The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-10-20
SOME VENEZUELA suPEasrIrIoNs
Women, 1t is Believed, Bring Death to
a Snake-bitten Person
Caracas Letter IN the Mem York sun.


a Snalze-bitten Person.
Caracas Letter IN the NeD York sun.
While the English railroad from Tucscas
to Barquisimeto was under construction
an Englishman holding an important posi-
ton in the work was bitten by rattle
snake here known as the oulebrs). The
man was forthwith taken to the English
quarters and put to bed. While the English
doctor was being Summoned the wives OF
the Englishmen at work on the road busued
about and tried to do what they could 90
help the sufferer. In the midst OF the con-
fusion a native came running IN Win tne
kind-heaFted intention Of curing the nhh'
"Turn all the women out" said he; $
What the devil" said the Englshmans
friends. "What forp
Their eyes are death" explained IN. tne
native. "The man will not 1--we II tney
look upon him"
With that the Englishmen turned ths
native out of the house aud the olDIen
man himself declared that If the Eugnsl
doctor could not cure him no super
stitious native could. The phySlolain,
came IN hot haste and WORKED uhCn
the Precipitation ran down his face IN AsIls
streams. The women lowered around huu
did what they could. In exactly two hours
and half the man was dead. The KIND
hearted native Of it, shrugged his shoulders
| and went his way.
On the following day native laoorer was
very badly bitten by rattlesnake near the
same place. He was not OF sufnclent ac-
| count for the woll-paid Engilsh doctor 70
| bother with, 80 the native iaDorers
carried him of to house and
| turned all the women out and sent for herbs
| and leaves aud such things. They
| worked at him for an hour or so In the
way that the natives and indians know,
| and the next day he was back at work "a
| though nothing had happened. The thick
| headed Englishmen could not explain this,
| and they cannot do so even to this day.
Here is another story OF the same subject:
A native woman's 10-yesr-old son was bitten
most frightfully by some sort OF venomous
serpent. Did she rush to him, clasp him In
her arms and try to cure himl Not she. The
only thing that she did was to send for her
husband and to hide herself and her female
servants far away from the suffering lads
presence. Her husband and q neighbor or
two hustled about and looked after the boy,
and 1t was only on the third day that she
looked upon her son. IL she had looked
upon him while the snakes poison was in
his blood the natives had no doubt her eyes
would have caused him to vomit blood and
die. Yet this woman loved her boy with
all mothers devotion.
When the exposition was held at Caracas
two men from some remote inland place had
on exhibition box full of exceedingly ven-
omous reptiles, Merely to look at these
poisonous snakes was enough to make one
shudder. One day when the place was
crowded the box was overturned and five OF
the ugly things got out and began TO run
about in q remarkably lively sort Of way.
A tiger let loose would not have created
half the excitement and confusion. People
went raving mad in their desire to geS
away. Tables chairs and showcases we're
overturned by the frantic mob, and for q
time it looked as though half the crowd
would be bitten to death or trampled under
foot before they could get away.
The man who told this story pulled of bis
coat and threw it over one of the snakes,
and the two snake exhibitors caught the
men was bitten several times-so badly Bit
ten, in fact, that it seemed to be impossible
that he could live twenty minutes.
His companion knew just exactly what 20
do and did 1t. In the first place he called
for blankets or pieces of cloth, or anything
that he could get, and with feverish haste
he wrapped up his bitten companion CON-
| haste that well nigh amounted to madness.
| Then the helpless man was carried across
the street to his hotel and put to bed. Hi
companion worked over him for two hours
and at the end of that time rested. with O
sigh of relief
"Why did you wrap him up in suct
hasteT asked the man who told this story
"To keep him away from the eyes Of the
women" replied the snake exhibitor.
"What was the dangerP'
of women had looked upon him hC
would have vomited blood and died before
we could have got him half way across tn,
street,
This strange superstition is not confined
to Venezuela by any means. The sam,
thing is found in the Dutch islands Of Gu
racoa, in the further West Indies, and alsC
in the republic of Colombia. A senator OF
the United States OF Colombia said to an
American visitor that although the fac
was as familiar to him as the commones
detail of every day life, yet he could no
say why it was 80.