Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-02-12
THE GAGUS sTALK.
The Most Terrible and Fatal Intoxioaat
Yet Discovered.

| the captain OF a bark lately returned
from a cruise in the southern seas to 9
call reporter who was proving around
the waterfront in search of items He
held in his hand what appeared to be a
gaudly painted barber's pole shrunken
to the size of a policeman club The
reporter surveyed the object curiously
and admitted that he could not guess
what ii was.
That" continued the skipper, TAX
ing the nondescript object from the re-
porter's hands and caressing it as
though it was kitten, lis piece OF
gagIs stalk. 1t came from Gauptil is
land, near the Molucea group. Ihave
nayigated the south seas for many
years, and / never saw it growing upon
any other island, and don't think you
will find any seafaring man who halls
from t.iose waters but viii bear out
what | say.n
''But what is it?'' questioned the re-
porter, cycling the curiosity. "Gagus
root?'
Yes, that's as near as we sailors can
get to what the natives there call it.
I've heard these four-eyed scientific
iubbers call it by a name yard long,
but | might as we'll have tried TO reef a
mainsail alone as to reel it around my
mental windlass, Gagus is good enough
for me"
"Who painted it?n went on the re-
porter, a suspicion creeping into his
mind that the captain had ornamented
it with color for the purpose of selling
it to some democrat to pulin his hat.
painted it? Why, iigger me. that's
the way it grew, " cried the skipper,
with a laugh II guess YOU haven't
seen anything like it before
The reporter admitted that he had
not, and asked the captain to dissipate
at once the cloud of mystery surround
ing the "gagus."
ut is species of cactus, he OK
! planned, ''and, rs l said, grows only, to
my knowledge, on Gauptil island The
island is a small one, but is well popu-
lated by natives of the Malay race. In
the interior this plant grows wild,
hourishing especially in the red rocky
/ soil. 1t looks beautiful when growing,
as you might Judge by the bright hues
| with which this is spotted. The main
| stalk is covered with sharp, nettle-like
| protuberances, and prick from one Of
/ them will cause more pain than a hand
4 full of red pepper thrown in your eyes.
| When young the plant consists of but
one stalk which shoots up straight to a
/ height of four or five feet 1t is a bril-
/ liant scarlet in hue. Toward winter a
number OF otfshoots spring out until
/ the thing looks like a broom stood up
right. Green and purple specks then
| appear all over it. 4 grove of oauus
/ shrubs is a very pretty sight. But it is
/ the properties Of the plant which dis
/ tluguish II. Opium is a potent drug,
| but Will back the extract from The
/ gagus stalk to effect more damage on
/ the human system than all the opium
in the world. The natives cut the plant
in the early spring. After they have
gathered a sufficient quantity they put
/ it in large bowls and crush it with huge
stones. a grayish sap runs out freely,
and this they collect and drink after
| letting it ferment, which it does easily.
One drink of q pint is enough for an or
binary man, bat ! have seen natives
drink more. Within half an hour after
imbibing it the drinker becomes per-
iectly stupid, and lies around like
| log The spell lasts day or more,
| during which time the natives say they
| live in paradise
ado white men drink it?''
Il have known sailors to try it. but
they never tackled it twice Three
years ago | had man in my crew WHO
was driven crazy by one drink.
'What effect does it have upon the
! natives?"
'Weu, that is where the gagus dis
plays itself Ii you could see some of
! the terrible examples of slgus-drinking
! in Gau you would be horrihed. The
first cu4,t Of the liquor to soften tho
bones and gradually e hem away.
There are natives there, Victims of
1a9as, who are indeed homeless and un-
able to walk or use their limbs. They
then begin to wither away like this
stalk until they die in misery and con-
! yulsions. Immediately after death the
head OF the corpse becomes soft as pulp,
no bones can be felt; the skull Is com
/ pletely eaten away. The body then
begins TO swell as though It were in
lateG with gas, and immediate burial
I is necessary
''HoW long Goes it take 20 thus de-
yastate human being? asked the re-
porter.
That is according to the appetite OF
the victim to the stuff Usually two
years will finish the hardest man. Oh,
/ the Suherings of the slaves to the drink
are terrible
The piece Of plant was again sub
iected to an inspection by the reporter,
and this time with some manifest inter-
est.
You see it is hard, said the cap
tain, dropping it on the deck toprove
his words; land this is harmless unless,
presume, it was soaked in water and
the liquor drank san EraHcjsc5
i Gail.
Educated to Death.