Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-08-31
THE FIELD OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND OAR
ING DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.
Awful Experience With a Centipede
The Hero of an Albert Medal
He Saved His Child.

\ aIILEAoNAAEo, scorpions,
~ tarantulas, gila monsters
Il y they are all good things
to keep away from," said a
mining engineer, recently returned
from the West, "but for all around
hatefulness they simply aren't in it
with a centipede. No, they are not
necessarily fatal. No poisonous in
sects are. Notwithstanding the stories
one hears to the contrary. But they
are bad enough. Did you ever see
oneP They are not pretty, and they
don't look in the least like those thou.
sand legged worms which we call cent
lpedes here. The genuine thing may
be anywhere from one to six inches
long. l killed two, eight inches in
length, but that is not common. Their
bodies consist of lot of joints, some
thing like string of hattened beads.
Each joint has two legs connected
with it, and in the ends of these lies
the poison. There are nineteen Joints,
SO that, although he hasn't hundred
feet. as his name implies, he is still
very well provided with them. ,Thirty-
eight legs, and every leg sting? He
can't attack you from the ground, of
course. He doesn't have to, for it is
at night when there is the greatest
danger from these pests.
"He is of an investigating turn of
mind, and is fond of exploring ones
body as one lies asleep. Scorpions or
any Of the other creatures sting only
when they wish to, and only wish to
IN self defense; but with centipede
it is different. He may simply walk
over one, with each step making some
thing over three dozen foot prints,
and each OF these will leave running
sore, around which the flesh will final.
ly slough off-a horrible scar being
the result. If the creature is angered
/ or startled-and it takes very little to
anger him-every claw is instantly
driven deep into the flesh, and the re.
suit Is ten times worse.
$50 far as speed of travelling goes,
the centipede would be lost in the
turn by many smaller inse acts; but in
this cllnching speciality of his, think
he must be the quickest creature that
lives.
There was a remarkable case in
point which took place during this
last trip of NINE" continued the en-
gineer.
eve were camped somewhere near
the southern end of the line dividing
New Mexico from Arizona 1t was
Just dawn when something woke me.
My instrument man and rodman Law
on the opposite side of the little open
tent. The rodman was also awake,
and was gazing silently, with an ex.
preston OF horror on his face, at the
bare chest of his companion. Then,
from under the arm of the sleeping
man, appeared the linked body of a
big centlpede, fully six inches long.
at went forward little way and
stopped; then crawled leisurely on
again. There was nothing to do that
could think of. A sudden move
ment, sound, or even a shadow,
would at once cause the brute to fast
en- himself.
''The warmth of the body seemed to
please him, and he stopped again.
Luckily the transitman never stirred.
The inaction was ghastly, and l saw
the rodman's hand adually-very
gradually-move toward the saddle
which served him as pillow, disap-
pearing under it. Then it slowly
emerged, grasping q heavy pistol,
cooked. Always with the same delib-
Grafton, the muZzle was brought to
within few inches Of the centipede;
the barrel carefully pointed so that it
would just miss the mans breast, and
the trigger pulled. The sleeper awoke
with scream, starting up and trying
to clutch at the place, but before he
could do so, we had pinioned his
hands and forced him back. The cent?
pede, naturally, was blown to dust,
but between the time that bullet left
the pistol, two inches away, and
reached the end of his six-inch body,
the creature had found time to bury
seven of his thirty eight legs.
"We never thought the injured man
lirium, he began slowly to recover.
When the obstinate wound had healed
the scar was as though red not ladle
had been laid across the mans body;
the path of the centipede forming the
handle, and the bowl, place us large
as ones hand, made by the dying
cllnch. I'll take my scorpions
straight, if have choice. No cent?
pedes in mine"
The Hero of an Albert Medal.