Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-09

ten. Ordinarily few persons can speak
after fifteen minutes, and with the excep-
ton OF those few who recover all cases
prove fatal within half an hour.
That the whites of the southwest are be-
ginning to realize the terrible effects of
the elias poison is shown in the case of
a ranchman, who. while camping Ell route
home from Phoenix, stepped on ella be-
fore he put on his boots in the morning.
The reptile Immediately buried its teeth in
the ranchman's big toe, and chung there.
Shrieklng to his companions the ranch
man called for paper. and while friends
severed, the elias head he wrote down a
few last words to his loved ones at home
and gave instructions as to what should
be done with his property. A few minutes
later the man lost consciousness, and died
with his pencil still in his hand
Saved Her Life.
One case was called to our attention
which proves that among the Hualipis ex
lists a remedy for the ella bite Among the
Yumas was a squaw who was bitten by
one of the reptiles over thirty years ago.
This woman had lived for some years
among the Hualipis, and it is known that
at the time she was bitten she quickly made
some sort of a decoction which she drank.
Years after the army officers of that part
of the southwest We're Instructed to dis
cover what this remedy was, if possible
but then it was too late The effects of
tHe pulSOH Hdu turned the SQudW into q
semi-idiot, until now she does not remem-
Der what she did to counteract the poison.
She is now pointed out by the whites and
Indians as the only person in those regions
who ever survived a real bite of ella
monster. In all of the cases where the vic
TINS survived Prof. Wetherbee found thai
the bites had been slight ones, and the
creatures had not caught firm enough holds
to allow them to inject their venom.
For long time there has been great
mass of fiction about the fatal effects of
the breath of the ella monster and any
number of traditions among the Indians
and of old soldiers of the southwest con-
corning the blighting effects left by the
Crawling of the animal over any living plant
or animal Among the CocopahS of southern
California, where l had previously spent
some time, I found belief among the In
dams that the most fearful vengeance that
can come to the spirit bodies of bad In
dams after this life is to be bitten by a
red ella monster that roams unseen by NOR
tai eyes over the plains, waiting to snap
at the red-skinned savases inimical to the
great spirit chief. ~
~ What tt IS Like. ~ ., F.
The ella is about eighteen inches in
length and in girth about the size of a
boys arm. Its tail is one-t third the length
of the body and it has a snlottled skin in
reddish yellow and dark brown It's
mouth is similar in shape to that of an
alligator. and its little black eyes have
the sleepy appearance of those of the aIli-
gator family. 1t weighs from three to
four pounds. 1t has four stubby legs
shaped and placed like those of a lizard,
but 1t has none of the rapidity of that
animal, and instead of being found in
damp, cool spots. 1T frequents the hottest
sands and sunbaked soiloe Rattlesnakes
cannot remain in heat that the Gila en-
Joys. and it is doubtful if even a sala-
mander could stand daily temperature
fnT n OJtpc truyl, iol, ut;
grows fat on during midsummer weeks
The stories which have been generally
believed that. elias viii pursue human
beings, and that they will crawl into
houses in search of victims, have been
dlsproved The ella is a stupid creature,
and 1T will not wantonIys' attack The
great danger lies in stepping on the rep
tiles, whose skins are much the color of
desert sand and sunbaked earth. In these
places the ella will f1atten itself out and
go to sleep. When stepped on it catches
viciously onto the human foot and it's
teeth penetrate the toughest boots
These teeth are in double rows, thick
and very sharp They belong to the
bulldog of reptiles" for anything once
caught between them is held as if in a
steel trap. The Indians have a saving
that ella will not release a piece of
flesh between its jaws until the big spirit
causes thunder, even if it takes all
summer In one instance where Prof
Wetherbee allowed a ella to bite an IN
dian dog the reptile maintained its hold
for thirty-six hours after the animals
death 1t is known by both whites and
Indians that 1t is useless to attempt to
force ella to release its hold, for that
only increases the wound, and the reptile
IN rage, manufactures fresh venom in
the poison sacs which are in the roof of
its mouth. The chief results of the Ari-
iona experiments are to show that no
poison antidotes now known can avert
the fatal effects of a elias bite, except
IN instances where the bite is not much
more than scratch, when large uuantf-
ties OF whisky taken internally seem to
be good. Next summer Prof Wetherbee
VIII go among the Hualipis and will try
70 win py fa1r means or foul their won
derful secret.