Morning journal and courier., 1889-06-13
WORSE THAN THE STAKE.
The Big Tarantusa and the Torture o
 It's soldier Victim.


 Its Soldier Victim.
 We had camped down on the plains of Texas one noon to boil cup of coffee and get bite to eat, and while Private Mahony was getting the coffee ready three or four of the men stretched out for quarter of an hours sleep, says New York Sun writer. There were seven of us, United States dra- Roons, searching for some horses which had broken away, and "Big George' as we cell him, who was a sergeant, was in command, I was very wide awake, having caught sight of snake moving off as we came up, and es the sergeant lay on his back, his face shelter ed from the sun, looked him over and ad- mired his proportions. He was man who stood exactly six feet tall in his stockings, weighed 21S pounds, and it was no trick at all for him to take two of the strongest men in the regiment and hold them at arms length or dance them about like little pup pets.
 It might have been 10 minutes after he lay down that I suddenly caught sight of a tarautular on his breast-the largest and most horrid looking specimen l ever saw, and I lived for seven ears among them. The sergeant had on the regulation jacket, and 1t was buttoned all the way up. He lay on the flat of his back, arms down beside him, and I had no sooner caught sight of the big spider than saw the mans eyes, which could see under his red handkerchief, were open. He saw the tarsntula perhaps before I did. l turned my head to the right, and Mahony, who stood upright at the fire, was looking at the sergeant with face as white as snow. I turned to the left; and the two other men who had not sought sleep were also gazing ln horror.
 Not one of US dared to move. Should we do so, the spider might spring away in alarm, but the chances were that he might bite be- fore doing 50. was only foot away from the sergeant's feet and on line with his face, and I could look into his eyes and read his thoughts. He was game man. He had been tested over and over, but never in such manner. How would he stand the ordeali The spider had a curiosity regarding the brass buttons on the jacket. He hovered over the fifth one from the top for three or four minutes. read in the sergeants eyes surprise, repugnance and calculation. l carefully watched the muscles of his face. He might as we'll have been dead for all the movement could detect.
 Now the spider moves up 8 button-now back two. Those shining metals are a new sigh ito him. As he moves down read re- ! lief in the sergeant's eyes. As he moves up read anxiety. Not & finger moves. His 1 chest heaves as regularly as the beats of s ! clock. Now the spider moves up to the second | button from the top and shakes himself nerv- ously. He is right under the sergeant's clean | shaved chin, and not over @ foot from his l eyes. Now fear comes to the mans eyes and see beads of precipitation start out or his biz red hands. He has been hemmed iI ! by Indians, chased by hungry wolves, lost or I the trackless plains without loosing his nerve It is going now. The spider shakes itself I and the look of fear gives place to one of ter l TOT. We know and the sergeant knows tha l the insect is angered and that it's next move will be upward.
 The coffee is boiling over into the fire, anc two or three of the horses are looking at u' l in an interogstive way, as if puzzled at oul | attitudes, fairly ache to shout-to spring | up-to do something; but dare not move ] finger.
 Flash! The great spider jumps into thu
 centre of the handkerchief spread over th' sergeant's face and glides here and there il l wonderment. The sergeant's eyes express hope The horrible thing may leap from hi face to the earth. Nol It crawls slowl. l down to the lower edge of the handkerchief and the sergeant's eyes speak horror and des ! peration, and his hands are as wet as ! plunged into bucket of water. Now the spi der crswls off the handkerchief on to tn
 sergeant's chin, and for 30 seconds is entirel,
 motionlsss.
 | The man is doomed His eyes tell me so
 His soul is sick with horror, but what nerv | to hold himself down and take the chances
 Not one man in million could do it. Not ! muscle moves; not the slightest change in tn ! heave of his breast. He is in more tortur \ than the man at the stake, but his nerve ' not broken.
 The spider suddenly shakes itself, infiiet it's bite, and is gone like a flash, spriDgilnn! l clear over one of the other men. Then, Wltl I a scream of despair, the sergeant springs up l ayes full of terror and face distorted, ant . I goes rushing away on foot over the plains \ We saddle up and pursue, but he dod ! oes tnrns and twists about, and it is a1 RRour before we can catch him. Then he sink helplessly down, and inside of two hours dead.