The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-12

a quart of whisky, which he Immediately
drank, but he died within an hour
Yet it was claimed by the douDters that
it was the whisky ana not the poison that
killed the man; that quart Of whisky
drank almost instantly will kill a man OF
Itself more especially If it is Arizona
whisky.
However, numbers of Indians are bitten
by these monsters, and only a few have
died in consequence Of the bite or of its
antdote.
Some Of the citizens are uncharitable
enough to say that the Indians seek the
monster in order. to get the copious
draughts of free whisky. Their medicine
men are in attendance, however, and af
ter liberaly partakng Of the antidote, APP
ply the Indian remedies in such cases.
a live coal of fire is put on the wound and
others added until the flesh is burned
away, and with it the poisonous saliva.
Sometimes a red-hot iron is applied and
the flesh is broiled into a crisp. The rem
edy is severe but it preserves the life of
one bitten by the most deadly snake Of
the desert.
Heloderma spspectrum is the scientific
name of the reptile, more commonly
known as the ella monster. 1t is mainly
found in the ella bend section of South
western Arizona, on the ella river. Hence
its name-Gila monster. It's average
length Is twelve or fourteen inches; rare
- - pllb AOuIu more IMAM Sixteen lNtneS
in length. The body is about four inches
in diameter and is coyered from the head
to the tip of the tail with a hard skin, an
armor, and on the inside of the skin is a
layer of bones. The skin, or armor, is
covered by raised, bead-Hke scales, in
rows, extending around the body, and
also around the tail. The rows on the body
are closer than those on the tail This
gives to the reptile ringed, streaked and
spotted appearance. The scales are deep
jet black, bright orange color, three pale
orange, and Of a muddy yellow. This com
binatiOn of cOlors somewhat relieves the
hideous blackness of it's broad. fiat head.
1t has a large mouth, about three inches
around the jaws. 1t has grooved teeth
in the upper and lower jaws, a row on each
side, about quarter of an inch in length
firmly set and as sharp as a needle. The
tongue is black, broad and forked for
about haf its length-perhaps an inch
While sluggishly moving along searching
for prey, or sitting on a rock basking in
the burning sun. it thrusts out its forked
tongue emitting saliva and blowing out
a poisonous Vapor. Some Mexicans are
authority for the statement that the mon
Ster can eject its saliva for a distance of
one foot, and that the vapor, if blown into
the face of a human being, is poisonous
and could produce death as readily as If
bitten and the saliva injected by the fangs
The tail of the monster is round, and is
about five inches in length, and tapers to
point. The thickest part is about an
inch in diameter. In battle with other
reptiles, it bites, and stings with the tip
Of its tail. 1t has four legs, each about
two inches in length. On each foot are
five toes, each tipped with a sharp, crook
ed claw, which are also brought into ac-
ton during a fight. The ella monster
walks, or giides, like an alligator, using
the fore and hind feet of alternate Sides
keeping the head near the ground. He
moves rapidly if after prey. When trod-
den upon by an unwary mining prospec-
tor or Mexican cattle herder, it quickly
raises its black head, then slightly ele-
Yates its notified body by Strengthening
its legs, wheels quickly around, and emits
a blowing sound, then stream of blush
Vapor, thrusting out and drawing in it's
black forked tongue meanwhile
The ella monster when in "repose" is a
sluggish and apparently harmless reptile
and Notwithstanding the diversity of opiu-
ion as to its bite being deadly to human
beings, there is evidence that it is poison
GUS
The monster devours other reptiles He
is, like snakes in general, poison-proof
against his own poison, or that of other
reptiles. But the monster has glands cap
able of holding back poison, and when he
is in quest of food he does not throw it
out. The bite is generally sufficient He
also eats rabbits and ground-nesting birds
and their eggs.
The Gila monster is chiefly found in the
low bottoms, and along the sultry, MAS
ma-laden banks of the ella river in
Southwestern Arizona. They are regard
ed with great interest not only by tourists
but by natives also, because of the pecu-
liarity of the reptile which seems to be 4
combination of the lizard, the snake and
the alligator, on small scale. The mon
ster is also found on the Nevada desert,
but it is of a milder type in appearance,
and not SO large; but, perhaps, equally as
dangerous. Nowhere else in America is
the ella monster found.
Another species, however exists on the
western coast of Mexico. The monster is
built on the same plan, but is longer, be
ing about three feet in length and instead
of a notified black brown and orange, is
of yellowish color. He is known in Mex
leo as the Heioderma horridum, and his
bite causes almost instant death.