The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-13
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS.

T was talking with a man who has
spent q number Of years IN the west and
southwest the other day" said a Baron
AIunchauseu OF the short grass country,
and the conversation turned TO the diff
ferent poisonous reptiles that lnhabir Old
and New Mexico The man I speak OF
seemed to be very well posted in regard
10 the poisoning ability of the different
crawlers and creepers and told some
rather strange stories concerning them
lie said that in his opinion an able-bodied.
healthy ceutipede. whose poisoning appa-
ratus was in first-class working order
could lay il all over the other aspirants
Tor poisoning honors and not half try He
gave To understand nat rattlesnakes.
tsila monsters. Iarantulas and scorpions
were weak brothers n hen compared with
centipede- I told him that We coca
si0naly saw centipedes in Kansas and
oklahoma and he said that the kansas
Oklahoma variety was q child playt thing
and that IL cast great dlscreuIt upon the
original centipede family, which made its
r~7rrrr VA r-rT7Ar climate The
real Centipede- according 10 the man, was
SO poisonous that death was certain to
follow closely after its sting The poison
i transmitted by the claws OF legs being
suck mo the flesh ii NAV Graz vi over
q person and do no injury. but if It is dis
80 v-irh IN II it, little iees and that
settles it. for the poison is in its legs
lie told me of countless friends he had
lost by the kick of the cenupede and also
the same cause In order 10 illustrate
the deadliness Of the poison he told the
the Rio Grar.de river in Mexico I had
hnbbled my horse and TWO pack mules
~ my saddle CHANGED to glance at
my leg which was incased in bucksk1n
just below the knee and was crawling up
the leg I knew it, would be death TO
fright. Suddenly. had an Inspiration ana
gently pulled my revolver from the hOl-
Srer. / laid 1t on my leg fun cooked.
When the centIpede crlNled over my knee
lie went straight for the mouth of the re-
volver and as his mead touched 1 pulled
the trigger remained perfectly stun fur
q minute and then saw that / mad been
fortunate enough 10 blow him of my leg
without making even a scratch in my
clothing He had not had time to sting
me l noticed, however, that both my
horse and the two mules were in direct
range of the bullet and it had made
slight wound in Il leg OF each animal
The poison which was on the bullet from
the centipede was so deadly that within
After woundine the animals the bhliar
had entered small tree where it lodged
I picked I'D my traps and went 10 a house
which fortunately was located but a short
distance away I told OF my loss to tha
man and purchased a horse and continued
nv Journey Several rlonfhs .sfsarr-sr,j
7 went back there and the man told me
animals. re had taken rhern ~ re seane
OF my disaster 10 bring in the stun with
s vs. setTfne ii fesstl b tsisls ,, y me
nv bullet had entered and we're dead
vsfrllin ten rninues- -Thev siisp1av-ed Ger
sign Of cenfIpede poisoning. The c0ncftf-
SION we came 70 was that the bullet vas
covered with the gore of the deadly cent?
s9etia and that the poison had entered .ha
dircuIat ton of the sap in the tree and thus
had killed his mules. The man NAV have
been stretching ii a little, but he was very
earnest in his protests that the story va
true"
did you ever leave home in the morn
ing and FORGET your watch. asked a man
who had Incurred the time. Well I did
that trick this morning and [ have ben
lost all day viii venture 70 bet that
I have felr for my watch one hundred
times today and yet there was not more
rhan two or three times that I really
Tast7tad to know the time I found tha
] had formed a habit OF looking at my
watch uncOnsciously and I have noticed
That almost every man who carries
watch does the same thing. He looks
a the watch. returns it TO his pocket and