Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1899-06-23
FIGHT WITH SPIDERS
ATTACKED BY AN ARMY OF
TARANTULAS.
Two Stowaways in the Hold of a
Banana Carrying Vessel from Hav-
ana Have Battle for Their Lives
Rescued Just in Time.

has come to light for several months.
Mabry has papers to show that he was
member of a Georgia company dur
ing the Spanish war, and that he was
in Cuba. If only one other man in the
world were living and lived in Ha-
vana, Mabry says, he would die before
going TO see him. He is now in Deni-
son, Texas. Speaking to a newspaper
man of that town, he said:
"NIy home is in st. Louis. Last win
ter l left home and came south, pass
ing through Texas and finally going to
Georgia. | worked wherever | could
get employment, that being my mission
down this way. l was out of work in
/ st. Louis and was discouraged there.
In Georgia l got work for while, but
in the spring my employment gave
out. Companies were being organized
to go to the war and l offered myself
as volunteer. l joined company of
Georgia volunteers and went off to
camp. We did not get TO the front,
and after the protocol was signed l
and friend of mine decided we would
get out of the service. My friend was
from Kentucky. l was machinist
and my friend stenOgrapher. We
decided that if we could get over to
Havana, we would probably be able to
get in on the ground floor. We APP
piled to Congressman who was a
friend to my friend, and our discharges
finally came and we went to the coast,
taking a boat for Havana. 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 laboring under grave mistake,
thinking that the United States had
some authority there in the fall before
the peace treaty was signed. We were
put under 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 Orleans with load of
tropical fruit. We tried to get passage
on the boat and We're refused point
blank, as the boat did not carry passen-
gers. Our guards gave us to under
stand, as we thought, that we must
leave or go to Jail. We decided to
leave. Before the boat sailed we man
aged 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 smuggle food to us on the
journey and they fastened us up in the
bins of bananas, closing the hatchway.
we had not had any sleep for forty
eight hours and were dead on our feet.
We turned in on pile of straw and
slept soundly until nearly morning of
the following day, when l was awak-
ened by my friend calling to me.
"'What is thatT l heard him ask.
"The light was very dim and could
barely see the outline of his form near
me.
Il don't see anything l replied
~ thought you We're tickling me
with bundle of straw said he.
81 did not waken till you called TO
me- was my reply.
1 guess 1t was rat, said he, and
we both dozed off.
Shortly was awakened by a shrek
from my friend. He had jumped up
and was staring at a black, fuzzy OH
Ject in the straw. l recognized it Mt
once as 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 surrounded with tarantulas. 1'ba
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 toron-
tula! If you never did, don't go look
Ing for one, and If you find one, don't
look for hundred. l suppose it is no
exaggeration to say that we were faced
by hundred of these angry insects
They spring like rats or frogs, and all
OF sudden black object would come
whirling through the air, and in nine
cases out OF ten it would strike some
unguarded spot and inject its venom.
was bitten in half dozen places ON
the race, 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 We're horribly hit.