The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1901-08-17

SeASaAS1 UCSONs FAriZ., b., Sin the
@o little mining camp of Stag,
MI IrS& Ariz., there is golden tooth
W(1yRWl pick, which Stampede Max
WITH well, proprietor of the Spider
Brand ranch, preserves as the
last relic of Bisbee Bill the fercest,
strongest and grittiest tarantula that
ever reared on his last pair of hairy legs
to sink his mandibles into the mouse
colored corslet of an opposing warrior
of his own race. The toothpick is one
of the two stout fangs with which Bisbee
Bill, himself dying, killed Hairy Gila, the
tarantula that Hinkey, the gambler,
brought in to fight Maxwells pet in the
White Elephant six years ago. Maxwell
had that fang set in golden toothpick.
not because he believed that the fang
Of the tarantula is sure cure for the
toothache, the Mex.cans insist, but
because it was through the game fight
DID Bisbee Bill put up for Maxwell on the
end of the bar in the White Elephant
that Maxwell won the $4,000 which set
him up in the cattle business and was
the beginning of his present wealth.
IN all the realm of the wide world there
% no animal great or small, as innately
ferocious against his own race as are
the big dun-colored spiders Of the South
west who are somewhat loosely called
tarantulas. The real tarantula is the
spider of Italy, whose bite was thought
to set all sufferers to dancing and had
to be cured by music. The tarantula >of
New Mexico and Arizona Is a larger
iiercer spider, with more sullen anger
wrapped up in his black heart than all
the rest of the animal world put together,
unless you except mankind 1t is the
only animal, save man, that will kill
the females of it's own species without
apparent provOcation. For two male ta-
rantulas to be shaken down on blanket
together means q prompt fight to the
death. One or the other, perhaps both,
must die before that fight ends. And
1T does not need any sticking on either.
Just let an old male tarantula set one
of his eight eyes on another, and there
is plenty of trouble quick.
Doc Trotter, who is the best educated
gentleman in the territory, once explained
that the she tarantula was really pluck
Ter than her bullying mate. The Doc
admitted that she tarantulas will not
cut a dash in the tarantula fights the
boys pull off Sundays in the various
camps, and on which many man has
AoSS
planned that the female would fight the
world, the flesh and the devil for the
sake of her young, which. the Doc ar
gued, was surely grittier thing than
for two old he spiders to tear each 9TH,
er's legs off in the joy of battle, since
anybody would fight for fun.
To prove his contention the Doc rode
out on the desert one morning early,
when the spiders are just sauntering
home after nights hunting for hum
ming birds and such small fry, and
rounded him up a big old female that
was toting cacoon full of eggs He
brought her into the Palace at Stag and
showed the boys a thing or two.
Ho got him IL long stick-for it does not
pay 10 be intimate with a tarantuIa-and
poked away that cacoon. The old girl
was full Of fight in minute. She fas..
tened four of her legs around that wad
and her eight little eyes got red mad
With her other four eyes she nudged up
that stick to close in with the Doc. He
had to poke lively. Well, that old girl
Fought the Doc ganely for an hour, till.
half her legs were gone. She never did
aim to quit those eggs till she was I'LL
mashed up. At last the Doc got the
cacoon away. At that all the fight went
out OF the big spider. She curled her
fegs around her, collapsed and fixed to
a1e or broken heart No tarant1lla is
going to die just because she has lost q
Few legs. She plucks up heart denis I'D
Ind grows some more. But when her lit
lie old eggs were snatched from her she
was ready to pass up the game right
there. +:
The Doc snaked the cacoon over to her
again, and she was all life in momont