Show A MONSTROUS PYTHON Caught in Sumatra and Brought to New York In an animal tore on South street coiled upon a big mattress in a cage 10 feet long Is probably the largest snake ever brought to this country alive I Is a great Indian python one of the most formidable of the boa far ily and a descendant of the serpent slain by Apollo near Delpha says the New York Journal Two months ago this monster lay dormant In one of the wildest jungles of Sumatra He had Just dropped from the limb of a massive banyan tree wrapped his powerful length about the body of a leaping antelope and crushing crush-ing his prey until every bone was broken ken was in the act of swallowing the animal whole as the first course of his semiannual meal His huge jaws had encircled the entire body of the animal and only the spreading antlers remained re-mained outside as an index of what had occurred The python was dozing away in a blissful state waiting for the antlers ant-lers to drop off so that he might thoroughly thor-oughly digest the morsel and then take a nap for some months While In this condition the great snake was surprised by a band of natives na-tives under the direction of George Arstingstahl an Englishman whose Englshma business is the capture of wild animals I The serpent was uncoiled and tied at full length to a long bamboo pole which was then lifted by the natives and the burden borne to the port where stood the good ship McDuff Captain I Cap-tain Thompson In command waiting to sail for America And that Is how this terror of the jungle happens to be now sleeping peacefully In the store on South street still engaged in the task of digesting the antelope which lieS caught in the wilds of Sumatra This python Is 3 feet long and measures meas-ures 3iy Inches In diameter at the I thickest portion of his body The cage In which he Is kept Is of wood wire and glass There is no particular neces i sty for strengVh so long as the snake Is wel fed It Is only after he has finished fin-ished a three or four months job o mastication that he wakes up and makes himself a terror This Is one of the largest snakes ever brought to America said Mr Arstingstahl last night I had been 1 committing great depredations among the herds o cattle and sheep which abound In the vicinity of Pukatowoni and was also charged with the death of two natives who were penetrating the forest In search of some sheep which had strayed In trying to effect the capture one of the natives namfd Metio Skermlti while attempting to put a rope around I the snakes head was struck on the i i forearm with its tall and had a bone i fractured Another native had several 1 of the bones in his right arm broken The serpent has eaten nothing since It left India but it will be fed on a young lamb In a few days j The big python has just shed his old skin and now appears In a bright shining ccat He is thought to be about 15 years old |