August 15, 1953. Police in the town of Springfield, MO respond
to an animal disturbance call on the 1400 block of East Olive⌠a snake has been spotted
in a local residentâs backyard. By the time the authorities arrive, homeowner
Roland Parrish has killed the serpent with a garden hoe. Normally an open and shut case, but the strange
shape of the creature gives officers pause, and investigators are sent to Mowrerâs Bird
and Animal Company, an exotic pet shop just a block away from the scene. Once they arrive, shop owner Reo Mowrer examines
the carcass and denies that the snake came from his business, dismissing it as a harmless,
common species from the area with an abnormal birth defect. Police shrug their shoulders, and quickly
close the case. But word, as always, gets around. By coincidence, the next morningâs paper
includes an article about Rattlesnake James, a suspected serial killer, convicted of murdering
his fifth wife to collect insurance benefits, using rattlesnakes to poison her. Perhaps with vipers on the mind, the mysterious
todo on East Olive gets the townsfolk talking⌠reports get embellished⌠rumors of poisonous
snakes loose in town spreads, and the Springfield Health Commissioner is soon forced to assure
the public that the snake is an anomaly - much ado about nothing. But a week later, authorities are back in
the neighborhood as another serpent pops up at the house across the street from the first
incident. Wesley Rose, an employee of the local Barth
Brotherâs Clothing Company, and resident at 1421 East Olive, kills the 4-and-a-half-foot
long reptile with a garden tool of his own after his screwtail bulldog Sally pins it
in a patch of shrubbery on his front lawn. Same kind of reptile, same odd shape. This time, detectives take the body to Herbert
Condray, a science teacher at nearby Jarrett Junior High School. A single glance at the kill sends Mr. Condray
reeling. He identifies the carcass - not as a harmless
garter snake - but a deadly Indian Cobra, one thousand miles from its native habitat. Police again visit Mowrerâs Bird and Animal
Company, armed with more information, and demand to know if the shop keeps such exotic
species. An irritated Reo Mowrer admits that his business
does keep cobras, but that all had been safely accounted for. Investigators take the kill to Bill Swinea,
the director of the Springfield Zoo, and Professor T.M. Parson of Drury College, who have greater
experience examining Cobras. Both confirm Mr. Condrayâs classification
of the animal, and Dr. Parson further elaborates that the snakeâs fangs had been removed
- as if for domestication - but that new fangs were in the process of growing which would
have made the snake deadly in only a few dayâs time. All signs point to the Pet Shop, but detectives
need more proof before charging Mowrer. Until then, the case is stalled - partly to
law enforcementâs relief: Springfieldâs police department is busy prepping for the
arrival of the townâs very first city manager, William E. Hansen. A 51-year-old man from Pittsburg, Kansas who
had been selected after a three-month search by the mayorâs office. Hansenâs arrival (coupled with the newly
elected City Council) signals a fresh direction for Springfield, and the public is eager to
see improvement. Hansenâs record speaks for itself. Under his leadership, the city of Pittsburghâs
credit was restored, taxes reduced, and bureaucracy overhauled. To boot, heâs a religious man - Bible school
teacher, and preacher for the big-four denominations in town, which puts him in the good graces
of the people of Springfield. Because Police have no experience working
with such an office, theyâre scampering to learn the ropes of the new-fangled chain-of-command. Luckily, Hansenâs arrival is on hold. After a three-day battle with kidney stones,
the manager-elect is on strict bedrest, per doctor's orders. His first day in the role is presumed to be
September 1st, and with it will come high expectations. Little does anyone know: over the next three
months, the townâs resilience will be pushed to its limit. August 23rd. With news that the loose snakes are indeed
Cobras, the local paper runs a side column informing the public of the details, including
naming Mowrer as a possible suspect. Public interest in the piece leads the Springfield
Leader and Press to photograph the snakes, and publish them in the next dayâs local
news section. This heightens interest even more, and City
Attorney Gerald Gleason directs the police to officially investigate Mowrerâs shop. August 25thâs paper reports this development,
and in response, the townspeople call for the shopâs closure. That morning, police give Mowrer an ultimatum:
move the shop's snakes out of town, or lose your business license. Mowrer acquiesces, and agrees to transport
the snakes to a storage facility far out-of-town for safekeeping - though he continues to maintain
