Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-10-20
THE CHA MONSTER.

Ghost, as it was in the beginning. is
now, and ever shall be, world without
end. Amen"
THE CHA MONSTER.
Rare Reptile Described as the Most
Venomous Thing on Earth.
Ne,0 York Sun.
The most deadly reptile in all the
world, not excepting the cobra of India
or the Staked Plains rattlesnake of
Texas, is the dreaded ella monster of
the far Southwest. There are very few
of these creatures in existence, and they
are found in but one locality, the bot
tom lands of the ella river in southwest
ern Arizona. Once in Il while a specimen
is encountered further East, but as Il
rule, they are smaller than ordinary.
the largest of the species living and
thriving in the locality mentioned.
There are but few more deadly poison
Gus things than bloated yellow rattle
snake, but Indians, Mexicans, scouts,
and others who know, declare that of
all living creatures the ella monster is
| by far the most absolutely poisonous
thing that lives. Scientists have be-
slowed upon him the Latin name OF
HelOdcImd SuSpGctlum, and give various
descriptions of his personal appearance,
and yet not one in thousand of these
learned gentlemen have ever seen
! specimen, dead or alive.
The Arizona monster belongs to the
lizard family, and is not often less than
ten inches nor more than twenty-five
inches in length. 1t was my good for
tune to encounter a SiXteen-inch fellow
not long since, and as it was the first
of the kind | had ever seen il was little
wonder that did not at once recognize
him. There was a Mexican and
MOqui Indian with me, and we had just
! stepped foot on beaver dam TO cross a
small, Stagnant stream when the Indian,
who was in front, uttered a snort of
fear, leaped about five feet in the air,
and landed up TO his waist in the green,
Shiny water of the beaver lagoon. The
Mexican crowded back against me, and
then | saw lying fiat out on the dam
summing himself what | thought to be
an immense barking lizard.
The Indian made all haste to place a
long distance between his red skin and
the creature, while the Mexican beat Il
hasty retreat, leaving me stand alone
and facing the monster, for it was a
ella monster, and no mistake.
"Terrors of terrorS," calculated the
Mexican. in fear and trembling. Let
us depart, Signor; let US 90 quick"
In few words the Aztec explained
the nature of the reptile. Notwith
standing all the evil that has been said
of him, the creature as he lay there in
the sun was most beautiful object to
look at He was covered with beads,
or rather with scales. The scales were
arranged In rows. not fat on the
body like the scales of fish but
raised i'm ridges and colored in notified
spots, either deep black or 4
bright salmon orange. The tail was
thick and clumsy, and the legs, pre-
ciSely like those of a barking lizard.
were black as ebony He clung fiat to
the bark of rotten log, and when he
knew that some strange creature was
standing near and surveying him he
raised his body quickly on his legs, dug
! his sharp nails into the limb, whipped
! his head quickly around, and, while his
glittcring eyes Sparkled dangerously,
| he darted back and forth the most ven
omOuS-looking forked tongue one can
| imagine, at the same time uttering a
wheezy, blowing sound, very much like
that emitted by puff adder when an
gered.
He began to crawl slowly along the
log, his ugly dual tongue slowly darting
in and out, and saw that unless some
thing was done at once to prevent it he
would make his escape. Selling a long
| knotted stick, l made n whack at him,
but only crushed the end of his blunt
| tail. Like a flash he wheeled clear
around and made jump at me, cover
ing about three feet in the clear.
Startled out of my senses, leaped back
also and brought the stick down again,
this time breaking his back and stretch
ing him out dead on the log.
The Indian and Mexican both re-
turned, but although l wanted them to
help preserve the specimen, neither
would touch or handle his carcass in
any way. Not having any alcohol, |
placed the monster in jar of whisky
to preserve him, but unfortunately, be-
fore | reached a place where alcohol
could be procured, the whisky had
spoiled him.
Indians and ignorant MeXicans of the
locality positively declare that the
breath Of the ella monster is as deadly
a. his bite. These assertions are I'M
true. ella monsters have groOved teeth
and a poison gland like a rattlesnake,
and are quite If not more poisonous than
the CrOtditS hOrriditS, or diamond-back
rattlesnake. The best antidote for
their bite is stroug tobacco saliva, and Il
soft quid of tobacco applied to the
wound. Unlike rattlesnake'S venom,
whisky or alcohol has no opposing in
fluenceS; on the contrary, a man adj
dicted to alcoholic beverages, if bitten
by this reptile, is almost sure to die.
Ammonia taken internally is an excel
lent remedy.
A catteman of the Southwest, while
riding over the range searching for
stray steers, came near being uneedteu
by his horse suddenly making tremen-
dous side leap to the right. He refined
up and went back TO see what was the
cause of his horses action. There on
the ground lay tremendous ella mon
ster. whipping his tongue in and out.
and darling diamond flashes from his
scintillating black eyes. The cowman
Jumped TO the ground, and with his
three-thonged RATA whipped the life
ont of the creature, as he supposed.
. Making Il moose of Sinew cord, he
, looped it around the monsters tail
. and tied it to one of his saddle
pockets: then he started for the ranch,
where he intended to preserve the spec
linen and send it East. But the horrid
thing was not dead but merely stunned;
for he reused and clutched the saddle
blanket and crawled up behind the man.
The cowboy, while gallOping along,
reached around and felt of the string in
order to see if his prisoner was secure.
Fortunately he had on heavy gloves,
but Notwithstanding this protection the
monster nipped his little finger, biting
through the glove, and just scratching
the flesh. The man, when when he I'M
derstood from the shock what had hap
pened, fully realized that the situation
was serious.
Shaking off the deadly thing he put
spurs to his horse and rode for his life
10 the home ranch, which he reached
faipting. Explaining what had hap
pened, the glove was torn aside and the
wound soaked in tobacco saliva. Every
few minutes green matter would ooze
from the finger, but constant applica-
tions of moist tobacco and doses OF d.
luted ammonia saved his life. In few
DAYS the victim had recovered, but
swore he would rather be bitten by 10