Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-02-13


the men became so accustomed to il
that they would take it up in their
hands. A few days ago Memo picked
the beast up and began fooling with
il, allowing it to crawl up and down
his bare arm, and run its tongue over
his hand. While going through these
maneuyers the Gila went back on its
reputation for innocence by suddenly
grasping the soldiers foreduger, biting
it to the bone, and holding on with
such tenacity that Memo had to use
his other hand to force open its mouth
and shatke it of. He set up howl OF
rage and pain, and the Gila crawled
away unnoticed under the locker.
The wound bled freely and Memo
pretty badly frightened, commenced
sucking his finger and splitting out the
blood, and started for the hospital on
the jump. Maj Girard, the surgeon,
Immediately dosed the man with
whisky and prepared wash for the
finger, but had no apprehensons of a
serious outcome from the bite, as he
says he has never heard of an authen-
ticated case OF death from such a
cause, and has no reason to think a
ella monster is half as poisonous as a
rattlesnake. His predictions in this
case were at least correct, as Memo
rested quietly all night and in the
morning was as wen as ever. His
hand was slightly swollen for a day or
two, but the swelling soon disappear
ed and the wound healed up very
quickly. Maj. Girard says tits possible
that Memo saved his life by so quickly
sucking the blood from the bite, or
that the ella, from confinement, may
have lost his poison, as, when running
loose, one of the reptiles articles Of
diet is a poisonous weed, but that
more probably the Gila monster is
not so black as he is painted.
Not long ago an employe of the EN-
pire ranch came tearing into town on
horseback with his hand bandaged.
and soon had three or four doctors in
consultation over him. He had
caught a ella monster OF an exception
al size, and supposedly killed it by
blow over the head with club. As
he was coming into the city on business
he concluded to bring it along and
have the skin stuffed, so he hung the
reptile to the cantel Of his saddle.
Half way between the ranch and Tue
son he reached around to see if his
prize was still there, and found it was.
The ella had come to life again and
seized upon his finger. OF course, he
was badly frightened, and as his hand
and arm panied him before heroached
the city ne wanted the doctors to cut
OF his arm If they thought that there
by they could save his life. This they
refused to do, and gave him the usual |
antidotes for animalpoison. The only
effects he suffered from the bite was
temporary Inconvenience for a few
days, and he shows the scar on his
finger and points to his robust frame
as evidence that the bite of a ella |
monster might be fatal, but that it is
not so in all cases.
The only case Of a ella monsters
bite associated with death that the
writer has been able to substantiate
in this part Of the country although /
instances Of people being bitten are
numeroues also with regard to
an employe OF this ranch, and in that
the bite was indirectly aud not direct
ly the cause Of death. One Of the men
there was badly bitten in the back of
the hand, and took the usual remedies
with the usual result that he felt only
Inconvenience. but he
neglected the wound, which conse-
luently became very sore and much
and, in addition to this, he
was suffering from an aggravated dis
ease of the blood. In week or two
became sick, and in few days died
some maintained from the elias bite
although the doctors said il was
nothing more nor less than blood
poisoning, the fatal effect possibly
brought to a quicker elimination from
-he wound on the hand.
In fact the ella monster is a rather
unknown quantity, although here
where he is so common it is generally
lhought that his power of dealing out
leath are very much over rated If
hey were not il would be an easy mat
er instead of an almost impossible
me to quote instances of death result
ng from his bite. Major Patski the
rmy surgeon at Fort Huachuca, has
made an especial study of this reptile
or number Of years, trying the eff Z
ect of his bite on animals and dis I
getting his body, and states that he is J.
Unable to tind any evidence OF poison,
whereas all the other poisonous insects z
nd reptiles are supplied with glands t
r sacks in which to carry the death a
Iealing fluid. n
Surveyor General Hobart is in re- q
eipt Of a department. letter concur ]
..s. a.. L. g.. 49, 4t..1