The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-03-03
TERRIBLE GILA M0NSTER.

The death of three persons, one
naturalist from Chicago University, in
Arizona in the last few weeks from the
bite of the ella monster of the alkali
plains has renewed discussion in this
region concerning the terrible venom
GUS nature of the reptile. Without
doubt the ella monster of the alkali
plains, and the hot, dry mountain can
ons of Arizona and the state of Sonora
in Mexico, is the deadliest venomous
creature known to the 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 or rattle
snake, will hunt ella monster eau
tiously to its death, and will even go
many miles to rid the country OF one of
these reptiles, which they regard as the
most to & 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 to be bitten by red ella
monster, that roams unseen by mortal
| eyes over the adobe plains, waiting to
snap at the red-skinned savages inlmi-
cal to the great spirit chief
| ella monster is a ridiculous misno-
mer. The reptile is a combination of
the basilisk of India and Java and the
common rattlesnake of this country.
| Tt has counterpart in a reptile found
~, f1,a1 law L~l. - hn To txrof
| lands but is much the deadlier of the
| two. 1t is about twenty inches in
length, and in girth about the size of a
boys arm. Its tail is one-third of the
body and 1t has notified or striped
skin in reddish yellow and dark brown.
It's mouth is similar in shape to that Of
an alligator, and it's little black eyes
| have the sleepy appearance of those Of
the alligator family. A true saurian, it
has four stubby legs, shaped and
| placed like those of a lizard but it has
none OF the rapidity of motion of the
lizard. 1t is never 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 it is doubtful If
even salamander could stand daily
temperature of one hundred and thirty
five degrees for hours, which the Arizo-
ma 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 it's victim,
but just simply bites-it means BUSH
| ness for the grasp of the jaws is some
thing marvellous. Anything once
caught between those two double rows
of teeth is held as if in a vise-like steel
| trap. The Indians have saying that
a genuine ella monster will not release
a piece of flesh between it's jaws until
the big spirit in the mountains causes
a thunder, even if it takes all summer.
4 1t is known by both whites and savages
on the deserts of the territory that it 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 rep
tile. in a rage, manufactures fresh ven
ON in it's poison sacks in the roof of the
mouth and injects it into the cut and
torn flesh. The ella monster is always
killed first when it has bitten human
being, and then the jaws are cut and
pulled away from the wound small
ella monster, with a head not over two
inches in length, has been known to
bite mans leg near the ankle through
the flesh and into the very bone The
Maricopah Indians do not attempt te
release a member of their tribe who
has been bitten by ella monster from
the dreadful little jaws, and it is gene
| rally believed that they end the suffer
ings of any hapless victim among
; themselves by a deadly blow on the
head. They say they know no cure fol
the poison of the reptiles.
i, One of the few authentic cases of re-
covery from the bite of ella monster
is that of Walter H. Vail, of Phoenix
Arizona, who is one of the best know,
, and wealthiest cattlemen in the terrific
? ry. While Mr. Vail was engaged in SUI,
pervising roundup of his cattle il
the ella river region of Arizona in 1881
he took luncheon one day in a chappe-
raj He went to resaddle his horse, at
I ter the meal and while picking up {
saddle cloth from the hot earth hi:
hand was bitten by a ella monster tina
had crawled there a moment before
OF course Mr.. Vail knew instantly tina
l he was probably doomed man. Hi
ranchmen came to his aid at once
The reptile was killed and the jaw
/. were cut away from Mr.. Wallis hand
Quicker than it takes to pen thes
7 words the mans arm was bound tigh
: at the elbow, to check the flow of bloc
I the wound was cut open and stronl
/ ammonia was poured in, while very co
pious draughts of whiskey were poure'
down Mr.. Wallis throat, He was pu
=. on a horse and, accompanied by hi
. cowboys, rode like mad for fifteen mile
v to the home of a physician in Tucson
I Several brief stops were made to fore
more liquor down Mr.. Wallis throat AM
: to pour ammonia on the wound on TIL
hand. For three weeks Mr.. Vail la,
almost between life and death at tn
home of physician in Tucson. Physi
8 clans were summoned for consultaticl
from Phoenix and even from Los An
geles. Everything that money coul
buy or science suggest was done 70
the patient. He had a strong, Yigorou
constitution and in the course of a few
; months he was as well as ever He
still in the cattle business in the terri
i, try. Every one in the southwest ha
= heard of the wonderful recovery o
| Walter Vail from the hite of Gill