Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-10-24
SOMEAWFUL DEATHS.
FEARFUL FORMS IN WHICH THE
GRIM DESTROYER CALLS.


The Venom of South Australian
spider and the FriShtful Agony 1t
Causes-A Grain That Makes Its
Victim a Rnving Maniac.
What is the most awful shape In |
which death may come to mortal man
Not by fire, nor by water, nor by guh-
shot. These are mere pleasures 10
some of the deaths by which you may
die.
The most agonizing of all is caused
by an insect half the size of pea-a
small black spider. 1t lives in Peru
and South Australia, but few specl-
mems have reached Europe and Amer
lea in shiploads of timber Not long
ago dock laborer was uniucky
enough to come upon one in the Vic
tcria docks while unloading bark.
The tiny death dealer dropped upon
the back of his hand and dug its fangs
into his flesh. The bite itself was moth
| ing. but as soon as the poison began to
work the man tainted with pain. Soon
| afterward he came to and lived three
| days before the end came.
This spiders venom scorches up the
blood vessels and spreads through all
the tissues. causing the most fearful
| agony a human being can have to bear.
! The worst Of it is that the victim lives
at least two days, enduring unthinka-
BILE anguish the whole time. This spi-
der is luckily not common. 1t Is known
as the ''specky," and when man who
| knows what the bite means is bitten he
| generally blows out his brains.
Another fearful death is caused by
eating a grain called "bhat." This
sometimes gets mixed with rice, which
1t resembles. The plant grows in the
east, and a few grains Of it will drive
one into q state of violent mania. The
victim becomes drowsy at first and aft
erward hilarious, then he goes stark,
staring mad and tears himself literally
to pieces with his fingers, biting mouth
fuls cut of his limbs. 1t Is bad enough
to see such a case, but as for expert
encing it
This grain Is only found in remote
parts of the east. but both white men
and natives are killed by it occasion
ally in the east. for the plant grows In
with the rice crops and can scarcely be
told apart, but that the dried grain is
of reddish color.
OF course falling into vat of boiling
metal, as unfortunate workmen some.
times do, sounds bad enough, but it is
mercifully quick. There is SOutf
American vine called the "knotter,'
which is far worse. 1t twines around
any living thing that comes within
reach, twisting it's long tentacles abou
man as a devilfish might. These
tentacles scar and burn into the fiesl
like white hot wires. and the victim i!
dragged into the heart of the foliage
and his juices slowly drained, as ,
spider sucks the blood of a fly.
All say that the pain is worse thai
they could have believed 1t possible
for man to feel. The "knotter' i
we'll known to scientists and is, in fact
a sort of huge fiytrap plant Thos
who have strong instincts of cruelty
coupled with curiosity, sometimes fore
dog into the grip of the "knotter" t
watch the effects, which are too horri
bic to describe in detail.
- Again, there IS nothing very mucl
worse than hydrophobia, when genu
inc. The patient often lives for day
in the acute stage and in his last hour
is simply tied up in knots and ben
backward and forward like a bow
1t is a very rare disease with huma
beings, for most people bitten by rabi
dogs, small number at most escsp
it. In extreme cases the patient ac
ually snarls and bays like any hound
and. next to experiencing it, the wors
thing is to watch case. 1t is as di:
tressing a spectacle as any man coul
witness.
There is snake called the lancer,
which lives in South America, and
very ready with it's fangs. 1t is small
brown, insignificant beast. but its Bit
induces a sort of imaginary swellin
all over the victims body. He fee
as if every inch of him were bein
strained to breaking point, and I'll
agony which results is too awful fC
words Generally. however, the e.
cess of pain drives the bitten man ma
before very long. and in four hours
dies-a seuseless imbecile.
But, all said and done. perhaps thel
is no death much worse than by Il
common disease of cancer. whic
gnaws at the patients vitals throug
month after month of unceasing ag
ny and slays its victim at last throue
sheer exhaustion.-London Spectator