The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-06-06
We Hear II Every Day.
TILE HORRIBLE GILA MONSTER.
Tho Fiensnnt Companion Ono May Encou
tor In Arizona.

Tho Pleasant Companion Ono NAV Euc,un
tor In Arizona.
Lee Anselts Tribune.
us no poisonous ?n so;d n ror,
ho,;,d ,h. ....s.,s " oenH u'a''
sA'AN w.. no"opape. stand a. the Ma
ueau. wei, should say he was. II
isn't his breath, though. A man from
Arizona said the forked ,onoro ,r,, 49,
s,;nnn "vo.,., ,s ,onsu0 was Tue
'..,s ou ~ wrong SAID a listener,
IT'S breath Is what kills people. heard
woman say that single blast OF it's
breath was sure DEATH"
"Ihat may be-" said another, "but
saw q man die from Il bite OF one, and
that 10 the secret oiit. I'd rather have
rattler bite me any day."
;. where was it" queried the startled
listener.
over in Arizona" was the reply. "a
friend Of mine had one in a box just
outside OF saloon, and one day chap
came along who was so drunk that he
was ready to eat up the earth. He was
afraid OF nothing, and when he saw the
oox and the sign Hands Of-Poison-
ous,' he swore he could handle it, and
before they could prevent him he had
ripped OIL the Stats and made grab at
It: The thing twisted around and bit
him on the finger, and, to make long
story short, l saw him die in the middle
OF the street short time after"
The subject OF all this conversation
was pale yellow.and.black blunt
headed lizard about half a foot in length,
that rested upon bed OF sand in a small
wooden box. 1t was the famous Gila
monster OF Arizona, the only poisonous
lizard in the world, and as ugly aud dis
agreeable n looking creature as one
could possibly Imagine.
The head was long and blunt, the eyes
black and bead-like, the tail half The
length OF the body, thick.set and club.
like. The entire body seemed incased
in thinly'coated armor, marked curl.
ously with yellow and black.
The Gfia monster is sluggish and slow
OF movement, in this respect being en-
tlrely different from the tribe in general
In its own country the animal shows
more activity, especially in the dry, hot
regions contiguous to the Giia river. In
confinement it has the habits OF young
alligator more than anything else. The
interest which centers in the heloderma
lies in the poison that is supposed to
Turk in its bite, and perhaps no animal
has given rise to so many weird and
wholly imaginary stories.
The natives and some ignorant whites
suppose that its breath is poisonous.
Others think that to have one touch the
body is bad sign. The. heIoderma is
simply lizzard, and the only one known
that can poison other animals by its bite;
a discovery made few years sgo by
some naturalists who were travelling
through tue country. The story was
was not at first believed. but several
were sent east, where the poisonous
properties we're soon demonstrated. A
naturalist at the Smithsonian was bit
ten, the poison taking effect so quickly
that be had barely time to call for help.
Small animals soon died after being bit.
ten, and it was shown that human be.
lngs, under certain conditions, might
easily DE from the effects OF the bite.
The poison OF the heloderma hae been
carefully examined by Messrs. Mitchell
and Reichert, the experts, who an.
nounce that the physiological action OF
the poison is entirely different from
that OF snakes. The latter destroys life
by paralyzing the respiratory center,
while the poison Of the heloderma at
once attacks and Affects the heart, par
alyz!nglt. .n..
Among the interesting experiments
that OF injecting the poison subcuta.
neously has been tried. There was no
local effect. the heart being at once at.