The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-01-29
,rrglliBIE WEAFOAo.
:, oe THEM WHICH A TRAVEL
! ' go pi:Kso Up IN PAEis.

Tno ,,,son Known - The Needle
POWER ~. DEADLY Work In n silent
and psrplexing Manner
- % the most beautiful and at
the 'a aaau in all my travels picked up
ever pa S during my trip there last sum-
IL !" said J. V. Atkinson OF Savannah
70" 81 bought both of them from ON old
It'll in the QUARTER Latin, and he
s sDnred me they were, without doubt,
sSa only ones in existence as iar as MS
inc UIs, of death dealing instruments
knO ~. and he also told me that he had
wen Witnessed them of an old Spaniard who
pui0D snont most of his life in the South
american countries.
AMI 81 am sure he must have had them
.aa ,o his especial order, for, as l have
n l,aoadv stated, during all my travels l
az me never seen anything that would In
n',. nov anuroach them for villainous.
murderous purposes
"Tbe first, as you see, looks innocent
.,ouCb. and when l ask you what You
think il is you will reply
"a silver matchbox, answered the
,ororter as he gingerly handled the beau
tifully chased silver object.
Crouch that spring."
At an easy touch the lid OF the box
eaw opon ON powerfully hinged spring
IA disclosed the interior, and in COM
nortment about one-half of the capacity
e the box were dozen wax matches.
snow you'll find tiny button on
the side next you and near your thumb.
Just press that lightly. -.
Az the suggestion was followed lit
tle. sharp pointed, creamy white, curved
object popped into view from that por'
tion of the box not occupied by the
matches
"What is that?"
"Tbat." said Mr.. Atkinson, "is not
mora nor less than the fore fang Of the
Crotalus horridus, the great American
rattlesnake, and one of the most venom
ous of serpents known to ichthyologists.
You will notice that the fang is sharp
as needle at its point; that it is slit
for distance up the middle, and that
il is hollow. You will also observe that
fine, amber colored, jellylike substance
is contained within the hollow OF the
fang. That is nothing less horrible than
the venom of the crotalid@, and the
rankest poison, the most deadly of
agents known to man. A couple Of
scrapes on mans hand or face mean
certain and horrible death-nausea
and vomiting, retching, commissions,
semiparalysis, complete paralysis, state
Of coma, death in most horrible form
and the swelling TO horrible proportions
Of the corpse as it rapidly turns black
from the virulence of the venom. You
may take the fearful agent, bake 1t be-
tween bricks, freeze it between blocks
Of ice, and it will still retain its terrible
power You may inoculate a rat with
the venom, and he will die in few
moments, dog in five and man in
from ten minutes TO an hour, according
to the amount received and the condi-
of the first rat can be inoculated into 9
second, and the blood of the second into
third, and so on down through 100
yes, 200 ubjects-without recourse tt
the original venom, and the last subject
will die as quickly and convulsively al
the first, for its virulence is absolutely
fatal
"You can readily see what terrible
weapon it would be in the hands of al
Inscriptions villain. A scratch or two
and the deed would be done, while TIT
victim would simply imagine that HI
had been scraped by pin. Yet in {
close fight with some of the despicabl'
iootpads and murderous thugs who ar
mfesting your fair city / do not think
would have any scruples about using j
on one of them myself.
1T would be difficult even for a frs
class physician 10 discover at the frs
sight just how the man met his death.
Its companion piece, of devilish in
genuity, is needle gun. Peculiar look
Ing thing, is it not?" asked Mr.. Atkin
son as he passed richly engraved ant
silver mounted object that looked lik
across between miniature double bar
,eied shotgun and revolver to hi
friend, who handled it with extrem
canton.
That little gun is about five inche
uVer all, and yet it contains within
.nose chambers, in the boxlike part be
tween those fine watch spring steel bar
iels and the pistol grip, enough of fiend
'sn mischief to lay out dozen stron
men.
Inc charge is a strong but powerful
o cartridge made Of a highly explosiv
CHEMICAL which, by the peculiar con
.,tuction OF the chambers, makes so lii
.s noise that it could not be heard by
psrson ten feet away. The instrumen
VI obstruction is bunch of fine cambri
=, heeaies that have had their heads sligh,
hattcned to offer resistance and cate
ns pfopelling force. and their point
o lave lam in the very same sort Of yer
om OF which ! spoke until they are tho,
'usniy corroded with il.
AS they leave the gun they seattle
nS u penetrate to the most vital spots
Wutro thar to,..l1-