his innocence, stating simply, âthe cobras arenât mine.â Mowrer's attorney alleges that the deadly
snakes could have been dumped by carnival workers that had recently visited the area. The shopkeeperâs neighbors on St. Louis
street don't buy it. Several interviews with police reveal that
Mowrer is known to regularly dump snakes of all varieties into a water-filled tub he keeps
in his backyard. What's more, the Pet Shop has been in trouble
before: a pair of monkeys and several iguana have escaped the shop and run amok in the
past, and nearby homeowners routinely worry for their children's safety outside. Two more articles from the Leader and Press
hounding Mowrer, and the townspeople flood the police department with calls to close
the shop, and to disclose where Mowrer has moved his snakes. Before long, the location of the storage facility
is discovered, not far away from Springfield as Mowrer originally implied, but instead
at Miller Sales Barn on West Highway 66, only a stoneâs throw outside of the city limits. In response, the paperâs opinion section
is filled with articles all but calling for the exotic pet owner to be run out of town. And in the wee hours of the morning leading
into August 31, just as police are planning by court order to inspect Mowrerâs storage
place, more Cobras are found in town. Just before midnight, seventeen year old Willis
Lans Murdaugh, Jr. runs one over with his automobile at the intersection of National
and East Trafficway. He gets out of the car to investigate, and
finding the snake still alive and rearing to strike, promptly kills it with a jack handle. At 2am, an unidentified man stops Officer
Oren Sisco and reports seeing a snake six feet long and three or four inches thick slither
beneath a car on St. Louis St. Sisco calls for backup, and he and two other
officers comb the area, but are unable to find the animal. By the time the sun is up, another report
rolls in from East Trafficway. 40-year-old Ralph Moore has killed a serpent
found crawling through his front yard. The Leader and Press gets another headline,
and soon the whole town has cobra fever. What should have been a day of preparation
for the arrival of the city manager, is instead wasted on nonstop paperwork as the police
department is slammed with phone calls from concerned residents, reporting snakes of all
shapes and sizes, even those common to the area. Several report seeing Reo Mowrer running around
his neighborhood with a bag and stick, as if frantically searching for loose reptiles. And Dr. Parson, the Drury professor police
are consulting to identify the cobras, voices his concerns to the Leader and Press that
the city will need to stock antivenom in the event of a snake bite - but the availability
of such in America is unknown. September finally arrives, and as William
E. Hansen takes the oath of office, he is stunned to learn that his first challenge
as city manager wonât involve taxes, but instead, venomous snakes. After spending the morning adjusting to his
new digs, Hansen calls a meeting of department heads and council members at 3:30 in the afternoon
to discuss general policies, and to address the snake scare. The health department is directed to develop
a mitigation strategy, and manages to locate two doses of cobra antivenom: one in Silver
Springs, Florida, and another at a Zoo in the city of St. Louis. The Florida dose is placed in the mail, and
the St. Louis dose can be delivered via air in hours, if needed. By the end of the day, Glen Woods, the acting
president of the Missouri City Managers Association has delivered his ceremonial best wishes to
Hansen, and the town waits anxiously to see how his very first crisis plays out. The next day, the Leader and Press reports
that the County Prosecutor has issued an Ultimatum to Reo Mowrer: move the Cobras even further
away from Springfield, or be charged with public endangerment. 341 residents near Miller Sales Barn on West
Highway 66 have signed a petition demanding he find a different storage facility, and
Mowrerâs attorney complains that the city is violating his rights as a business owner
- alleging that since the paper broke the story, the Mowrer family has received numerous
threatening phone calls. Matters arenât helped when, the very next
day, another Cobra will be found and killed - this time in a garage right behind Mowrerâs
Pet Shop. Six-year-old Lisbeth Garil Parrish discovers
the snake while on her way outside to play. Lisbeth's mother kills it with a garden hoe,
and hearing the commotion from across the street, Mowrer hurries over to whisk the evidence
away. Detectives arrive on the scene as the shopkeeper
is in the process of hiding the carcass, and despite his denial, the snake is quickly identified
as a cobra. Public anger swells. The danger to area children sends parents
