Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-02-13
TEE GILA MONSTER,
Trom tho dlobc-Democrat.

whenever stranger comes to ATl-
: zona he is not given time to become
aclimated, or to become familiar with
a mercury which constantly bobs
around the 100 degree mark before he
is warned of the great dangers which
threaten him here in the shape OF
poisonous animals and reptiles. He is
told TO look out for centipedes and
scorpions, for tarantulas and rattle
snakes and, above all for ella mon
sters, all Of which Arizona products are
held up to him as being not only un-
pleasantly plentiful companions, but
companions whose acquaintance is to
be avoided, unless he desires to court
death by receiving bite or sting from
them. And it does not take a very
long residence here to convince any
body that the Arizona sand is exceed
ingly prolific in its production Of these
specimens Of animal life, but at the
same time their very plentitude genv
crates feeling OF indifference toward
them. They soon come to be regarded
as any other pest would be; the
tarantula, the scorpion and the cen
tipede become monotonous. and are
no more feared for their poisoning
powers than well-organized ard
active hornet; the rattlesnake takes
upon himself an everyday existence,
although he is not to be fooled With:
and the Gila monster, although his
possibilities are somewhat indefinite.
is not regarded with that awe which
both his scarcity and his reputed
powers obtain for him further north.
For small animal-one IS inches
long and weighing II pounds is the
largest specimen ever seen in this
section, and they are seldom over -
inches in length-the Gila monster
has bigger reputation than anything
else Of his size that grows. Not only
is he classed with the mythical sala-
mander who could successfully and
enjoyaDly withstand fire, but he
equally refuses TO suffer death By
water, and TO his extraordinary vital
ity is added the story that his breath
is poisonous ard his bite invariably
fatal These stories might readily be
believed Of him by those who have
never made his acquaintance on his
native heath, and have seen him only
as a stuffed specimen in museums, for
the Gila is a decidedly ugly looking
brute. He is cross in appearance be-
tween q green lizard and an alligator,
with aa ugly looking blunt nose,
mean looking pair Of eyes, and body
frequently covered with dull red
spots. lie was apparently built
neither for the land nor the water, as
his legs are neither long enough nor
strong enough for walking, and are
not enough of fms to aid him materi-
ally in swimming Sometimes he is
found along the banks Of the creeks
or acequias, and sometimes on the
very rocklest and most barren OF
mountain spots, but more frequently, !
especially during this rainy season, he
VIII be discovered around in patches
Of the young and tender grass which
has just sprouted, where he feeds on |
the vegetation and the flies and bugs |
which abound. The ella monster is
very little feared here, where he
lives. He is not too slow and clumsy |
to attack person, but very grave
doubts exist as to his ability to do
much damHge even were the attack
made.
During residence ofseveTal months
in Arizona the writer has seen ella
monsters by the dozens, and has killed
them, too, but he must confess to his
sorrow-for he came here with a very
high idea Of this ugly lizards ability
TO do mischief that the reptile in
spires more fear than his performances
warrant In and around Tucson there
are a number Of well-authenticate
cases of persons having been bitten,
but none in which the bite has proven
fatal. There are also numerous in
stances OF reported deaths lin great
agony from the wounds inflicted by
the ella, but when these reports have
gone through sitting process back
through Tom, Dick and Harry, they
have wound up in nothing That the
bite of the ella isnot necessarily fatal,
as is generally supposed, or anything {
more than painful, was shown here
only few days ago, when a soldier at
Fort Lowell, just outside the city,
had his finger severely lacerated by
one of the reptiles. The soldiers I
name is Memo, and although death !
was predicted for him when the mon
ster sank his teeth into his flesh, he
Is still driving the mail wagon between {
this city and the garrison with great /
Y
Some Of the soldiers at the fort re- q
ieye the monotony Of life by catching {
scorpions, etc, and a {
couple Of weeks ago two of them
in ella monster they had
,aptured out in the brush. 1t was {