Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-12-31
TERRIBLE WEAPONS.
a PAIR or THEM WHICH A TRAVEL
Err PICKED UP IN PARIS


ssTwo Of the most beautiful ana at
che same time murderous objects / have
ever seen IN all my travels ! picked up
in Paris during my trip there lass sum-
mer, said j. v. Atkinson of Savannah
to d friend.
II bought both Of them from an old
Eunsmith in the QUARTER Latin, and he
assured me they were, without doubt,
the only ones is existence, as far as his
knowledgeaof death dealing instruments
went, and he also told me that he had
purchased them Of an old Spaniard whe
had spent moss Of his life fa tbs South
American countries.
81 am sure he mnst have had them
made 70 his esp~ecialCrder. For, as | have
already stated, during all my travels /
have never seen anything that wolldin
any way approach them gor v~illainuns,
m1rderous purposes.
sT"Tke first, as yoE see, looks innocent
enough, and when / ask you what you
think it is you viii reply
"a silver matchbox, answered the
reporter as be gingerly handled the beau
044A&At a. 64{EQk 0k1EIts
"Touch that spring"
AT an easy touch she lid of the box
Jew opon on a powerfully hinged spring
and disclosed the interior, and in a COM
partment about one-hsIf of the capacity
OF the box were a dozen wax matches.
"Now you'll find a tiny button ON
the side next you and near your thumb.
just press that lightly. -
As the suggestion was followed a lit
tia, sharp poiDted, creamy white, curved
effect popped into view from that por-
ton of the box mot occupied by the
matches.
What is THAR"
THAT, " said Mr.. Atkinson, ais not
more nor less than the fore fang of the
Grotalus horridus, the great American
rattlesnake. and one of the most venom
1 Gus of serpents known TO ichthyclogists.
You will notice that the fang is sharp
as . needle ut it's point; that it is slit
for a distance np'the middle. and that
it is hollow. You will also observe that
"a fine, amber colored, jellylike substance
is contained within the hollow of the
y fang. That is nothing less horrible than
the venom of tine crotalidR, and the
rankest poison, Sthe most deadly OF
= agents known TO man. A couple Of
6crapes on q mans hand or face mean
3 certain and . horrible death-nausea
and vomiting, r~retching, convulsions,
h semiparalysis. complete paralysis, state
n Of coma, death m a most horrible form
and the swelling to horrible proportions
NJ ~ tho rc~U0a 60 80 ~orsllv <u~rr b1.cI
from the yirulence of the venom. You
may take the fearful agent. bake it be-
tween bricks, freeze it between blocks
Of ice, and it Will still retain its terrible
4 power. You may inoculate a rat with
tine venom, and he will die in a few
moments, q dog in five and "a MAJ in
from ten minutes to ar sA1ur, according
Il to the amour received and the condi-
II ton of his system at the time. The blood
Of the first rat can be inoculated into a
second, and the blood of the second into
n third, and so ON down through 100
yes, 200 subjects-withont recourse to
the original venom, and the last subject
= wiil die as quickly and convulsively as
the iirst, for its virulence is absolutely
fatal.
q lyon can readily see what q terrible
weapon il would be in tho hands of an
INSCRIPTIONS villain. A scratch or two,
and the deed would be done, while the
victim would simply imagine that he
had been scraped by q pin. Yet in a
%ciose fight with some Of the ~despicable
footpads and murderous thugs who are
i infasfing your fair city ! do net think !
would have any scruples about using it
Cn.One of them myself.
MI 1T would be difficult ever for a first
ii olass physician 10 discover at the first
night just how the man met his death.
u Its companion piece, of devilish in
Mgenuity, is a needle gnn. Peculiar look
&jngsthing, is it not?:" asked Mr.. Akin
u non. q he passed a richly engraved and
Asilver mounted object that looked like
d cross between q miniature double bar
Srcled shotgun and a revolver TO his
Friend. who handled 1t with extreme
raHtion.
THAT little gun is ssbout five inches
ovef ,ala, and yet it contains within
those chambers. in the boxlike part be-
tween those fine watch spring steel bar
&rels and the pistol grip, enough of fiend-
ash mischief TO lay out 3 dozen strong
$men.
The Charge is a strong but powerful
rs partridge made Of q highly explosive
chemical which, by the peculiar col
&dstruotion OF the chambers, makes so lit
Gle noise that it could not be heard by a
person ten feet away. The instrument
&Df destruction is a bunch of nue cambria
Eneedles that have had their heads slight
~ fiaftened to offer resistance and catch
the propeIling force. and their points
have lain in the very same sort Of ven-
pm Of which ] spoke until they are thor
buShly corroded with ii.
"As they leave the gun they scatter
and penetrate to the most vital spots,
where their terrible work is quickly
lone. Nothing short of a post moytem
EXAMINATION Of the most rigid kind
you'd betray the canse Of death. st
{Ouis Republic,
The balances in nse in our mints are
aid 10 be % accurate that they will dis.