The times., 1899-09-18
SURE CURE FOR SNAKE BITES.
BiiI,D Who Catches Ser
pents Calls the Herb GOIandrina.

pents Calls the Herb GOIandrina.
(From the San Francisco Chronicle)
II Rattlesnake bites amt a bit dangerous
ii you rub a little juice OF the go andrina
on them as soon as you are bitten. And
I'll stake my life on that"
The speaker was Capt, Harry Moore
better known as Arizona Bill who was
exhibiting den of snakes and reptiles
at the Chutes.
By way OF illustrating his lack OF
fear for snake poison, Captain Moore
picked up a tooth that he had just cut
from the head of dead ratt!er and
punched the sharp point deep into the
back of his hand. The tooth, or fang, as
1t is more commonly called, was still drip
ping with the blood of the repti t ON
which it had been cut. 1t penetrated Cap
tain Moore's hand so deeply that a tiny
crimson spot marked the place after he
had pulled it out.
Now, there couldn't be enough poison
there TO kill me- said the captain, but
it would make a mighty ugly .so1e If
didn't put this golandrina on it my hand
would swell up as big as a ham in a few
hours. AS it is, no harm will come
And no harm did come, for several hours
afterward the spot punctured by the tooth
looked no different from a pinprick.
Captain Moore has not the least fear
Of a rattlesnake, for he picks them up and
handles them as if they We're kin1ling
wood. He will even pick up big rattle
snake only a few days off the desert, and
by inserting a piece of wood between it's
jaws force them open SO as TO display the
fangs and poison glands. Generally the
snake will be in a state OF frenzy. and the
poison serum can be seen to fly from the
ends of the teeth. The fluid flies out with
great force, and if nothing obstructs it
it will go several yards. This exhibition
will give an idea OF how thorough the in
lection is when snake bites a human be-
ing and drives its fangs in as deep as they
will go.
Il often get bitten when l am out catch
ing rattlesnakes," said the captain, as he
picked up his biggest specimen and caused
its tail to rattle loud enough to be heard
a hundred yards. But l don't mind it
except for the pain at the moment That
is pretty bad but cannot be helped"
The last time I was out catching along
the GiIa River | had hard time of it,
Somehow, in spite OF all the care l could
exercise, / got bit about twice day. Nat
urally, the snakes all struck at my hands
just as l was grabbing them 10 put them
into my bag, and my hands were a sight.
Why, they were all SCARED up.
Nearly all the snakes that bit me struck
knife and make a cut between the two tiny
holes 10 rub the golandrina juice into But
with all that / never had the least trouble
The wounds healed up just like ordinary
scratches, and that is all there was to it.
At the end of a week my hands were as
well as ever
Il came near being bit for sure once
while | was out catching about thirty miles
from Phoenix, Ariz., and all because l
didn't have any golandrina with me. The
herb saved me in the end, though. 1t was
early one morning l found fine rattler
summing himself upon a rock. He didn't
seem very lively and stopped TO pick him
up. But he was watching me, and before
1 knew it his fangs were into the end of
my first finger.
''All at once ] realized that I had no
golandrina, and thought of the next best
thing. AS quick as fash / cut big cash
in the end of my finger and began to suck
it. At the same time | took big drink
Of brandy and called to my assistant. He
tied a string tightly around the base of my
finger and then went out to see if he could
not find some of the golandrina.
But the fang must have struck an ar
terry, for my finger began to swell, and so
did my hand just back of the string.
knew then that the matter was serious
couldn't find any golandrina. 1t was not
the right locality for it.
81 tied the string back round my wrist
But that didn't do any good, for the swell
ing kept right on and in an hour or so
my hand was twice its natural size
9 we must get to Phoenix, Jacki' / said
and he hitched up like lightning, and we
started off as fast as the horses would go.
I'VE made Phoenix in about five hours,
and my hand was as big as ham, and the
swelling went clear back to the elbow |
really thought l was a goner
"We drove straight to the office of doc
tor who always kept the stuff on hand and
it didn't take him a second to know what
to do
He gave me a piece OF golandrina to
chew, and then jammed lot of the Juice
right into the wound on the end of nv
finger. The swelling stopped right there,
and inside of half an hour began TO go
down Before ii was time to go to bed
my hand had gone back to its natural size
and didn't hurt bit. The next morning it
was as well as ever, and | started back to
finish catching rattlers.
Everybody who lives in snake country
ought to keep supply of golandrina al
ways on hand It is a kind of milkweed,
with pink flowers. II you can get it fresh.
just squeeze some of the juice into the
wound, But If you have to keep the herb
dry, chew piece of 1t TO pulp and put it
on. 1t will cure every time. I will stake
my life on it, for have seen it used any
number of times and never knew il to fail.
Some people say golandTina is what the
Moqui Indians use after a snake dance.
Maybe it is, but am not sure, because the
Moquis won't tell anybody But do know
that 1t is the only plant growing around
their villages that will cure snake bite,
and 1 am pretty sure it is what they use."