Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1914-06-27
A NIGHT or TERROR
Peculiar Experience With a Dead
" