Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-12-29
WHEELING REGISTER SUNDAY, DECEMBER 49, 1889

his horror and smazement the naturalist
then saw that the dogs body was covered
with blood, while his hairless skin ap-
peared to have been actually sucked
or puckered in spots, and the animal
staggered as if from weakness and exhaus-
ton.
In cutting the vine the twigs curled like
living, sinuous fingers about Mr.. Dunstan's
hand, and it required no slight force to
free the member from its cliDging grasp,
which left the flesh red and blistered. The
gum exuding from the vine was Of gray
ish dark tinge, remarkably adhesive and of
disagreeable animal odOr, very powerful
and nsuseating to inhale.
The native servants who accompanied
Mr.. Dunstan manifested the greatest hor-
Tor of the vine, which they call la saRenss
de diable, the DEVILS seine, or snare, and
and were full of stories OF its death-deal-
ing powers. One of these stories was Of an
Englishman residing in Mansgus, who,
while hunting in a swamp a few years
before, lay down beneath tree where
large and powerful specimen of this SIN
gulsr plant was growing, and, inadver-
tently falling asleep, awOke to find. him
self enveloped in a kind Of web, and IN
spite of every effort made to extricate
him, persisted in its deadly embrace.
Another story was that CT an escaped
convict who had hidden in the swamp,
and whose bones had been found in the
folds of the ssgenas only short time be-
fore Mr.. Dunstan's visit. These stories,
remarkable as they may seem, are firmly
believed in by the people, but the only
three specimens which Mr.. Dunstan was
able to find were oil small ones, though
the meshes of the largest would probably,
if extended in a straight line, measure
nearly, if not quite one hundred feet. he
was able to discover very little about the
nature of the plant, owing to the difficulty
of handling it, for its grasp can only be
torn away with the loss of skin and even
loss of flesh, but, as near as Mr.. Dunstsn
could ascertain, its power Of suction is con-
tanned in a number ofinfnitisemal mouths
or little suckers, which, ordinarily closed,
open for the reception of food.
The gum exuded seems to serve the two
fold purpose of increasing its tenacity and
of overcoming a victim by its sickening
Odor. The plant is found only in low, wet
places, and usually beneath a large tree,
and while dormant seems only network
of dry, dead vines, covering the black
earth for several feet, but coming into con-
tact with anything will instantly begin to
twist and Irvine upward in a horrible, life
like manner, breaking out with the gum
like substance spoken of before, and en-
wrap the object with CELEBRITY that is
almost incredible.
If the substance is animal the blood is
drawn off and the carcass or refuse then
dropped. A lump of raw meat being
thrown it, in the short space of five min
utes the blood will be thoroughly drunk
off and the mass thrown aside. ITS voracity
is almost beyond belief, it devOuring at
one time over ten pounds Of meat, though
it may be deprived of all food for weeks
without any apparent loss ofvitality. Mr.
Dunstan attempted to bring away a root
of the sagenas, but it died during his re.
turn voyage, growing SO foul with strong
Odor of real animal corruption that he was
obliged to get rid it.