“He began the capture and preservation in a state of nature of the tarantula itself.”

Philadelphia was aiming to corner the snake market in the late 1800s, but Los Angeles was a proud leader in the tarantula trade. A story about the latter business activity from the September 10, 1882 Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

“Los Angeles, Cal.–One of the curious developments of trade in Southern California is the traffic in tarantulas and their nests. It is an entirely new avenue of trade, and to Master Leo Fleishman seems to belong the honor of discovery and development.

He began a short time since to gather their curious and ingeniously contrived nests for the relic hunters and curiosity seekers, and as the trade increased he began the capture and preservation in a state of nature of the tarantula itself, which is done by injecting into the animal arsenic in considerable quantities. This has the effect of preserving tarantulas and destroying all its poison, and it may be handed with perfect impunity after such treatment.

In certain localities these insects are quite numerous, and the industrious hunter will sometimes capture two dozen in a day, and these, when prepared and nicely mounted, bring $8 per dozen. Mr. Fleishman has just filled an order for two dozen for the Denver exposition, now in session. He also has orders from Chicago, St. Louis and other Eastern cities, and several consignments have been sent to London.”