Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1892-02-19
A BRAVE INDIAN NURSE.
She SAVED THE LIFE OF 4
CHILD FROM A COBRA.
Attacked the Reptile and Received the
Fatal Bite-A Monument Raised
to CONNIE morste the In.
roio Deed.

Ten years ago l was in India said
a commercial traveller recently. and
was in "a very different line OF business
from the one l now follow | was
doomed To spend some weeks in a ma.
tive Indian village. and had some
strange experiences. An Indian vii.
lage is not as its name would seem to
imply, "a collection OF houses or u
small city, but the word is used there
as we use the word county or town
ship. 1t is a small district compris-
ing farms and IA certain amount OF
acreage This is all under the charge
of the potail who is the same as our
mayor and magistrate and police Judge
all in one and. in addition. rents and
collects for all the land within the viii
lage district In short his power is
almost autocratic.
At tho time | mention | was left in
special charge OF the potail OF the viii
lage, and was an honored guest The
village astrologer gave me special au-
dience, the village poet penned STAN
zas to me. and the village musician
and the village dancing girl were
equally anxious 10 entertain me. All
these are regular parts of the village
government and receive their regular
salaries out of the produce of the viii
lage land. 1t is an example OF COM
munism that would delight Bellamy
and his followers.
What most interested me during my
stay in the village, however, was in
learning the habits OF the many dam
gerous wild animals especially those
of the reptile class As every one
knows, the most fearfully interesting
feature of Indian life is the great mum.
Der OF people destroyed by wild beasts.
In 1869 an instance is known of one
tigress killing ~ different people,
and so great was the fear excited by
the bloody work. that it actually put a
stop 10 travel on the public road for q
term OF five weeks. In 1877 statistics
were kept which showed that the total
number OF deaths known TO have been
caused by wild beasts was Is. 07ol
And of this number nearly Is, 900
were from venomous snakes cobra
de capello, OF course, leading the list
A few days before | left for the sea-
board | was walking along in the gar
den OF the potail when | saw the little
two-year old child Of my host sitting
of in by-path cooling and playing,
apparently by himself and every few
minutes he would scold and then laugh
quite heartily.
Won Iering where the nurse could
10 l,tr h, l., e.,
out in the garden alone, | stepped
forward and saw the terrible reason
for it all Lying in the path was the
nurse dead; and grasped in her tign..
ly clutched hand was an ugly cobra
with his dull-brown repulsive appear
aEce. The little child was striking at
the snake with a stick he had. and
when the reptile would strike at him
and fail, the little fellow would laugh
heartily. l sprang forward at once
and killed the reptile and picked the
child up to get out o. the way as
quickly as possible for fear the cobra ;
mate might be somewhere around.
| was not "a mo.neut too soon. for
the mate had arrived aud | found the
dilated back and sides OF the neck
forming that dreaded hood right in
my path ready TO strike. | had no
trouble in killing him. for the cobra is
very sluggish, dull creature. and |
at once reached the house and handed
the child over to the DotaiL.
OF course all was excitement and
was overwhelmed with expressions OF
gratitude. The poor nurse who had
given up her life for the ch Id of her
master had monument raised over
her last resting place. and the case
will no doubt long be cited as an ex-
ample Of heroism in the traditions of
the village.
Why she could not have killed the
cobra and then escaped | have never
been able to understand. for the bite
OF this venomous reptile is the most
poisonous known. yet death rarely
takes place under an hour. 1t may
be that she was bitten without know
ing how. and when she found out she
realized that she would not be able 10
reach the house and so tried TO kill
the cobra while shielding the child.
All this Is mere gucsswork. how
ever The main fact appears TO be
plain that she offered herself "a sac
rifce. and surely deserved the fitting
acknowledgement OF her herolsm that
was offered her in the monument to
bar rnauory