS
Life BY Heroic Work-Victim
Expresses Gratitude.

Butte, Mont Twenty dfoDs
e stake poison in The tongue of Goor.
Homer Fl professional snake charmr
It caused the tongue 10 proJrude ire
f his mouth and neeessitated the la
+ cling Of the tousue in three place
: ard as last resort TO save Horncr
life the lancine OF the throat and
(, uacheotomy operation.
}. Homer was treated at the Butt
+ emergency hospital after rcceNin
r treatments at Pocatello, where he wa
performing with q circus when bite,
BY big rather. To show his graft
tude, Horner promised TO go into tt,
hills OF Montana and secure rattle
snakes, which he VIII rob of thel
. poison sacks and present the venom
TO City Chemist Easton for expcrl
mental purposes The recovery o.
Homer, who has been bitten seventy
five times during his twenty year,
I experience with snakes, is regarded
as remarkable
Horner whose home is in PennsyI.
vania, ever since a boy had a pecu-
/ liar fascination for snakes. His moth.
/ e. had trouble keeping him from the
B reptiles, and when 10 years old Horn
er ran away with a circus and kent
close to the snakes. Later he was
given job feeding them and fifteen
years ago became a charmer.
He learned the East India" stunt
or removing rattlcrs' fangs with the
human teeth. Horner would grasp
big RATHER with his fingers. just back
OF the head, forcing the snake to open
bis mouth two inches and protruGe
the fangs to point where Horner
could stick out his teeth and pull out
the fangs, The pressure of the fingers
kept the poison in the sacks and away
nom the fangs. In this way he re-
moved all sets of twelve fanes.
At Pocatello new snake charner
was added to the circus and Hornrr
was asked to demonstrate the East f.
India" stunt on an Idaho rather. |
which was seven feet long and Ii ,
'N''' NAN' WIN l. IdiIitE- II W DIS lllI- I
ting time and the snake had stored .
up the poison in one sack, the other .
having been removed. Horner graspcI
the snakes head too far back and as /
he opened his mouth to catch thq
fangs with his teeth the snake struck
and twenty drops of venom went into
Horner's tongue.
When the snake pulled back rs,
fangs he removed apiece of Horner's
tongue about as big as the little fin.
genial. In two minutes Horner's neck
and face had turned black and he was
choked. The circulation was cut OF
In the throat. Horner had presence
oil mind enough to motion his partner
{ get out dirty pocket knife. which
Horner cleaned by wiping on his
An electricians pair %
Weezers was secured and the tongue
vas pulled out and sIorner himself
snced his tongue in three places and
He'd it. However. the poison had
one into his system. and the throat
egan to swell so Horner could not
reathe.
Horner was taken to the rooms Of
'r. Newton of Pocatello and prepare /
ons made for performing an opera ]
ION on the throat. Horner wrote. {
Doctor, there is only one way to save l
~ life, Take a chance and cut NV {
lroat and put tube in"
without an anaesthetic Horner had /
Is throat lanced. The doctor how
yer did not have the proper respir, |
or and for two hours the opening in Z
orner's throat was held open with .
re operators fingers while a search II
as made for, the instrument. A rub. "
er tube was placed in the throat and "
orner was able to breathe.
Then his arm and back was laid
zen with inCisions and a gallon and ~
pint Of blood taken out to rid the -,
stem OF the poison. The tongue in ir
lite of the cuts, had swollen so that
protruded out of the mouth Horn m
s eyes We're swollen and innanlcd 10
IN the poison and his body was
ack to the waist. h,
Horner was placed in bed, but after OF
rec DAYS he boarded a train for
lite. En- route he had three herr. I'll
rhages from the mouth and reached pi
re in state Of collapse and applied
? treatment at the emergency h, spi tn
F. as he was without funds. m
1 have 50 much snake poison in nv
stem that sometimes / wake IN at sh
INT and feel Jumps all over NY nj
ly. but | was never sick. / always
ought | was immune to snake bites sl'
til Big Rcss' struck me at Pc "A. Is
10. | was bitten on the end of tho
'gue several years ago, but lanced
and the poison was quickly re-
we'd" said Horner. ne
some of the show hands wsrted n
the snake, but Homer would not
sent to it. As soon as he recov.
he is going to perform the Fast ~
ia" stunt on Bess, but this time he 90,
going to get the right hold on her "r,
*. .'
iorner told the city chemist that ac,
believed in the medical theory thai iIv
Ike poison Is "A cure for pniIenGy -,