The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-05
NORTHUMBERLAND
EXPERIENCES OF AN ARMY OFF,
GER WITH THE GILA MONSTER.


Never Discovered, and Dog Makes
a Feast on the Soup of Boiled speci-
men Without Inconvenience.
From Chambers Journal
In 1867, while In the employ Of the United
States quartermaster department. 1 was
stationed at Fort Wallen-since abandoned
I'm the territory Of Arizona, on the upper
San Pedro river, and having considerable
leisure time occupied myself freque ltly
in collecting tarantulas, centipedes, snakes.
campomochas, etc., aud studying their
hAbits One day during the GUNNER our
mail rider from Tucson reported to me that
he had met on his home trip-in fact, that
very n1orning-with horrible animal, at
the sight Of which his horse SHE'D precipi-
lately, almost unseating him. He quoted
the horse, which, although trembling in
every limb, came to a stand. Before the
rider had time to pull his revolver and take
aim the strange animal disappeared among
the rocks which line both sides Of the road at
| that place. de described the animal as
about four feet long, and not unlike young
caiman or crocodile the rider was a native
| of louisiana. We had at the fort several
! Mexicans, employed as brickmakers and
herders, and upon their hearing his imper-
feet description, they came unanimously to
the conclusion that he had seen an eScuplon;
only they shook their heads at the alleged
size Of the animal, all stating that they had
never seen one exceeding a vera thirty
three inches) in length.
In the evening called these men to the
office and offered them IS for live speci-
men, and half that amount for dead one,
not mutilated 20 any great extent. On the
following Sunday two OF them started out
| ard oh N n
ster twenty ~eight inches in length which they
had lassoed while it was asleep, or appar-
| emily so. on the sunny surface Of large
rock, which allowed them TO crawl up from
behind unperceived and TO throw the moose
over its head. They were carrying it be-
tween them. hanging from cereus pole, the
| ends OF which rested on their shoulders.
leaving between the dangling animal and
its carriers a distance Of at least six feet.
| Still they appeared to me to be uncomforta-
BILE, and as soon as / approached-in my
ignorance and eagerness-somew what close to
the reptile, they both burst out with: 'Por
Dios, senior, cuidado (For Gods sake, sir,
| take careD
There being an empty grain room about
the place, lodged the saurian In it, at
tached to a raw-hide rope fastened to an
iron picket pin, giving him about four feet
playroom. This did with the help Of my
two Mexican friends. armed with long
blacksmith's tongs. while they continually
cautioned me to look cut for my fingers
and keep out Of the reach of the animals
spittle. After paying the men l sent for
something from the sutler to compose their
| nerves, in order to ascertain from them the
| cause of their abjeot fear. Their stories
mainly coincided with those of the other
Mexicans and Indians whom / have inter-
rogated upon the subject since, and though
| but heresy evidence l would state that
/ these ha fnd a no
narrators being men Of unquestionable
veracity, and my later experiments bearing
| them out in their assertions.
A woodcutter who had laid down in COM
plete health to sleep, wrapped up in his
blanket failed to rise in the morning when
his co-laborers called him. Upon uncover
| ing him they found him stone-dead, and
near his body ella monster, which. in the
| pustle and confusion of the moment, made
| good his escape The body of the man bore
no mark of bite or other wound.
Near Magdalena Sonora, q man was
hunting rabbits with dog. The latter In
serted his snout into rabbit hole, but i'm
mediately retreated, uttering fearful bowls
| while he was laying to shake off a CHA
monster which had fastened fits teeth into
the dogs nose, and although snarling and
| splitting without interruption, could not be
made to let 60 its hold till it was killed, and
even then its jaws had TO be forced apart
with an iron rod. The dog, upon being re-
| leased began to act very strangely, and
showed something like the same symptoms
as horse does when suffering from the
blind staggers," but soon began turning
| around itself in circle with the head for
its center and in about twenty minutes fell
| down dead. The same actions before death
| were observed in a mule only this animal
was bitten in a hind leg, and lived for sew
| eral days.
| A young miner while prospecting was
bitten just above the shoe. Although pre-
| viously in the best of health, he at once be-
| gan to lose flesh, became melancholy, and
died after few months in the manner of
those who suocumb to what in Germany is
called the galloping consumption.
IL space allowed could enumerate many
similar cases, more or less authenticated;
but suffice 1t to say that among the natives
the universal belief is that the spittle or
| saliva, and even the mere breath and exha-
lation. of the animal in an excited state is
is deadly poison. have been told by many
| Mexicans that the Yaqui Indians hunt the
CHA monster for the sake of its flesh, which
is indeed appetizing enough to look at, but
several Yaquis to whom l spoke about the
| matter. denied the assertion.
After this depression, let nee return 10 my
| prisoner in the grain room. The reader
may imagine that. after the repeated
| cautions had received from its captors, l
| pSTSOnhlly gave bu6 dululalS Il Wlue D6rUn,
although tried to induce pointer which
| we kept for hunting quail to investigate
che nature Of the new comer's temper.
When the dog perceived the big lizard he
| stood perfectly still and trembled with fear
then turned and fed. One of the men
brought a brave and even vicious rat terrier,
who entered boldly enough, and walked,
| shifting cautiously. toward the ella
monster, which, in its turn came
forward to the length of the rope.
| The two animals were now only q few
feet apart; the dog began to whine and
bark alternately, advancing a few inches
and retreating again, showing plainly that
he would like TO go in and shake his adver-
sary, who, by this time, had Strengthened
his legs and was splitting furiously, shooting
| out his forked black tongue, while his little
black eyes exhibited the ''uncannyn fire of
an angry snake. The dog could not be in
| duced to go nearer, and the fight was aban-
doned. The lizard was then given the cor
| ner of wooden blanket Into this it bit
furiously, holding on with such tenacity
| that we had to procure a crowbar to pry
| its jaws open. Cats placed in the same
| room-which had no door-with the sau-
rian would, upon perceiving the animal,
bristle up like the ''fretful porcupine'' and
make very speedy exit l placed some
chopped meat and bowl of water within
the reach OF my captive, and left him to
| himself On the following morning he was
! 4