into a fury, and yet, Mowrer still maintains his innocence, denying the cobras are his. At the close of the day, the single dose of
antivenom from Silver Springs, Florida arrives in Springfield. The next morning, public hysteria reaches
a fever pitch, and the townspeople organize a city-wide snake hunt. Citizens arm themselves with garden tools,
guns, and nets, canvassing the municipality in search of cobras to kill. Their efforts turn up nothing. Meanwhile, Reo Mowrer spends the day moving
his cobras away from Miller Sales Barn, to an undisclosed location, taking extra care
to cover his tracks. The Leader and Press continues their campaign
against him, publishing cartoons mocking the crisis, and the classifieds section even begins
promoting âcobra-proofâ homes for sale. Erring on the side of caution, Springfield
police have taken to shooting on site any kind of reptile reported by citizens. On September 7th, a harmless iguana is killed
on East Trafficway, and the Leader and Press insinuates that it, too, probably originated
from Mowrerâs pet shop, despite his adamant denials. The next evening, another snake is spotted
on St. Louis St., this time by ten-year old Vicki Solomon and nine-year-old
Linda Clouse. Linda's father pins the snake with a board,
and calls police. Before detectives can arrive, Reo Mowrer appears,
stuffs the snake into a box, and flees the scene. City officials, at their wit's end, send a
delegation of Police Chief Frank Pike, Assistant Chief Sam Robards, and Lt. Earl Swayer to
Mowrer's residence, demanding that he turn the snake over for proper identification. Mowrer refuses, and directs authorities to
his attorney. He tells reporters that the serpent was a
common bullsnake, and, despite everything, continues to profess his innocence. Investigators are forced to pencil in the
unidentified snakeâs species as an open question. The next day, another cobra is found and killed. City manager Hansen and the town's health
director have spent the past week approving a newly-made public nuisance ordinance, and
under its provisions, finally send a full inspection team into Mowrer's Pet Shop. Inside, they find deplorable conditions: a
dead penguin in a cage with live ones, an overflow of animal excrement, and decaying
vegetable matter, altogether producing a putrid stench. Bizarrely, while the shop is being searched,
Reo Mowrer travels to nearby Webster County and sets up a snake exhibition tent at an
area carnival, offering to sell serpents to patrons at rock-bottom prices. Attendees are visibly nervous at the shopkeeperâs
presence, and complain to the fairgrounds. Officials kick him out of the event. Meanwhile, back in Springfield, detectives
continue to search the shopâs inventory records and determine that a crate of 12 cobras
had likely escaped the shop, originally. With five snakes officially accounted for,
and the mystery snake from the day before, investigators are faced with the proposition
that the outbreak is only half over. Outside the shop, 36-year-old L.H. Stockton spots a cobra on the road, grabs
a rock, and hits it over the head. The cobra flees under Stockton's house. He calls the police over, and authorities
spend the next three hours bombarding his home with tear gas until the viper is flushed
out. Officer Jack Strope attempts to shoot it with
a riot gun. The weapon jams, so he pulls his service revolver,
and fires six shots. Five of the bullets thud into the cobra's
body, and Police Chief Pike manages to get a pole-mounted loop around the cobra's neck. They finish it off with a garden hoe. By this point, the Cobra Scare starts gaining
international attention. The Leader and Press receives inquiries from
the London News-Chronicle, and various animal publications from around the world. Reporters are flying in from out-of-state
to cover the story, and the Police Chief's house phone rings all hours of the night with
columnists requesting quotes. City Manager Hansen now finds himself in the
middle of a growing public embarrassment, and the City Health Director is soon ordered
to burn any outgrowths of weeds throughout town in hopes of wiping out any remaining
cobras. Officers organize another city-wipe snake
sweep, and citizens join in, hunting any and all reptiles found crawling around Springfield. On September 11, an anonymous tip is phoned
into the police station that vigilantes plan to burn down the Mowrer Pet Shop, and law
enforcement stations itself outside the business to prevent any would-be arsonists. By September 12, Seven fields in town have
been burned off. Snakes and reptiles of all shapes and sizes
around Springfield are killed by citizens, and sent to the police station for inspection. No cobras are discovered. Mowrerâs business is handed a new city order
giving him five days to remove all animals of all kinds from his shop. The shopkeeper complains it will cost him
