Rattle snake

Rattle-Snake - An inquest was held this afternoon, at the Swan public house, Piccadilly, by Anthony Gell, Esq., on the body of Thomas Soaper, who died on Saturday last, at St George's hospital, by a bite of a rattle-snake. It appeared that the deceased, who was a carpenter by trade, had wantonly, while intoxicated, teazed the snake with a rule, part of which broke, and in opening the cage to take it out, the snake darted at him, and wounded him in the hand. From that day (the 17th of October) he suffered great agony, not without hopes of recovery, but a mortification coming on, he died last Thursday.

The jury consulted for ten minutes, and, by the description of the cage, given by witnesses, were of opinion that no blame could be attached to the proprietor of the snake, it being well secured, and returned a special verdict, that the man died by the bite of a rattle-snake, and a deodand of one shilling on the snake.