Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-02-07
ATTACKED BY LEECHES.
EomarkabIe Plague that Attacked sleep
ers in a san Francisco Tenement


People in the Western Addition
nave slept soundly for years in igno-
rance of the fact that at any moment
a plague worse than the lOcustS of
Egypt might come crawling into
open windows and under loosely hung
doors-a plague of fierce, blood-hun-
cry leeches, says the San Francisco
Examiner.
There is an extensive leech farm al
1925 Bush street, where 10, 600 of the
repulsiYe monsters are confined
awaiting purchasers. The farm is
one of two in the United States, the
other being in New York, and there
at times so, 900 leeches squirm cease
leSSly about over and through swamp
muck, constantly searching for some
hap'ess animal that chance NAV have
mired down TO furnish a feast for the
inSatiate annclidal.
The lcecheS at the San Francisco
farm broke away the other night and
OverSpread the neighbOring tenement
in a very short time. Hundreds of
them crawled up the walls and tried
every window and creyice, seeking
an entrance because Of some instinct
i've knowledge that in the house they
could find succulent pastorage upon
the forms of sleepcrS who rested
without knowledge of the threaten
ing danger.
But a minority found their wav into
Ghe sleeping rooms-nOt more than Il
thousand-but even that number of
snaky, grecnish-black, creepy worms
sufficed to terrify the occupants al
most into fits when they felt
the eager suction of the leeches and
awokc to find themselves festoOned
with the ugly products of the swamp
OOze of Bordeaux.
The first to awaken was a yOunS
lady, and she was not long in an
nouncing her distress and arOusing
her fellow occupants Of the house,
only to find that each of them had
for room companions from 4 score to
hundreds of the leecheS.
Brooms were savagely piled il
every corner and under every piece OF
furniture. Bed-clothing was shaken
and closely examined, Leech bites
were dressed with soothing applica-
tions, and after several hours of ac-
tivitv the household again settled
lOwn to rest.
Next morning an examination OF
the premises and those adjoining was
made, and when the leech farm was
discovered the secret was out, as well
rs the leeChes.
The worms were brought from
France, where, about Bordeaux,
there are wide areas of black, light
oozc, in which leeches Of the fiercest
sort multiply unstintcd. The OOZe
.airly heaves with their writings al
the season of the year when they arc
most active, and it is then that one
of the cruelest sights possible may be
iecn.
Old horses, worn out in faithful.
service, are driven into the marshes,
and are soon covered with the hun
CRY leeches, which faSten to lips, eye
lids, nose or any other tender part,
and hang on until gluttcd with the
life blood of their victim, or until the
wretChed horse weakCns under the
drain and falls TO sufocatc in the
slime OF the lccch morasS.
When leecheS are desired to send tC
New York or San Francisco men are
hired whose poverty Compcls them to
accept any chance. The men walk
barc-lcggcd into tnc borders of the
lcech swamps and are Immediately
covered 10y the rcpulSiyc Crawlers, but
before they can pierce more than the
skin of the men with their sharp
scmi-lunar teeth they are swept Off
into pOuchc,, from which they are
counted out into beds of wet moss
and boxes of their native oOze, en-
bedded in which they are safely
transported any distance.
The large lceChcS, such as thOS.
Of Japan, which reach two feet i'll
length, are not in common use, nor
are certain poisonous sorts such aS
the small black leechcs of Australia.
The thick, fat, fierce worms of Hun
gary, Sicily and France are preferred
by practitioners who use leeches and
it is from those countries that the
rest of the world is supplied. The
San Francisco leech farm is formed
by placing quantities of the oozc Of
the Bordeaux swamps, especially i'm
ported for the purpose, in large boxes
with tight covers. The lceches bore
about through the muck, until want
ed for sale, when they are counted
out, washed and disposed Of, ready
to bite any living thing and hang on
until they are swoOlen to eight or ten
times their ordinary size. Then they
drop off and lie dormant until assimi-
lation shall have been finished and
hunger again arOuscs them.