a fortune, and that the city is bleeding him dry for a crime he did not commit. Any chance at public sympathy is soon stopped
however, when on September 13th, a two-year-old named Charles Edward White discovers a snake
while playing outside, and is bitten. Police rush the boy to the hospital, but luckily
the snake is determined to be harmless. Shortly after, Police are forced to deal with
a new problem: prank calls. School kids spend the evening calling emergency
dispatch to report fake-cobra sightings, tying up police resources. City council fumes, and officers are up all
hours of the night chasing ghosts. After clearing his shop, Reo Mowrer sends
a letter to City Manager Hansen reaffirming his innocence, and offering whatever help
he can to assist in the capture of further cobras, saying, âI would be the last person
on earth to wish that anyone, child or adult, be endangered or injured by any snakes which
might remain at large." He ensures that the Leader and Press receives
a copy. The paper also publishes opinion pieces complaining
that reporters visiting from out-of-state are playing fast and loose with the facts,
embellishing the crisis for their publications, and painting the town of Springfield in a
poor light. Reo Mowrer suggests pot meet kettle, and over
the next few days, strikes back at the Leader and Press. Several snake dealers throughout America flood
the paper with letters, accusing them of making a mountain out of a molehill, and offering
various home-remedies for dealing with loose cobras. The townspeople are accused of a persecution
campaign against an honest businessman, and a war of words breaks out between the shopkeeper
and the newspaper. Mowrerâs name has become mud in the community,
and on September 17th, when another cobra is discovered on St. Louis St., run over repeatedly,
pinned, and then killed with a rock, city officials devote most of their resources to
combing the area around the Pet Shop, specifically. City Manager Hansen, no doubt wishing he was
back in Pittsburgh, expresses his frustration with the multitude of issues heâs forced
to address. The latest problem: out of control grass fires. Citizens attempting to smoke out loose cobras
are tying up the Fire Department and wasting city resources. A newly built flooring company adds to the
townâs dust woes, and Hansenâs planned inspection tour is delayed as a drought complicates
things further. With a city metaphorically and literally on
fire, teenagers take to vandalizing the town with snake-related graffiti, and even the
elderly are causing unnecessary headaches: A 74-year-old man named Ed Chamberlain throws
caution to the wind and erratically runs over a snake on West Pershing St., bringing the
carcass in for identification - only to find that the species is harmless. The trash cans caught in the cross-fire, however,
will need replacing. Selling more papers than ever, the Leader
and Press fully commits to Springfieldâs snake fever, and bends over backwards to find
cobra-related stories to publish - even proposing that the serpents may be laying eggs around
town, despite experts dismissing the concern, given Springfieldâs geographic climate. Nearly two weeks pass without significant
developments, and finally, temperatures in the town seem close to fizzling out. Until October 1st. A block from Mowrerâs shop, a trio of bird
dogs corner and kill a snake at the Springfield Plumbing and Heating Company. After inspection, a new cobra is confirmed. The Leader and Press finally has another headline,
and city officials are forced to turn to more peculiar strategies. Springfield Health Director D.E. Caywood snags a vinyl record of âIndian
Snake Charming Musicâ, and approaches manager Hansen about the possibility of using it to
lure Cobras out in the open. Desperate for the snake problem to stop, Hansen
agrees, and despite heavy skepticism, on October 5th, Caywood rents a Ford Sedan mounted with
two loudspeakers and leads a team of armed officers through Springfield, blaring the
snake charming tune at max volume. Evidently unknown to city officials at the
time, Cobras cannot hear music. Reo Mowrer, reached for comment, scoffs at
the circus, and calls it a complete waste of time. And yet⌠that afternoon, a tenth Cobra is
spotted and killed! News of the so-called successful hunt is reported
internationally. And October 6th would prove even weirder! At 2:45 in the morning, Springfield police
officers make a traffic stop of a suspected drunk driver - during which, 18-year-old Oklahoma
man Ralph Cramer Jr. flees the scene in his 1953 Nash Rambler station wagon, leading officers
on a 45-minute high-speed chase through town. Authorities fire seven shots at the vehicle,
hitting it four times and shattering the windshield, bringing Cramerâs car to a stop. During interrogation, he reveals to investigators
that he is a visiting snake dealer. On his client list? Reo Mowrer. Detectives are baffled by the connection,
