The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-04-25
$500 PER YEAR IN ADYANC.
A sLooo.sucnNc pLak.



Leroy Dunstan, the weII-E
naturalist of this city, says q Me-
leans letter in the PiiiIadelphia
who has recently returned from
sral America, where he has spent
/ II two years in the study of the
and fauna of the country, relates
finding OF singular growth In ON
the swamps which surround the q
lake of Nicaragua He was enga
IN hunting for botanical and entomo
gical specimens in this swamp, viii
is known as San Sebastian's, wi1eri~
heard his dog cry out as If in ag
from distance. Running to the .
from which the animals cries car
Mr. Dunstan found him enveIoped Il
perfet network of what seemed to be-
line. rope-like tissue OF roots CT tibrs
the nature OF which was unknown
him.
The plant or vine seemed comps
entirely of bare, interlacing stems
sembling more than anything else
branches of the weeping willow de
ed of all foliage. but of dark, nd
black hue and covered with
viscid gum that exuded from the
Drawing his knife Mr.. DunstaI
deaFored to cut the animal freel
was only with the greatest dif
that he succeeded in severing the
muscular FIBRE To his horrk
amazement the naturalist til
that the dogs body was corer
blood, while his hairless skin
TO have been actuaa14 -zeinsA
cred in spots. and che animal
gered as If from weakness and e1
ton.
In cutting the vine the tWfgs
ike living. sinuous fingers abou
Dunstan's hand. and Il require
slight force 10 free the member fr
clinging clasp. which left the fes.
and blistered. The gum exuding
the vine was OF a grayish-dark
remarkably adhesive and of diss
able animal odor. every powerfI
nauseafing TO inhale-
The native servant who accomp
Mr.. Dnnstan manifested the qrs
horror of the vine. which theT
sagedas de diabie, the devils seer
snare, and were full of stories
death-dealing powers. One OF
stories was of an Engiishman resi-
in Mauagua, who. while hunting
the swamp few years before,
down beneath tree where large
powerful specimen of this sings
plant was growing. and. inadverfent
falling asleep. awoke TO find hinse
enyeloped IN its web, and, in spite
every effort made 70 oexsucate him, pc
ished in iLs deadly embrace -
Another story was OF an escaped con-
viet who had hidden In the swamp and
whose bones had been found in the
folds of the sagenas only q short time
before MIR. Dunstan's visit These
stories. remarkable as they NAV seem.
are fairly believed In by the people.
but the only three specimens which
Mr. Dunstan was able to find were all
small ones. though the meshes OF the
largest would probably II extended In
a straight line, measure nearly If not
quite 100 feet. He was able to discover
very little about the nature of the
plant. owing to the difficulty of hand
ling it. for its grasp can only be torn
away with the loss OF skin and even of
flesh. but. as near IS Mr.. Dunsfan
could ascertain. its power of suction
Is contained in number of infinitesi-
nal mouths or little suckers. which.
ordinarily closed, open for the recep-
ton of food
4H6 gum 0Nuded seems 10 serve the
two-foid purpose OF increasing its ten
acity and of overcoming a victim by its
sicIening odor. The plant is found
only in low, wet places. and usually
beneath large tree, and while dor
mant seems only a network of dry.
dead vines covering the black earth for
several feet, but coming into contact
with anything will Instantly begin to
twist and twine upward in horrible.
life-like manner, breaking out with the
gum-like substance spoken of before.
and enwrap the object with 8 eelerity
that is almost incredible.
LII the substance is animal the blood
is drawn of and the carcass or refuse
then dropped A lump of raw meat
being thrown it in the short time of
i've minutes the blood viii be thor
oughly drunk off and the mass thrown
aside. Its yoracity is almost beyond
belief. it deyouring at one time over
ten pounds of meat, though it may be
deprived OF IL food for weeks without,
any apparent loss OF vitality Mr.. Dan-
stan attempted to bring away q root
OF the sagenas, but it died during his
return voyage. growing so foul with =
strong odor of real animal corruption
that he was obliged to get rid of It