Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1878-10-03
The Monkey Assassin.

One of the most famous of weird, short
stories of Edgar Allen Poe is 1.-THE Muir
der of the Rue Morgue." In that most
CHASTITY yet entertaining narrative mon
key is the author of an assassination.
That simian criminal has now found a
rival in real life.
Early in 1877 the leading mine owners
at the Caratal gold fields in Eastern Ven
ezuela fitted out an expedition to pros
peCt for some reputed cir nabar deposits
on the Brazil liam border of Guayana. The
command of the party was conferred on
German adventurer named seller
Seller was all old resident of Venezuela,
a miner, naturalist by prediction,
and was we'll known to European and
North American scientists through the
valuable collections he had made for va
rious museums of natural history.
The expedition was failure, the Gin
nabar existing only in the brain of the
mendacious Indian who had reported it.
In place OF specimens of the precious
quicksilver ore, Seller only brought back
a cargo of prepared skins, stuffed birds,
curious animals, skeletons, and an enor-
nous red ape of the araguatO or bowling
species.
These monkeys, IN their natural state,
are little less ferocious than their great
African brethren, the gorillas, and are
almost as untamable. The native
Vennzuelans call them "Wood Devils"
and stand in holy horror of them. Sellers
specimen, which was as big as ten-year-
old boy, and as deep-voiced as fog horn,
was no exception to the rule, and in a
snort time it became the terror of all
Caratal.
Chained to ring bolt in the wall of
his masters house, which stood at the in
tersection of the only two streets of the
little village, the red ape would squat all
day long on the peak Of the tiled house,
mouthing at the passers-by, hurting what
ever missiles he could lay hands on at
them, and crashing his great teeth like a
tiend. At night he charmed the somber
hours by bowling necessarily.
Horses and mules would stampede at
sight Of him. Children fled from MIN in
terror. Pregnant women Stunned him
religlously for fear his hideousness would
scare them into giving birth to monstrosi-
ties. The drunkenest miner that ever
Providence permitted to stagger home
was careful to pass. Sellers house on the
other side of the street, and with a wary
eye on the sentry on the roof.
Even the buzzards deserted to Callao,
the opposition mining center, for the ape
bad developed great fondness for cap
finn ho
proceeding to pluck them aud tear them
to pieces alive.
In fine, he became such public abom-
ination that the authorizes were applied
to.
Accordingly, the Alcalde waited on
Seller and laid he case before Tim. He
might as we'll have spoken to the ape
himself.
Though the rainy season was at hand
! and his roof was almost denuded Of tiles
which the GrGquato had torn off to throw
at people; though the brute ate as much
as ten men, while his master, who had
taught him to eat meat till he would
touch nothing else, had to starve himself
to feed him; though he himself was q
walking mass of scars received at the
paws of his ungratetul pet, still Seller
| chung to the worthless hide of "ElDemon.
10 Colorado" the red demon, as the
people had come to call the ape, with an
unfaltering devotion. He swore by the
soul or Darwin that Mungo, has he had
christened him, should remain as long as
the house held together, which consider.
ing the rap1dity in which it was being
converted into proiectiles, was certainly
not an eternal prospect.
When the Alcalde insisted Seller drew
his attention to a fine example of Smith &
Weston's revolver manufacture and the
argument ended abruptly.
People now took the law into their owl
hands, but with equally poor success.
The Red Demon seemed to bear charmed
life. He lodged silver bullets with the
greatest ease, and one genius who melt
ed down two ounces of gold into slug tt
make sure OF him, had the satisfaction o
seeing Seller pick the precious missile
out of his wall and purchase rum fol
himself and raw beef for Mungo with it
just at juncture, too, when his credit had
collapsed and given rise to hope tina
the ape would starve to death after all.
As for poison, the brute revelled in it
Paris green seemed sweet morsel unde
his tongue. Strychnine only improved hi
digestion. He devoured arsenic like sugar
and swallowed enough mercury to sail
vate regiment without starting as mucl
as tear. At last his enemies gave up il
despair.
"He's dc mos wuffless inseck I ebbe
see," said one negro miner, sadly, put
ting into his pocket the ear which Nun
go had neatly shaved off for him with
sharp chunk of quartz. "De debbil dam
him to de bilin' pit! Idon't believe he
human, so dey amt no use tryin' to g
de bulge on him."
j Which expressed the sentiment of til
entire community.
At the beginning of the present yes
, Seller was struck down by q fever, cor
, tracted from repeated drenching durin
7 the rainy season. which drenchings wei
solely due to Mungo's having unroofe
!, the house to such an extent that thel
was not dry corner in 1t. Unpopuls
as the sick mans defense of his abomin,
, BILE pet had made him, his neighbo
, were still miners with the warm hear
/ and open hands that never refuse symp
| thy or aid to distress, and they doctore
| and nursed the invalid faithfully I'M
, convalescene.
Mungo, however, they positively r
fused to succor, and after devouring a
{ the garbage within the limit of his chai
the red ape was reduced to an air die
e and grew more meager and vicious evel
day.
On the night of the 9Th of Februal