and search Cramerâs car for snakes. None are found, but a 20-gauge shotgun is
discovered in the back seat, wrapped in a towel. What is an armed snake-dealer from Oklahoma
doing in Springfield, Missouri at the height of a bizarre cobra outbreak? Cramer denies his involvement, and claims
to have been back in Oklahoma during the initial Cobra sightings, but witnesses confirm he
was on hand for Springfieldâs snake-charming caravan, the day before. He finally reveals to police that, in the
past few weeks, Mowrer has been contacting various snake dealers around the nation, offering
to sell them his remaining stock of animals with absurd discounts. Cramer had hoped to roll into town and snag
a deal - but lost track of time drinking at a local bar. As for the shotgun? Well⌠âYou can never trust snake dealers.â Detectives have no clue what to make of this
latest development, and ultimately book Cramer for impaired driving. With ten confirmed Cobra kills, police spend
the next weeks displaying the snakes at public festivals, and manage to turn a small profit
for pension funds. Investigators struggle to find any answers,
and by October 25th, The Leader and Press starts to lose steam on the serpent story. With the trail turning cold, columnists reminisce
about the scareâs start, and begin closing the books an odd chapter in Springfieldâs
history. Then, as if on queue, an eleventh cobra pops
up the next day. This time, authorities catch it alive. 24-year-old David H. Kelley discovers the
snake on the way home from church with his family, calls police, and together with Officer
Louis Rebori, traps the deadly cobra in a half-gallon pickle jar. With eleven Cobras officially accounted for,
and, assuming the unidentified snake Mowrer whisked away on September 8th was Cobra #12
- detectives announce the hunt is over. For the next week, the pickle jar is displayed
at the local zoo. Large crowds gather to view the public menace,
and as October comes to an end, so do cobra sightings around town. But Springfieldâs snake fever doesnât
die easily. Rumors of eggs persist, on November 16th,
a Boa Constrictor is discovered in town and killed. Mowrerâs Pet Shop continues to take blame,
and the shopkeeper eventually skips town. With Mowrer out of the picture, the people
of Springfield find themselves without a scapegoat. Despite the Leader and Pressâs best efforts,
sightings stop. The public finally loses interest in the story,
and The Great Cobra Scare of 1953 finally comes to an end. Whether Mowrer bore the brunt of the blame
for the crisis would remain hotly debated in the city for decades. Until 1988 - when a nearly fifty-year-old
man named Carl Barnett approaches the former Leader and Press with a shocking confession⌠Back in 1953, at 14-years of age, Barnett
had a business deal with Reo Mowrer: he would catch snakes around town, and trade them to
the shopkeeper for 15 cents apiece, or for the occasional pet fish. This arrangement kept the boy busy during
most of the summer months, until the second week of August. Barnett had traded a snake to Mowrer for a
tropical fish he had taken a liking to in the shop, but by the time he got home, the
fish had died. The boy visited Mowrerâs shop to confront
him on the raw deal, and recounted the story later in his own words to Springfieldâs
television station, KY3. [static] Barnett: He said, âWell, kid, thatâs
just tough!â He said, âIn business, thatâs⌠youâll
just have to eat that one, and like it.â âŚYeah! And I thought, well, Iâll go out back. So, I got back there, and here was several
crates of snakes. I thought, well, Iâll just turn mine loose. I thought theyâs were just a black indigo
snake that he had come in. I thought, well, thatâs good enough. Thatâs a fair trade. So, I just left the box open. Reporter: Do you feel any remorse? Barnett: âŚNo. Reporter: Or, do you still today think that
what you did was right? Barnett: Yes! I think it was⌠justice. If heâd been fair with me, this wouldnâtâa
happened. For close to 4 months, young Carl Barnett
watched silently as his actions sparked terror around town. Worried he would face charges for his actions,
Barnett held the secret for most of his life. 35 years later - after being assured by an
attorney that he wouldnât face jail time - the culprit finally came forward. Reo Mowrer died before hearing the confession. This video is sponsored by Storyblocks. I love making videos about interesting topics
and tales. Iâve wanted to tell this story for a while,
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After the cobras were dealt with, the city's seal was changed to display a cobra being blocked by a shield.
https://imgur.com/a/WPlY7ch
(Alas, it is no longer in use.)
Mother's Brewing Company named a beer after it called Cobra Scare
i mean, until Whacking Day, at least.
You can get rid of them by calling the G.I. Joe's.
Cobraaaaaaa