The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-02-23
HEARD IN A CLOAK ROOM
Some Whepping Naturalist Stories
Told by Democratic Congress
men in Dad Hours.
The Strange and Remarkable AMI
mails Which Abound in
the Southwest.
Screw Worms Of Louisiana and the snakes
Of Texas-Pcsttferous Flies and
Deadly G~rasshopperA

the democratic cloak room OF the mousse tine
other day. There was n bright fire in the
little CRATE. The apartment was warm ana
comfortable. Seated near tho CRATE were
four or five democratic congressman, loll-
inc in easy chai.s. rubbing their legs, and
enioyinr the bright glow of the Goals.
Among them were the Hon. Samuel Mat
thews Robertson, of Baton Rouge,
and the Hon. Litleton Wilde Moore,
of In Grange, Tex. Robertson
is a manly young fellow, Win
regular features. a clear complexion and an
eagle eve. He has pursued many a deer
through the swamps of Louisiana, and has
won a national reputation as a bear hunter.
He succeeded mis- father RS member OF con
gress three years ago. Moore is a tall gen
tleman with blue eyes. sandy hair. a rudy
complexion and Il lichen growth on his
shin. He is a conventional Texan IN attire,
manner and conversation. He served IN
tho confederate army, and had been on the
bench in Texas for years before he entered
congress.
Robertson was telling a bear story when
entered the room. He lamsnted the APP
pearance of the screw-worm in his section
of Louisiana this year. He has lately been
hunting in the Gros-e-tete country, on Inc
border of the Atchafaylaya swamp. Ills
party had run down an enormous pear' anu
fnailv killed it. The animal seemed TO nave
a magnificent pelt. As usual there, tney
slipped 4 rope around its upper jaw, tied
the rope to the tail of a swamp pony ana
DRAGGED bruin into camp. When they came
to skin the beast, they found the aide ut.
terly worthless. The body was perforated
with Not q morsel OF the
meat could be eaten. Even the paws, which
.acorlol 90 81 GREAT dGllcAcy III LlG
South, were yalueless.
Robertson asserted that this was the first
time he had ever seen the sctew-worn III
Louisiana. 1t had evidently come over
from Texas. Upon inquiry he
learned that coons, 'possums, fox-squlrreis.
hogs. dogs and all kinds of cattle were In
fected with them. why" said be, 'tEey
tackle the blacks. heard Of a negro VINO
was filled with them"
A northern congressman sought lntorma-
ton concerning the screw-worm. Robert
SON said that as long rs the skin OF an an
imal remained uubroken it was safe. In
going through the scrub, however, cattle
we're frequently scratched by brlers ana
underground. Wherever a trace OF blooa
Appeared it attracted a fly that deposIted
iary@. lie at frst said that the fly left be-
hind il a tiny grub Of unusual activity.
Al this Judge Moore fred up. Nothing
of the king he said. THE fly lays an egg:
the egg matches into a worm and the worm
bores into the hide and keeps on growing
and burrowing, and burrowing and grow
ing, till it gets to be a grub nearly as big as
your thumb. We've always had EN- in
Texas
Possibly you are right responded Col
onel Robertson. But if the fly deposits az
egg, the egg matches nearly on the instant
have seen a worm wriggling like a skip
Der within ten seconds after the fly disap
peared. When TIE worm once gets to WORK
there seems to be no remedy. In hog Ii
the only animal that can get shut OF them
If his hide is perforated he plunges into a
bed of soft mud and wallows there. The
mud plugs up the holes III his hide and suf-
locates the grub. Let a drop of blood APP
pear upon the nose of u horse. the leg of q
sheep. the back of a mule, or the face OF a
man, and the fly will be there. A negro IL
the Gros-e-tete country got drunk, ran
against a tree and set his nose bleeding
Not long afterwsrd he lay down and went
to sleep. Atty crawled into his nostrils
and deposited its Larvae. The screw worn
made its appearance. forced its way to his
brain, and the negro dled In horrible ago
MES"
The colonel said that in certain places in
Louisiana the fly had appeared L in extraordi
nary numbers. 1t had deposited its laryt
in great beds of mud. The eggs had hatch
ed, and the mud was alive with grubs.
This again aroused the Texas congress
man. He began anew to descant upon ths
achievements of the lone Star screw worm
He said that in Texas they had found only
one remedy When cattle were infested with
them. They packed with dry buffalo OF
COW chips the holes made ill the hide by TIL
worm, The moisture in the wound swellet
the substance. excluding all air, and the
worm persisted and dried up.
The two distinguished gentlemen hac
ouite a discussion as to how the worm prop
sgated. They finally agreed, however. ths'
after a certain period OF life 1t dropped gu
uron the ground, and turned into a chrvsa
lis. Aftefward the fly was evolved. ant
peYnicious as ever. began to look Tor blood
Col. Robertson was asked whether th'
screw worm troubled birds. He rep!iet
that he did not know. The northern con
cressman who sought the Information SAT-
that he had killed cat birds i'll the spring i
northern thickets and at certain time
found their bodies filled with prubs. ID
fancied that they might be similar to In
screw worm.
.sThst.- remarked the colonel, ''un
doubtediy robs you of a delightful dist
The cat bird in the south, near the begII
ming of the year, IS q great oeilcacy.
feeds upon the young buds of the magnoil
until it is perEleated with the eXqulsl'
aroma of the flower. When cooked the bu
gives the flesh a delicate flavor. Nitelllt
would have gone into ecstasie5 over i
Sam Ward said it was a dish 1T Tor I'll
gods"
Gradually the conversation tu ned froI
the sCrcw-wOfm 10 tue ETdhsEoppSI. II
Texas Judge told Some amazing stories. ID
had seen grasshoppers piled many feet dee
around homesteaGs III Texas. Evefythln
green had been DESTROYED by them. The
had eaten up the saw-grass. devoured hal
grown peaches. stripped the bark from IL
pecans, and ''chanked up even SPANS
bayonets. The came III clouds that OF
scured the light of the sun, and chased Il
chickens to roost. They destroyed gree
fields of gram. entered dwellings and ate O
everything within reach IL pantry an
cellar.
Zone time said the Judge. when the
appeared near MY place, / determined
save my garden truck, II possible. igt
out al the bed quilts and blankets, sprea
them over the vegetables. and fsstene
down the corners and edges with hea'
stones. This was early in the mornin
When / came back in the afternoon. I'll
DANCED il there was anything but the ston
LETT. The grasshoppers had not only eat;
up every green thing III the garden, b
had devoured the blankets and quilts ala
Two days afterward they ate up u nigg
near my place. lie had gone to sleep u
der a live oak. A prasshopper army car
along. It ate up his straw hat. ate mp
his clothes, ate the wool from his head, |
eyebrows and exclusives. and got away vi
his toe nails. IL cleaned him up entire
The niger died afterwards. whether
fright or of the Tavages OF the insects I
cofoner's jury could not determine"
The Judge described how the grasshopI
generated its species. 1t finds u bed