The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-01-16

M4 Try Ahtft most
" Wv horrible reptiles.
tarantulas. poison
Gus scorpions. and
the most deadly insects from the burn
ing climes Of the south are to be found.
For twenty years" the gray-hairod
enthusiast tells his visitors. Il have
been travelling up and down the coun-
try, across the desert and In the noun.
tains. getting these atrangest specimens
OF animal life Now to this day many
people think there II no such thing a.
ella monster And yet throughout the
Colorado desert. especially along the
ella River. you may encounter thou
sands. On the other hand. too, you may
scarcely see one. The ella monster
tHelodermR horriduml is almost a.
thick as your upper arm and about
eighteen or twenty inches long Il has
a head which Is pretty near all mouth
and opens clear back TO It's ears The
head is about as big as a common tea-
cup. set with little vicious owes. and ihe
mouth is powerfully mnscled and req
with four sharp fanga and a lo' OF
grinders The color Of the monster s
reddish. with brown spots. Il has a
blunt tail. as nearly an poisonous lig-
ards have ! found these monsters iiy-
lng In the hot sand. They are not good
10 fool with. and O man who Is Ia the
ella monster business must know what
be Is about. One day last June pulled
mp from the hot desert 70 a little ranch
on the Colorado River The man aho
owned the place had pet Gila monster
which he kept In a barrel tie stopped
down 10 set him out to show him 20 me-
and some friends o. his who were there.
and she monster shut down on biz
thumb The monster Erippod the
thumb 60 tight In his awful mouth.
which was Ike a wise. that bis Jaws had
TO be pried open with an iron bar The
man lived only few hours. and died Ia
terrible Epasms Another man bitten
while ! was down there has ever since
been paralyzed In the side. Hardly
ans body ever gets over a bite from this
terrible animal.
What physical effects come 10 a man
who has escaped death from poison By
ella monster? Why. have seen sey.
eral different resulis For instance.
there was the case Of a barkeeper IN
Benson some years ago. lie had a pet
ella monster that be kept In a box on
the bar. and sometimes he would lei II
out and play with a. Ne ridlouled the
stories the COW punchers told him about
the poison Of ella monsters lie would
put one finger In It's mouth and drag h
up and down the bar. and the thing
seemed to enter into the fun. and would
hold back and wiggle IL tail and appear
as pleased as a dog told him once
that he was taking terrible chances. and
that some day the monster would bite
him, sure as fate. But he laughed at The
idea OF It's biting him. Il knew him 20
well. and even u Il should bite. be
didn't believe Il would be poisonous
We'll, one day he put his finger In It's
mouth when MIR. ella monster didn't
happen to be good natured. and Il sent
It's teeth to the bone lis jaws closed
down like a wise. and the men In the va.
loon couldn't pry them open. Il Just sat
there and blinked Us wicked little eyes
at them and held on. and they had TO
en-, its head on before they could make
Il let so. That poor fellows arm soon
began to swell. and he suffered intense
pain In his arm and hand and In his
back. And after a while the iesh began
TO shrivel and the muscles 10 become
weak. and inside VI three months the
whole arm, from the shoulder down.
was as shrlyelled and helpless as a para.
lytic's. That was some four or ave years
ago. but his arm remains IN that con.
ditlon TO this day and there Is no pros.
pect that he'll ever have the use OF il.
There was no permanent M effect. moth.
ing but the temporary pain. IN any other
part OF his body.
The Postmaster down AZ Yuma told
me OF little Yuma Indian girl who
stepped on ella monster one night IN
the dark along the muddy banks OF che
Colorado River several miles below
Yuma. She was bitten In the ankle.
Two army physicians we're called at
once. and by the use Of powerful druEs
they managed 20 save the girls llte.
but she was crazy with pain for two
weeks. Her les and foo, from tho knee
down have been so tender that nov,
some seven years after the bite she
cannot bear the least pressure or weight
without excruciating pain. She always
sleeps on her stomach with the injured
foot In the air. and has not walked for
several years Externally the leg aud
foot look as well rs ever. Doctors don't
know what the poison did TO affect the
Indian girl 80. and they have tried hard
20 find out. It's a queer ease.