New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-21
THE ADVENTURES or ERASTUS WEBBER
REMARKABLE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN
STRANGE LANDS.
Copyrisht. 1894; By sam Walter Fo,s


When Erastus Weber was in the wilds Of Cen.
trail Africa and he a serpent eaping
toward him he would whsi pair of dentists
forceps. which he always carried with him. seize
the serpent by the head and extract his poison
/ fanss before the snake had any idea of what he
was doing He did this repeatedly, and vouch
for 1t as true because he told me himself
He managed tigers very easily. He had a large
nurnhef Of little mirrors attached a spiral spring.
Whenever a tiger leaped upon him. which a tiger
very apt do every few days, he would
adrotly slip this spring over the tigers nose. This
would bring the mirror directly in front OF the
tigers eyes, and he would see his own image re-
Elected in the mirror. and taking it for another mad
tiger. would chase after 1t on the gaop The tiger
would keep up this chase until he fell down and
died from exhaustion. In the time Erastus
Weber would sit down in perfect ease and fan
himself under palm tree. This story also
told to me by Erastus himself and be relied
upon in every detail.
When Erastus was in South America he said he
never had any trouble with earthquakes Before
going there he prudently took the precautlon to
| practise high leapng and able to jump up per-
pendlcuary TO a prodigious height. So whenever
an earthquake overlook him he would simply leap
| up in the air and stay there until 1t over.
! This story is founded mere hearsay. Like
the other. it was told me by Erastus himself
Erastus said that in all his travels through the
| unciviized regions of both North and South Amer
! lcd ne never nan any trouble Win tne IL
! is true. he admitted. that ne scaped thirteen
different times But he went into the Indian coun-
! try prepared. lie always wore a false scalp with
red ink in the lining. and when the Indians cut It
| off It would bleed like real scalp SO scaping
never hurt him any. and it pleased the Indians,
! he rather ragged the diversion.
one time. when Erastus standing under Q
! tree the equator he a boaconstrctor In
the branches of the just in the act OF eap!ng
upon him. On his left hand. at about the same dis
lance. alligator with jaws distended 10 re-
! ceive him. But Erastus told me himself that he
was not frightened in the slightest degree Just as
the boa-constrictor leaped from the limb and his
head, with eyes Of molten fire. was hurled down
upon Erastus. Erastus lodged the head. leaped UP
and caught the tail still resting on the limb. pulled
! 1t over the limb, YOU would pull rope over
pulley and drew it down until the head and tail Of
the great snake dangled equally distant from tho
ground. Then quicker than flash OF lightning he
tied the tail part Of the snake around the body OF
a cougar and the head part of the snake about
the alligator and left them all three dangling in
the air. The cougar just balanced the alligator ana
the alligator just balanced the cougar and so the
snake could neither GO up nor down. but hung
there with those equal weights dangnng from each
end Of itself. unable to move way or the other.
Erastus now quietly laid himself down and took
long and refreshing sleep. When he awoke they
Were still dangling in the air: and when he passed
the place three years later their white ana
CHASTITY skeletons suspended from the tree and
ratified in the wind. | know this is true. for he
gave Of the loose teeth that had ratified out
OF the skeleton of the alligator.
When Erastus came home from his long travels
were all very proud Of nim We used to like 10
take him around and show him off. lie had been
all the world and had so many exciting stories
OF thrilling adventure that were all proud to DO
known the acquaintance Of such man.
When he told for instance. how he was once ten
DAYS and ten nights. without plank to sup
por; himself. ahOat in the Indian Ocean. and how no
escaped at last by killing 4 whale with his jack
knife, making a balloon OF his skin and lnfiatins
It with hot air by burning the whales oil. and then
climbing into the balloon and floating of 10 Aus
traa-when l. told such stories as this we were
all proud be known az the acquaintance OF sucn
experienced and entertaining man.
:, We always liked 10 take Erastus around, be-
cause as acluaintances Of his We ourselves shons
In a lesser degree through his reflected glory.
But found 1t was dangerous 10 let him go on
alone much, he was always sure 10 come home
very badly mangled and dislocated. 1t was no un-
usual thing for him 70 come home with his arms IN
the wrong place and his feet mismated. Unless he
watched he was always falling OF the side
absorbed in the contemplation OK his Australian and
South American adventures that he was pretty sure
10 walk into every coal hole and come home covered
from top 10 toe with blood and coal dust
the bvnn psHer S he Was iaken up by hurricane
and carried thrty-s"yen miles in the air and only
"A
and his paim-"df fan--While he was telling this tale
he walked into elevator well and fell four stories
but fortunately only broke one leg. 49,
As soon as he was able to hObbe out and while
( relating to a listener how he escaped from a mad
elephant in India by adrotly tying the elephanto
trunk in bow knot around palm tree, he fell
into a sever and broke the other leg
We got at last that used 10 keep Erastus IN
the house all could during the winter season. for
every time he went out he was sure TO get under
snOWslile.
Once while telling friend now he escaped from .
shark in the southern Pacific by shining up a
waterspo0t he was struck by snowslde from the
roof Of drygoods store and his shouder-blaie
broken.
one time while telling friend how he was once
buried in coal mine ninety feet below the surface
and how he broke through the great mass OF rock
above him by piercing the earth with his penetrate
ing glanceswhile telling this story he knocked
down by a runaway horse, and two arms and three
ribs broken.
one day he down lighted fuse in a
granite quarry and began 10 tell how he had escaped
from the crater of n volcano into which he had
fallen 10 the depth of l.6J feet. wish were per.
mitted TO give the details of this miraculous es-
cape. But am unfortunat ely prevented from do
| ing this because the fuse went of too
| IL purpose 10 erect n monument over the
remains OF a man OF such vast and varied achieve.
ments But. | regret to say. have failed in our
| purpose by the fact that no remains dis
| covered. SAM. WALTER FOSS
THE PAYING TELLERS STORY