The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-01-12
TERRIBLE WEAPONS.
A PAIR OF THEM WHICH A TRAVEL
Err PICKED UP IN PARIS.


Err PICKED UP IN PARIS.
The Venom Box Which Contains the Most
Powerful Poison Known - The Needle
That Does Its Deadly Work In Silent
and PerpIexing Manner.
"Two of the most beautiful and at
the same time murderous objects | have
ever seen in all my travels picked up
in Paris during my trip there last sum-
mer," said J. V. Atkinson ofSavannah
to friend.
81 bought both of them from on old
gunsmith in the Quarter Latin, and he
assured me they were, without doubt,
the only ones in existence, as far as his
knowledge of death dealing instruments
went, and he also told me that he had
purchased them of an old Spaniard who
had spent most of his life in the South
American countries.
81 am sure he must have had them
made to his especial order, for, as 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, and when ask you what you
think it is you will reply
"a silver matchbox, answered the
reporter as he gingerly handled the beau
tifully chased silver object.
aGTnuch that snrinp -
At an easy touch the lid of the box
flew opon on powerfully hinged spring
and disclosed the interior, and in COM
partment about one-half of the capacity
of the box were dozen wax matches.
"Now you'll find tiny button on
the side next you and near your thumb.
just press that lightly"
AS the suggestion was followed a lit
tie, sharp pointed creamy white, curved
object popped into view from that por-
ton of the box not occupied by the
matches.
"What is that?"
"That,' said Mr. Atkinson, sis not
more nor less than the fore fang of the
Crotalus horridus, the great American
rattlesnake, and one Of the most venom
GUS of serpents known to ichthyologists.
You will notice that the fang is sharp
as needle at it's point; that it is slit
for distance up the middle, and that
it 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 crotalide, and the
rankest poison, the most deadly Of
agents known to man. A couple of
scrapes on a mans hand OF 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 it be-
tween bricks, freeze it between blocks
of ice, and it will still retain its terrible
power. You may inoculate rat with
the venom, and he will die in few
moments, dog in five and a man in
from ten minutes to an hour, according
to the amount received and the condi-
tion of his system at the time The blood
of the first rat can be inoculated into a
second, and the blood of the second into
third, and so on down through 100
yes, 200 subjeots-without recourse to
the original venom, and the last subject
will die as quickly and convulsively as
the first, for it's virulence is absolutely
fatal.
"You can readily see what a terrible
weapon it would be in the hands of an
INSCRIPTIONS villain. A scratch or two,
and the deed would be done, while the
victim would simply imagine that he
had been scraped by pin. Yet in a
close fight with some of the despioable
footpads and murderous thugs who are
infesting your fair city 1 do not think 1
would have any scruples about using it
on one of them myself.
sit would be difficult even for first
class physician 10 discover at the first
sight just how the man met his death.
"Its companion piece, of devilish in
genuity, is a needle gun. Peculiar look
ing thing, is it not?" asked Mr.. Atkin-
son as he passed richly engraved and
silver mounted object that looked like
a cross between a miniature double bar
relied shotgun and revolver to his
friend, who handled it with extreme
caution.
''That little gun is about five inches
over all, and yet it contains within
those chambers, in the boxlike part be-
tween those fine watch spring steel bar
rels and the pistol grip, enough of fiend-
ish mischief to lay out dozen strong
men.
''The charge is strong but powerful
cartridge made of highly explosive
chemical which, by the peculiar con-
struction of the chambers, makes SO lit
tie noise that it could not be heard by a
person ten feet away. The instrument
Of destruction is bunch of fine cambria
needles that have had their heads slight
ly hattened to offer resistance and catch
the propelling force, and their points
have lain in the very same sort of ven
ON of which l spoke until they are thor
oughly corroded with it.
"As they leave the gun they scatter
and penetrate to the most vital spots,
where their terrible work is quickly
done. Nothing short of post mortem
examination Of the most rigid kind
would betray the cause of death. st
Louis Republic.