Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 October 1881 — A Terrible Snake Fight. [ARTICLE]

A Terrible Snake Fight.

St. Louis Republican. Before leaving Barnum’s menagerie the reporter passed the cage containing the snakes, two of - which were missing. One of the African anacondas had expanded to twice its natural girth, and there were pieces of snake skin lying around everywhere. Oliver, the snake charmer, explained how these things came about. At 2 o’clock this morning the attention of everyone was attracted by a prodigoua hissiug in the snakes’ den which contained seven anacondas and two boa consirictcrs. When they ran to ihe den they found that a terrible tigot was going on between the boa constrictors and the anacondas. The smallest of the anacondas was swallowed bodily by the largest of the constrictors, and another was killed. When their keeper entered their den to separate them, they endeavored to crush him, and he came out covered with the slime which they throw on their food before swallowing if.. Fourteen live chickens were put in the cage day before yesterday, and the nine snakes ate all of them. The share which fell to the boa constrictors was not enough to satiate their voiscity, and so they commenced on the anacondas.