Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 109, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 May 1919 — SAYS “CHARMERS” ARE FAKES [ARTICLE]

SAYS “CHARMERS” ARE FAKES

Writer Describes Method by Which East Indians Play on Ignorance of Their Follows. • - J- —' , . A method by wfiich snake charmers dupe Ignofant pedpie In India Is thus described: One.of them puts a harmless snake, in a stupefied condition, into a house, and his companion then tells the women of the house that he has noticed a poisonous snake there. The people are alarmed and offer a reward to the snake charmer to remove the snake. He declares it to be a deadly poisonous one and asks a good sum of money for the exploit, which, be says, may cost him his life. The reward Is fixed and the money paid. The snake charmer; wearing only a loin cloth, commences to play on his bagpipe. The snake, previously rendered harmless, crawls Into the middle of the room, and the snake chariher In catching it says that he has been bitten and falls. senseless. His companion comes forward and puts a snake stone on an incision previously made for the purpose on the man’s finger. The snake charmer at once recovers and gets up. His audience Is much astonished and gives a big present to the cured snake charmer, who departs with the snake and the profit he has made.