Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1911-01-28
FRED SPOT" is DEADLY
TINY SPIDER is MORE DANGER
Gus THAN COBRA.
6 Found Lurking In WoodpIes and
Its Poison Is Said to Be the Most
Vlrulent and Powerful Secreted by
Any Living Creature.

The poison of cobras and copper.
heads is known to be deadly enough
to fill the popular mind with horror,
though the horror is somewhat mitk
gated by the remoteness of the dan
ger from the common walks of life.
But now we are given to understand
that this danger is mere moonshlne in
comparison with a greater one that
may be said to find a place in every
home.
$50 far as is known, it's poison is
the most virulent and powerful, drop
for drop, secreted by any living crea'
ture." This is the language of a liv-
ing naturalist, Mr.. Samuel Hopkins
Adams, who is speaking of common
domestic spider found all over the
United States, lurking around every
woodpile and clubhouse. 1t varies In
size from that of large pea to a max
imum of half an inch in length, black
In it's body. bearing ever a red spot
upon its back, a most useful danger
signal.
Cobra virus. In the minute quantity
which the Latrodectus' glands con
tain," remarks the same writer
would probably have no appreciablt
effect upon man, whereas the tiny spi
der's venom, in the volume injected by
the cobra's stroke, would Stay hero
of elephants. Happily, the rec
spots fangs being small and weak
can with difficulty penetrate the skin
and are able to inject venom in dan
gerous quantity only when the bite IL
Inflicted upon some tender-sknned por
ton of the body. Nevertheless fatal
ties consequent upon the bite of this
insect sufficiently well attested t.
take rank as established scientific
facts"
On a farm near Greensboro, N. G.
30 Mr.. Adams tells us, negro, II
hauling fireVood, brushed at something
crawling upon his neck and felt I
sharp, singing sensation. 1t was Thu
black spider with the red spot. Thii
was at $3.50 a. M, and before IL a
night the man was dead. There wa
40 swelling and no visible puncture
only small white pimples appeared
about the bitten spot. The smartinl
soon passed, but in three hours violen
cramps were experienced. At on
o'clock the man had spasms, but tw'
hours later he returned to his work
aboring for an hour. Then there wa
another spasm, followed by state o
. coma, which lasted till death ensued
One singular feature was that the LEI
! arm, left breast and the neck az
peared to turn to stone, they were s
hard.
Cases have been infinitely observe
and reported by DR.. Corson of Savar
nah, Ca, DR.. Bickford and Mr.. Ball c
! California. The last of these de
scribes his own experience in convu
sions, following quickly upon the bit
Of the red spot" saying; THE pain
n my hip joints, chest and thigh
grew rapidly more violent, until
seemed that the bones in these part
If my body were being crushed t
fragments" His illness lasted te
lays, but he recovered.
Here we have a peril much create
, han from rattlers and puff adders-
, menace to public safety, now guarde
against by all intelligent nation
where it exists, save only our OWL
y Let every woodchopper and ever
, housewife take warning.
All other American spiders, the al
.horities declare, constitute only
rifling hazard and need not be ser
ously considered; but beware of tn
black body bearing the red spot"
Cases of poisoning by this creatur
are by no means rare. The compar'
i've immunity thus far enjoyed by tn
public is probably due to the fact ths
i spiders, as a rule, never attack huma
beings unless molested, and then a
ways in self-defense.