The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-03-13
BITTEN BY A NEVILLO
ONE OF THE TERRoRs OF LIFE ON
THE lsTHMus OF TEHUANTEPEc.

/ ONE OF THE TERRORS OF LIFE ON
THE lsTHMUs OF TEHUANTEPEc.
A Lizard From Whose Deadly Poison
Only One Man rs Known to Have
Recovercd-The Treatment Which
/ Saved Him From Death.
81 guess am the only living man
that has been bitten by the nevillo, a
venomous lizard of the istbmus Of
Tehuantepec,' said William ". Gloon.
New Yorker with Central American
experiences. This lizard is Of the ella
monster family and is horrid looking
reptile of a mottled liver color and
is from six to ten inches long. Its bite
is deadly, aud, as said, am tb9 only
person known who has lived after be-
ing bitten. 1t was case of nip and
tuck. though. and 1 didn't get over it
for two months or more.
''The brute bit me out Of pure malice,
for wasn't doing thing to it. | had
coffee plantation down on the 18TH
mus several years ago and just be
fore the hot season began, which was
in March, had as my guest DR.. Fer
gus Macdonald of the Smithsonian
institution. who was in that country IN
the interest of science. While he was
with me we received an invitation to
visit the great plantation Of DR.. Pedro
Arguilles, one of the most prominent
men Of that country, and We went to
his hacienda near Minititlau. The
ladies Of the family had all gone to
Mexico City. and as the weather was
hot we men loafed around in our py-
jamas, the upper garment Of which is
big sleeved affair called camisa.
Zone day DR.. Macdonald and had
adjourned to the patio or court Of the
building, and while lay in the grass
talking to him he was busy greasing
and putting into shape his guns and
revolvers. He was six or eight feet
away from me, and I was lying with
my head propped up on my arm. from
which the sleeve had slipped, leaving It
exposed to the elbow, which rested on
the grass. OF course neither Of us was
thinking about reptiles or other dan
gers right there in the court Of the
building. Suddenly, as talked, the
doctor threw his hand up in warning,
and / knew that whatever it was he
saw there was danger in my moving.
and must keep still. So kept as
steady as could, and then l felt some
thing go up my arm toward my head
and stop near Iny wrist.
"I couldn't see what 1t was, but |
knew something about tropical reptiles
and kept perfectly quiet while the
doctor caught up one CT his revolyers
and threw 8 couple OF cartridges into
It. He aimed across my body and fred.
and as / jumped to my feet nevillo
at least seven inches long fell writing
to the ground. shot through the head.
The bullet had gone on into my arm
and came out at the elbow and was
bleeding. Between the bullet marks.
though, were the fang marks where the
nevillo had stuck its teeth into my arm,
and l told the doctor thought 1t had
got me. As soon as he saw 1t he gave
me some kind Of a hypodermic injec.
ton in the left leg, the right arm hay.
ing been bitten, and at once took bis
knife and sIashed me across the fang
marks. Into the wounds Of MY arm
he poured a bottle Of concentrated
ammonia Almost instantly after ]
had been bitten began to grow dizzy
and to see what seemed to me to be
clouds Of light smoke, and when the
ammonia struck me keeled over in
dead faint.
Give days later I swoke in mud
bath by the riverside. my body twice
it's normal size and my tongue sticking
out Of my mouth. They had carried
me there as soon as ] tainted, and
night and day my guide and his Jaugh-
ter had been watching by me, with
fires at night to keep OF the animals
from the jungle. Every u hours my
arm was lifted from the mud and
cleansed. and on these occasions 1t was
always found to be Of a green color.
AS soon as returned to consciousness
was carried to the house and put to
bed, and there for two weeks re-
NAMED and then went down to the
coast and up to the we'll known hot
springs. where | was treated for two
months until every bit Of the venom
had LEI, my body. During it all suf-
fered no pain. nor have ever felt the
slightest Inconvenience since What
effect the bullet wound IN the arm had
| don't know. Possibly the blood that
came from tue bullet wounds saved
me. Anyhow something happened that
never happened TO any other person
bitten by a nevillo. Or l wouldn't be
here 10 tell the story
Mr.. Gloon barred his arm for the ben
eft of the listeners. and If an arm ever
looked as if it had been through hard
campaign that one did. 1t was SCARED
as if burnt with hot irons and covered
from the elbow down with all kinds OF
peculiarly shaped mottled spots OF