The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1899-07-07
BATTLE WITH SPIDERS
Two stovvavvayu on n ship Attacked
By an Angry Army Of
TaraltuIzs-

Mabry has papers to show that he was a
member Of Georgia company during
the Spanish war and that he was in
I Cuba If only one other man IN the
world were living, and lived in Havana,
Mabry says, he would die before going
to see him
Speaking TO a newspaper man Of Den
isOn, Tex, he said:
Ny home is in St Louis. Last win
/ ter L left home and came south, passing
through Texas and finally going to
| Georgia I worked wherever L could
/ get employment, that being my mis-
sion down this way. 1 was out Of work
l in St. Louis and was discouraged there
I In Georgia 1 got work for awhile, but
/ in the spring my employment gave out
/ Companies were being organized to 60
/ to the war and offered myself as
/ volunteer. 1 joined a company Of
I Georgia volunteers and went on TO
/ camp. We did not get to the front, and
\ after the protocol was signed and
I friend Of mine decided we would get out
\ of the service. Ny friend was from
\ Kentucky I was a machinist and my
/ friend a stenOgrapher- We decided
I that If we could get over to Havana we
I would probably be able to get on the
/ ground floor. We applied TO a congress
man who was a friend to my friend, and
/ our discharges finally came and we
/ went to the coast, taking boat for Ha-
vana. We wore our army uniforms,
/ not thinking that they would make any
/ difference after we were discharged, but
\ they did. Our desire to save money and
not buy any citizen clothing got US into
serious trouble.
"As soon as we reached Havana we
were told that we must leave. We were
Iaboring under a grave mistake think
ing that the United States had some aU-
thority there in the fall before the peace
/ treaty was signed. We were put under
a guard and ordered to leave on the
/ first boat, as our presence in Havana
might be dangerous to the peace and
safety Of the community. All we could
/ do was to wait our time. A British boat
| touched at Havana, bound for New Or
leans with load Of tropical fruit. We
tried to get passage on the boat and
were refused point blank, as the boat
] did not carry passengers. Our guards
gave US to understand, as we thought,
that we must leave or 60 to Jail We
/ decided to leave. Before the boat
sailed we managed to slip aboard by
/ bribing a couple Of sailors. We were
/ told that we could climb into the bins
| where bananas were stored and that
the sail would be a short one to New
! Orleans. The sailor promised to SNUG
! gle food to US on the journey and they
fastened US up in the bins Of bananas,
closing the hatehway. We had not had
any sleep for IS hours and were dead
on our feet We turned in on pile Of
straw and slept soundIy until nearly
\ morning Of the following day, when
was awakened by my friend calling to
me.
What is that? hear him ask
''The light was very dim and could
/ barely see the outline OF his form near
me.
- I don't see anything IrepEed.
I thought you were tickling me
with a bundle of straw said he.
50 I did not waken till you called to
me- was my reply.
% I guess 1t was a rat said he, and
we both dOzed off.
Shortly I was awakened by a shrek
from my friend. He had jumped up
and was staring at a black, fuzzy object
in the straw. I recognized 1t at once as
a tarantula. The light was not good,
but that much was plain. Soon 1t was
/ Joined by another and another, and IN
a few hours IT looked like we were sur
rounded by tarantuIas. The big spiders
regarded US as imPostors, for they
seemed bent on attacking Us. We
stamped them, killing many, and
/ fought them with all our might.
did you ever see an angry tarantula?
! If you never did don't 60 looking for
one, and if you find one, don't look for
a hundred. I suppose it is no exagger-
I alton to say that we were faced by ?
I hundred Of these angry insects They
/ spring like rats or frogs, and all Of
/ sudden a black object would come
whirling through the air, and in nine
/ cases out Of ten it would strike some
/ ungUaTded spot and inject its venom.
I I was bitten in half dozen places on
/ the face, and as many more on the
/ hands and arms, and the insects would
crawl up the legs Of our pantalOOns to
\ bite US. Both Of US were horribly bitten
/ all over our persons The fight with the
1 insects lasted all day long, and, though
we were both strong, sound men when
we went on the boat, by evening we
were almost too exhausted to stand up
I We called for help, shrielced, yelled and
/ cried, and no help came. We were faint
for want Of food and dying from thirst.
I It was a day of horrors for both of US
I Our wounds were swelling and our
Z threats were Parching for water. After
/ continuing to fight the tarantulas and
( shrieking for help, we finally attracted
attention and some Of the sailors came
/ to our rescue. Whether it was the
sailors we bribed who came to rs or
\ whether It was some one attracted by
| 90 n-sa- I ann1t L-nn-- r-as then in