Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-02-02
TERRIBLE WEAPONS.
A PAIR OF THEM WHICH A TRAVEL.
 ER PICKED UP IN PARIS.

Powerful Poison Known The Needle
 That Does Its Deadly Work In silent
 and PerpIexing Manner.
 1.-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 of Savannah to friend.
 T bought both of them from an old gunsmith in the Quartier 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.
 T am sure he must have had them made to his especial order, for, as have already stated, during all my travels I have never seen anything that would in any way approach them for viilainous, murderous purposes
 '"rhe first. as yop see, looks innocent enough, and when aak 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
 ''Touoh that spring
 At an easy touch the lid of the box flew opon on A powerfully hinged spring and disclosed the interior, and in 0 com partment about one-half of the capacity of the box were Q 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 6 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 thatP"
 That said Mr. Atkinson, lis not more 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 iohthyologists. You will notice that the fang Is sharp as needle at it's point: that it is slit for distance up tho middle and that 1t Is hollow. You will also observe that Q fine. amber oolored, 3ellylike substance is contained within the hollow of the fang. That Is nothing less horrible than the venom of the orotalid@, and the rankesb poison, the most deadly of agents known to man. A couple of scrapea on man's hand or face mean a certain and horrible death--nausea aud vomiting, retching, oonvuisions, 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 viruIence of tho venom. You may take the fearful agent, bake 1t be- tween bricks, freeze it between blocks of ice, and it will still retain it's terrible power. You may tnooulate a rat with the venom. and be will die in few moments, dog in five and man in to the arnount received and the oondi- ton of his system at the time. The blood of the first rat can be ii.oculated into q second, and the blood of tho second into & third, and so on down through 100- yes, 900 uhjeots-without recourse to the original venom. and the last subject will die as quickly and oonvulsively as the first, for it's virulence is absolutely fatal
 "You can readily see what 0 terrible weapon 1t would Do in the hands of an interruptions 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 0 close fight with some of the despioabie footpads and murderous thugs who are infesting your fair city do not think l would have any scruples about using it on one of them myself
 1t would Do difficult even for @ frss class physician to discover at the first sight just how the man met bis death.
 Its companion piece. of devilish in- genuity, Is @ needle gun. Peculiar look ing thing. Is it not7'' asked Mir. Atkin- son as he passed a richly engraved and silver mounted object that looked like 0 cross between 0 miniature double bar reled shotgun and revolver to his friend, who handled it with extreme caution,
 That little gun is about five inches oyer 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 fend ish mischief to lay out dozen strong men.
 'The charge Is n strong but powerful cartridge made of a highly explosive chemical which, by the peculiar con- struction of tho chambers, makes so lit tie noise that it could not be heard by 0 person ten feet away. The instrument of destruction Is bunch of fine cambrio needles that have had their heads slight ly fattened to offer resistance and catch the propelling force. and their points have lain in the very same sort of yen-