The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-09
Wales FEARFUL RIDE.
STORY OF HRILLING RACE ON
THE ARIZONA DESERT.

Pipes,
From the San Francisco Eramiuer.
C. NJ. Bruce, one of the owners Of the
Barbacomari cattle ranch, near Benson,
who has been thirteen years in Arizona,
much Of which time has been spent in the
saddle, is at the Occidental.
He has Just come from the desert, for ow-
ing to the dry season he has been specially
looking after his cattle. He talked yester-
day Of the ella monster, centipedes and
other insects, reptiles aud the animals in
digenous TO the region he had been in, and
as he was full OF the subject it was interest
ing. He told of several deaths that have
recently occurred, and Of some narrow
escapes.
"There are nothing like so many ella
monsters there as the people on the outside
generally suppose" he said. "They are
most all confined 20 the great desert down
toward Yuma and along the ella river. In
all the time l have been in Arizona have
seen but one running wild. OF course /
have seen many more, but they had been
captured by different people.
DIED IN THIRTY MINUTES.
III have seen it stated in different papers,
too, that these monsters were not poison
GUS, and that a man could be bitten by one
and not be affected much by it. This is a
very grave error 1 have personally known
Of many deaths from them.
"Not long ago there was a man died from
bite at Fairbanks, on the BarbRcomari
ranch. He was a vacquero and had been
drinking at a saloon in Fairbanks.
"The saloonkseper had a box IN which
was O large ella monster. The vacquero
kept swapping his hnger at the reptile
through the Stats in the top of the box.
'He was cautioned to be careful or 1t
would bite him. He said he wasn't afraid,
and that he didn't care if it did bite him,
anyway. He fooled around little longer,
and sure enough il did bite him, and in half
an hour he was dead. I was right there
and know this was fatal, but there have
been many others.
WALTER Wales TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.
Zone of the most noted was the case Of
Walter Vale of Los Angeles. Vale is the
owner Of the Empire ranch, thirty miles
from Pantano on the Southern Pacific and
fifty-seven miles from Tucson. He is one
OF the weAlthiest and best-known cattle
men in Arizona.
A lady at Los Angeles had requested
him to get her a ella monster, if he could.
1t so CHANGED that very soon after, while he
was riding along on horseback, he saw one
of them. It was very big one, and he got
off and beat it, as he thought, into insensl-
bility and, as he supposed, killed it. These
reptiles are very hard to kill They are like
cat. You think they are dead. and they
come out all right again.
yale strapped the big monster on be-
hind his saddle, intending to get it through
and send IL to the lady. He rode along for
many miles and never thought of the NOM
ster again. When he got home Co the ranch
he put his hend behind the saddle 20 get of,
and the thing had come TO life again and
bit him
CLEAR THROUGH THE FINGER.
"lt caught him In the end Of the front
finger of the right hand and put its teeth
clear through, and shut down so tight he
couldn't get his hand away. His horse
was young and little wild and began
tramping around excitedly. He had TO
hold on with his other hand and there be
was
HE halloed to some Of his men to come
and help him. They finally saw something
was the matter, and when they got there
they tried to get the reptile to loosen its
hold. They tried to pry its jaws open and
tried everything, but couldn't succeed and
finally they had to cut the monsters head
of and then pry the teeth open and get
it off.
"Mr. Vale took in the situation pretty
well. He was cool. and he ordered that one
OF the men set out at once on fresh horse
to Pantano, TO go just as quick as he could,
and on arriving there to telegraph DR..
Handy at Tucson TO come in all haste on
special engine to Pantauo, where be himself
would meet him.
A DESPERATE RIDE FOR LIFE.
"He got the man off, and then lot of
men crowded around and wanted him to
drink a bottle of whisky which they had,
but he wouldn't take drop. He proceeded
to get leather thong tied tightly around
his wrist and another one just above the
end of his bitten finger. He also took his
knife and cut the flesh away from around.
the bite.
''By this time fresh horse was saddled,
tho cattleman leaped upon his back and
then there began terrible ride for his life
to Pantano. The distance WAS thirty miles.
and he must ride with all the energy of
despair, else he would die on the way.
"He suffered much in the finger and
wrist. The thongs were very tight to pre-
vent the circulation, and the longer he rode
the greater his agony.
but he stood it pretty we'll for about
half the way. Then the poison had worked
through and he began to have great pains
in the back. He began to feel sore and
weary, and pangs shot all through his body.
Finally, after the greatest effort, he reached
Pantano.
THE DOCTORS FIRST QUESTION.
HE had only few minutes to wait. The
vacquero had Travelled with great speed and
had sent tide telegram. The doctor soon ar
rived on the engine. The first thing ne said
was, Have you had any whfskyp When
Vale told him he had not, that be had not
taken drop, the doctor said, 'Well, l guess
we can pull you through He took Vale in
hand and administered an antidote.
''Vsle all this time was growing worse.
The pains in his back were excruciatinR,
and in little while he was delirious. He
did not remain in this condition long. how
ever, for he soon came out Of IL and began
to recover.
Il saw Mr.. Vale three months after that,
and he still didn't look just right. But he
has completely recovered now.
MYSTERY OF THE DESERT.
zone OF the mysteries OF the desert is how
certain birds and animals live without
water. was down during this trip with
Gen. Andrade on his great ranch on the
Colorado desert, below Yuma.
5 "We saw there vast numbers of quail. l
never saw 80 many anywhere. The desert
was fairly black with them in places and
though there was no water at ali they were
fat.
"I suppose they live on the seed Of
the desert grass, and probably on the mes
quite. l don't know what else they could
live on.
"Gen. Andrade told me curious thing
in connection with the quail at another and