The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-23
THE GILA MONSTERS BITE.
CASES SHOWING THE TERRIFIC
POWER OF ITS VENOM.

Minutes TO Two Hours-The Agony I
Of It's Poison.
From the New York Sun.
pomona. Cal, Feb. 2.-The death of |
,br-e persons, one naturalist from Chi |
.aro University, in Arizona in the last
es,r weeks from the bite of the ella mon /
Ter has renewed discussion in this re-
zion concerning the terrible, venomous
vatlre of the reptile. Without doubt the
cia monster of the alkah plains and the
bot dry mountain canons of Arizona and
,be state of Sonora, in Mexico, is the
,ea5liest venomOus creature known to
che natural history OF North America.
The Pima Apache, Maricopah and Yuma
Indians of the southwest, who have little
fear Of the bite of a Mexican centipede
M rattlesnake. will hunt ella mon
ster cautiously to its death. and will even
20 many miles to rid the country Of one
Of these reptiles, which they regard as
the most to be dreaded of
ANYTHING that crawls Among the
Cocopahs of Lower California the
tribal belief is that the most fearful
vengeance that may come to the spirit
bodies of bad Indians after this life is
10 be bitten by a red ella monster that
roans, unseen by mortal eyes, over the
adobe plains waiting to snap at the red
skinned savages inimical to the great spir-
it chief
The reptile is a combination CT the basilisk
Of India and Java and the common rattle
snake Of this country. 1t has a counter
part in a reptile found in the lava beds of
the Hawaiian Islands, but is much the
deadier Of the two. 1t Is about twenty
inches in length, and in girth about the
size of boys arm. It's tail is one-third
of the body, and il has notified or
striped skin in reddish yellow and dark
brown. Its mouth is similar in shape to
that of an alligator, and its little black
ance Of those of the ailiga-
tor family. A true saurian, it has
four stubby legs shaped and placed like
those of a lizard, but 1t has none of the
rapidity of motion of the lizard. 1t is new
er found in damp, cool spots, but in the
hottest sand, or on the dryest sun-baked
soil Rattlesnakes do not stay in the heat
that the ella monster enjoys, and ii is
doubtful if even salamander could stand
a daily temperature of 1875 degrees for
hours which the Arizona ella monster
grows fat on during midsummer weeks.
The head of the ella monster is much
like that of the boa constructor, and the
teeth are in double rows, thick and very
sharp When the reptile bites-it never
springs or strikes at its victim, but just
simply bites-it means business, for the
grasp of the jaw is something marvellous
Anything once caught between those two
double rows of teeth is held as If in a
vise-like steel trap. The Indians have
saving that a genuine ella monster will
not release a piece of flesh between its
jaws until the big spirit in the mountains
causes a thunder, even If it takes all sum
mer. 1t is known by both whites and saw
ages on the deserts of the territory that
ii is worse than useless to attempt to
force the ella monster to release Its hold
upon any person or animal, for that only
increases the wound, and the reptile, in
rage, manufacturers fresh venom in its
poison sacks in the roof of the mouth and
injects it into the cut and torn flesh. The
CAla monster is always killed first when
it has bitten human being, and then the
Jaws are cut and pulled away from the
wound. A small ella monster, with a
head not over two inches long, and jaws
an inch and One-half in length, has been
known to bite mans leg near the ankle
through the flesh and into the very bone.
The Marcopah Indians do not attempt to
release member of their tribe who has
been bitten by a ella monster from the
dreadful little jaws, and it is generally
believed that they end the sufferings of
any napless victim among themselves by
deadly blow on the head. They say they
know no cure for the poison or the rep
tiles
one of the few authentic cases of recov-
cry from the bite of a ella monster is that
of Walter H. Vail of Phoenix, Ariz., who
is one of the best known and wealthest
cattlemen in the territory. While Mr.
Vail was engaged in supervising a round
up of his cattle in the ella river region of
Arizona in 1890, he took luncheon one day
In chapperal. He went to resaddle his
morse after the meal, and, while picking
up saddle cloth from the hot earth, his
hand was bitten by a ella monster that
had crawled there moment before. OF
course Mr. Vail knew instantly that he
was probably a doomed man. His ranch
men came to his aid at once. The reptile
was killed and the jaws We're cut away
from MIR. Wallis hand. Quicker than it
takes to pin these words, the mans arm
was bound tight at the elbow to check the
How of blood, the wound was cut open,
and strong ammonia was poured in, while
very copius draughts of whisky were
poured down Mr. Wallis throat. He was
put on horse, and, accompanied by his
cowboys, rode like mad for fifteen miles
10 the home of physician in Tucson. Sew
elal brief stops were made to force more
liquor down Mr. Wallis throat, and to pour
ammonia on the wound on the hand. For
three weeks Mr.. Vail lay almost between
ne and death at the home of physician
III tucson Physician were summoned for
consultation from Phoenix and even from
Los Angeles. Everything that money
could buy or science suggest was done for
me patient. He had a strong, vigorous
constitution, and in the course of a few
months he was as well as ever. He is
sun in the cattle business in the terri
Tory. Every one in the southwest has
heard of the wonderful recovery of Walter
van from the bite of a ella monster.
among the Yuma Indians is a squaw
VINO was bitten by one of these reptiles
over thirty years ago. What decoction
was gwen to the woman to save her life,
or what the army physician at the United
states garrison there did for the poor saw
aye Is not now known, but she is pointed
0ut by whites and Indians in the town of
u'hd as the only person IN that locality
tIiat ever survived the poison of the Gila
monster. This womans leg, which was
ultten, has shrivelled away ITO half the size
oI the other leg, and the squaw has been
d seml-idiot since her accident. For sew
eIal years she claimed to be deaf from the
eHeets of the reptiles venom.
several years ago a Chinese laundry
man was polxing his fingers through the
wires of a little cage that imprisoned
ella monster in a saloon at Tempe,
AIlz The Celestial thought the reptile
asleep, but when he had forced his finger
700 Iar in the cage, the sluggish ella mon
SSIer bit him quicker than a wink. The
Snlnaman wrenched his finger loose, max
ny severe wound clear to the bone. He
refused whisky or any help from a ply
SfIclan and took powerful dose of opium
III order to relieve the pain. OF course,
everybody in Tempe expected the heather
70 ole, and when he lived until the next
g9y it was the biggest kind of surprise.
Inc Chinaman's friends gave him opium
moHrly for several days. The poor fellow
suffered, in spite of the powerful drug,
uhspeakable agony, but he recovered. He
Was practically physical wreck for near
~ year after the ella monster poison
went into his system, and was only able