Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-26
BITTEN BY 4 NEXILLO.
A Lizard From Whose Poison Only
One Man Has Recovered.


From the st. Louis GlobeDemocrat
Il guess | am the only living man that
has been bitten by the neville, venomous
lizard of the Isthmus of Tehauntepec," said
William W. Gloon, a New Yorker with Cen
trail American experiences. This lizard Is
of the ella monster family, and is hor-
BLOCKING reptile of a notified liver color
and from six to ten inches long. Its bite Is
deadly, and as l said, Lam the only per-
son known who has lived after being bitten.
It was case Of nip and tuck. though, and
l didn't get over 1T for two months or
more. ......
THE brute DIT me out of pure malice for
1 wasn't doing thing to- it, l had a coffee
plantation down on the isthmus several
years ago. and just before the hot season
began, which was in March, ! had az my
guest DR.. Fergus Mcdonald Of the Smith
sonian Institution, who was in that country
il; the interest of science. While he was
with me We received an invitation to visit
tn. great plantation of DIR. Pedro Arguilles,
one of the most prominent men of that
country, and we went to his hacienda near
Minittilan. The ladies of the family had
all gone to Mexico City, and as the weather
was hot we men loafed around in our pa
jamas, the upper garment Of which Is a
big-sleeved affair called a camsa.''
"One day DR.. Mcdonald and had adj
journed to the patio or court of the build
Ing 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 l 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 think
Ing about reptiles OF other dangers right
there in the court of the building. Sud-
denly as talked the doctor threw his hand
up in warning and knew that whatever it
was he saw there was danger In my moving
ard 1 must keep still. So l kept steady
as L could, and then 1 felt something go
up my arm toward my head and stop near
my wrist.
Il couldn't see what it was. but I knew
something about tropical reptiles, and [
kept perfectly quiet. while the doctor
caught up one of his revolvers and threw n
couple of cartridges into 1t. He aimed
across my body and fired, and as l jumped
to my feet a neville, at least seven inches
long. fell writhing to the ground shot
through the head. The bullet had gone on
into my arm and come out at the elbow.
and I was bleeding. Between the bullet
marks, though. were the fang marks where
the neville has stuck its teeth into my arm,
and 1 told the doctor thought 1t had got
me. AS soon as he saw 1t he gave me
some kind of hypodermic injection in the
left leg, the right arm having been bitten.
and at once took his knife and slashed me
across the fang marks. Into the wounds
Of my arm he poured a bottle of concen-
trated ammonia. Almost instantly after
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 L awoke in a mud bath
by the river side. my body twice its normal
size. and my tongue sticking out of my
mouth They had carried me there as soon
1 tainted, and night and day my guide
and his daughter had been watching by
me, with fires at night to keep off the ami
mails from the jungle. Every twelve hours
my arm was lifted from the mud and
cieansed. and on these occasions it was
always found to be of a green color. As
soon as / returned to consciousness l was
carried to the house and put to bed. and
there for two weeks l remained, and then
went down to the coast and up to the we'll
known hot springs. where 1 was treated
for two months until every bit Of the venom
had left my body. During 1t all suffered
no pain, nor have ever felt the slightest
Inconvenience since. What effect the bullet
wound In the arm had I don't know. Pos
stbly the blood that came from the bullet
wounds saved me. Anyhow something hap
pened that never happened to any other
person bitten by a neville, or I wouldn't
be here to tell the story"
Mr.. Gloon barred his arm for the benefit
of the listeners and IL an arm ever looked
as If 1t had beeen through a 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
notified spots Of about the same color as the
lizard. -