Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-07-07
TERRIBLE WEAPONS.
A PAIR 0f THEM WHICH A TRAVEL.
 ER PICKED UP IN PARIS.


 The Venom Box svhiei. Contains the Most Powerful Poison Known The Needle That Dass It's T'eAaly Work In silent and Psrplsxine aianner.
 Two of the most beautiful and at the sama time murderous objects have 6rer seen i'll all ny travels picked up in Paris during mg trip there last gum mer, said J. Y. Atkinson of Savannah to a friond.
 'I bought hoth of them from an old gunamith in the Qnartier Latin, and he assured me they were, without doubt, the oniy ones in existence, as far as his know wledga Of death dealing instruments went, and fe also told mo that he had purchased then of an old spaniard who had spent most of his life in the South American countries.
 sI am sure he must have had them made to his especial order, for, as l have already stated, during all my travels l have never seen anything that would in any way approach them for villainous, murderous purposes.
 The first, as you see, looks innocent enough. aud when ask you what you think 1t is you will reply1-
 4 silver matchbox, y answered the reporter as he gingerly handled the beau tifnlly chased silver object.
 Touch that spring. 7
 At an easy touch the lid of the box few opon on a powerfully hinged spring and disclosed the interior, and i'll com partment about ona-half of the capacity of the box were . dozen wax matches.
 "NeW yon'Il find tiny button on tho side next you and near yoar thumb Just press that lightly" :"
 As the suggestion was followed lit. tlt533, Giiissi pointed, creamy white, curved object popped into view from that DOT tion Of the box Tot occupied by the matches
 What is that?''
 @TAat, asid Mr. Atkinson, lis not more noG less than the fore fang of the Crotslus horridHs, the great American ratflesnaEe, and one of the most venom ous of senpents known to ichthyologists. You will notice that the fang is sharp .as a needle at it's point; that it IS slit for distance up the middle, and that it is hollow You will also observe that 8 fine, amber coIorad, jellylike substance is contained within the hollow of the fang That is nothing less horrible than the vonom of the oTotalida, and the rankest poison, the most deadly of agents known to nan. A couple of serapes oR man $ hand of face mean Q certain and a horrible death-nausea and vomiting, fetehing, conynlsions, semiparalysis, complete paralysis, state of coma, aeath in I most horrible form and the swelling 0 horrible proportions of the corpse IS 1t rapidly turns blacB from the virulence Of the venom. You may take the fearful agent, bake it be. tween bricks. freeze it between blocks Of ice. and 1t will still retain it's terrible power. You may inoculate a rat with the venom, and ne will die in a few moments q dog i'll five and man in from ten minutes to an hour, according to the amount received and the eondi. tion Of his system at the time. The blood of the first rat can be inoeulated into Q second, and tie blood of the second into third, and so on down through 100-- yes, 200 subjects-without recourse to the original venom, and the last subject will die 0s quickly and convulsively as the first, for it's viralence is absolutely fatal.
 sYoa can readily see what terrible weapon it would be in the hands of an interruptions villain. A scratch or two, and the deed would be done, while tha victim would simply imagine that he had been soraped by pin. Yet in a close fight with some of the despicable footpafis and nuTderous thugs who are jnfesting your fair city I do not think ] would have any scrnples about using ii on one of them myself.
 1t would be difficult even for a first class physician to discover at the first sight just now the man met his death.
 It's companion piece, of deyilish in- genuity. k 6 needle gun. Peculiar look. ing thing. is it noiy asked Mir. Atkin- son as he passed richly engraved and silver mounted object that looked like < cross between miniature double bar reled shotgun and revolver to his friend who handled it with extreme caution.
 That little gun ia about five inches over all, and yet 1t contains within those chambers, in the boxlike part be. tween those fine watch spring steel bar rcls and he pistci grip, enough of fend- ish mischief 10 lay out q dozen stions men.
 'sfhe chArga ia 2 strong but powerful cartridge made oi highly explosive ;..zz4