Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1882-12-16
NORTHERN TRIBUNE.
SATURDAY. DECEMBER is. 1882.
The Interesting Texas Centipede.

The Interesting Texas Centipetlc.
From Texas Siftings,
This interesting insect is not 80 much
celebrated for It's amiability of DISPOSE
tiOn as its good looks, buG at the same
time we cannot recommend 1t either as
aparlOr ornament or as toy for child
to play with, unless 1t is second hand
child that nobody has any particular
use for. Centipedes are of different sizes
but they are all made pretty much after
the same pattern. They are made up of
about one third sting, one third bite, and
one half general cussedness. They are
casemented with shell that is as hard
as the bark of boarding house cram
berry pie. The length of the centipede
varies very much, but il the centipede
wants to get notice in the local paper,
he's got TO stretch himself to about nine
dnches in length, these hard times. We
have never read of one that measures
less. His body, which is succession of
fiat Joints, is not much broader than an
ordinary mans finger. The centipede is
built on the iron-clad system, although
it does not make quite so much noise
as the English feet bombarding Alex
andria. In, fact, the centipede is not
musical, at all, but ifit happens to crawl
over man it will make him very musi-
cal Immediately. W uie 1lTu
Its head or bow. comparing it to an
irOn-clad, Is armed with a pair Of pinch
ers, which, besides being as venOmOus as
the editor of party organ, can bite the
end off an iron safe. Each side is armed
with about forty short legs, and each
leg is armed with a sting like that of a
wasp. The centipede terminates in a
~ xuh oh Ha 20 mir
red hot. or so we have been told by an
innocent young man who undertook to
pick it up by its stem. When centipede
anchors his head in the heshy anatomy
of a human being, throws out his two
graphing irons In his rear, and then
draws his eighty odd, very odd claws to-
,gether, it will bring tears to the heart of
an Irish landlord to see how the little
pet holds. far
The bite of the centipede rarely causes
death, but it makes the bitten party wish
he We're dead, for short time, at least
and leaves an ugly sore. The statement
that the bite of the centipede does not
cause death Is liable to correction. The
centipede is very apt to become "re-
mains" after 1t bites person, as there
Is quite "A prejudice against it. For this
reason it Is very much secruded In its
habits. living in retirement in small
cracks in the wal, 8 of old buildings. It's
uIet is believed to De insects that are not
as heavily armed and irOnclad. Why the
centipede was created, in the first place,
and what good purpose il serves, are pro-
found mysteries to the ordinary intellect.
One evening, about dusk, Texas
gentleman, of a scientific turn of mind,
was sitting on his front gallery, when
his attention was called to an extra
ordinary meteorological confederation,
as circus men say. peculiar-shape'l
CLOUD seemed to reach down from the sky
and then draw itself up again, very
much after the manner of the cyclOnic
clouds in Iowa. The gentleman was
very much interested in this meteOrolOg-
ica! perturbation, which he attributed at
first tO atmospheric Influences. when it
occurred to him that the peculiar cloud
or water spout might be nearer than
lChe distant horizon. He took off his hat
and found that his sllrInise was correct.
Fastened 10 the rim of the hat by its
hooks was a beautiful centipede min
inches long. The peculiar meteOrOlog-
neal phenomena was produced by the
insect drawing itself mp and then letting
itself down in its efforts to find nose,
or some other feature, to assist 1t In its
descent. As the gentleman had a rather
short nose, the insect was fooled. 1t died
shortly afterward by the gentleman ac-
cidentlv stepping omit about dozen
consecutive times with the heel of his
boot.
As we have already stated, centipedes
are comparatively rare in the well-set-
tied portions of Texas, being usually
found in bottle of alcohol on the show
case of some druggist who has taste
for the beautiful. In this particular,
centipedes differ from some men. They
are much more peaceful when In liquor
than otherwise. With centipedes as with
Indians, the only good ones are those
that are dead.