The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-07
IN THE CLUTCHES OF AN ANAco73.
The Terrible Death of a Sailor in -.
Island of Celebes.
From the Philadelphia Times


From the PHILADELPHIA Ti,o
On the 18th of January, 1894 the ...
Papua left saypan, one of the -. .op
Islands. in the North Pacific. boz ,',''S
Sydney with load of copra or d., ~
coanut. She was eighty-five tons and ~,
a crew of five men, of all natopar. '1D
One was a Kanaka. the others Era,i-,
Italian, Finlander and an Amer.
Charles Sunny, while the oantsi, Ir,
was Swede. Ilzil'
Feb. l they were caught in q +,-,
lost their head sails and were driver ' I1
dreds of miles off their course IN tho 1 l.lI'
ward. and finally came in sight Of ' Tas,'
whlch they believed to be one of the P5I
lipines. ~ all
The sloop had struck on the nora, d,
of Tomani Bay. in the island of Cei.s 5'lr
and about forty miles from Fort ANS
dam, Dutch government station an ~
coast. The natives were very civil aas
greed to pilot the crew to that nI.oa
The road was mere cattle fro
through woods so thick that A dog go
scarcely make his way, and NOTHING M.
seen the first day but droves of M
keys. the heat was fearful and the attsot
of numberless insects kept them fros
sleeping. They started by daybreak tbo
next morning. About 10 O'Clock thew nv
coming to an open place in the wood
when suddenly the monkeys began den,
onstration. They howled and chattera5
swinging from tree to tree and casting
branches and nuts into the road
The natives hung back, explaining tb,
there was snake ahead and the monkers
had detected him and were giving war
ing. After some hesitation the American
Sunny a powerful, reckless fellow IA
clared that he would so ahead snake or
no snake. The guide advised him Int bo
started and in a moment was lost IA
sight. Suddenly curious sound was
heard, almost like a blast of wind and
then a fearful scream. "The snake has
got him. said the native. "Qulck. Let's
go away at once
Capt. Held was armed with heavy mus,
ket loaded with heavy shot and he rush.
ed forward, one of the natives following
Twining the trunk of a huge tree thew
saw an appalling sight. The open spacs
was about 100 yards square, of pure wbteI
sand glowering in the sun and borderei
by the rich vegetation. In the center was
the body of the wretched American in II
the coils Of a monstrous snake fifty fee.
long and almost thick as a ship mas
Summy's hands and arms were free but
his body was fairly in the black and vel.
low coils. The snakes head was waving
from side to side before striking All
though horror-stricken, the captain retain
ed his grit, and. aiming for the head about
seventy yards away, fired. With a ire
mendous hiss and convulsive spring the
monster uncoiled and entered the thick
brush, fold after fold being seen until it L
vanished.
For an hour they watched the body Of
their shipmate until the monkeys began
to gather around tia sign that the snake /
was gone. They went forward picked up I
the body and brought it to the road. The /
face was horribly distorted, and every
bone in the body broken by the crushing I
coils. Although a large man, weighing
TO, the hips could be spanned by Two i
hands. Death must have been instantal
eous.