Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-05-10
dian girl so. and they have tried hard

Then there was the case of Walter
Vale, one of the wealthiest and best
known cattlemen in Arizona. He saw
a big Gila monster when he was out
on horseback. and thought he would
capture it as a present for a friend.
He beat it over the head until he
thought he had killed it, and then
strapped it on behind his saddle. But
these reptiles are as hard to kill as a
cat They have a queer habit of COM
ing to life again after you are perfect
ly sure you have killed them. That is
what this one did. BY the time Vale
got home he had forgotten all about
the Gila behind his saddle. He put
his hand back to dismount. and the
things Jaws closed down on his fore
finger. He called to some men, and
they ran to him and tried to pry the
monsters jaws open, but they couldn't
make it let go, and finally they had
to cut its head off and pry it's mouth
open with iron spikes.
THE first thing Mr.. Vale did, even
before he got his finger loose. was to
send one of his men on a fresh horse
to Pantano. the nearest railroad town,
80 miles away, to telegraph to Tucson
for physician to come on a special
engine to Pantano, where he himself
would meet him. Then he bound his
wrist and finger with leather thongs
and with his penknife cut the flesh
lrDnn1 pv ir,nn
horse had been saddled for him and
he leaped upon it's back and darted
off on that terrible 30-mile ride for his
life. He rode the whole distance at a
break-neck gallop, suffering much all
the time from the tightly tied thongs.
He had not gone more than half the
distance when the poison began to
make itself felt. Darting pains shot
all through his body. He felt sore and
weary, and the pains in his back soon
became eXcruciating. But he finally
reached Pantano. and the doctor was
only a few minutes later. His first
question was: Have you taken any
whiskey? and when Vale said he had
not the doctor assured him he would
pull him through. For all physicians
and the best-informed people in that
region believe that whiskey or any
alcoholic drink aggravates the Gila
monsters poison. Vale soon became
delirious, but the doctor pulled him
through. But from all that can hear
no man could suffer more than he did
for several weeks. He has had weak
back ever since, so that he cannot ride
horseback about his ranch
Nov, tarantula makes bad sore,
but it doesn't kill man. l have got
awake frequently in the morning
while camping out and found taran-
tulas curled up on the edge of my
blanket. They do that to keep warm,
but if you are careful about disturb
ing them they won't bite you.
THE horrible reptile called the vina-
groom by the MeXicans. and meaning
smelling like vinegar ranks next to
the Gila monster in vicious and poi
sonous characteristics. The vina-
groom (thelepholus excubiter) is
found in the Organ mountains. There
is nothing like it but itself. It is a
kind of compound of scorpion, lobster
and three or four kindred animals. 1t
is four or five inches long. with long,
stout claws. and is of mottled-brown
color.
"Talking about strange features of
animal life. we have on the Mojave
desert a turtle that eats grass. 1t
lives in holes in the sand. which it
makes to escape the intense heat of
the sun. You may take a stick and
get them out. They are the Nero
bates Agassizli, just lately named for
the great naturalist, a very pretty
turtle, that gets on good feeding to be
about 10 inches long and to weigh six
to eight pounds. A woman down on
the desert last summer. where / was,
had eight or 10 of them in an open
pen, which she was fattening to eat.
They eat grass like horses. When
these turtles get fat. as they quickly
do on the grass, they beat all the
roast turkeys you ever ate. An ordi-
nary one of these turtles is worth
SO to s4."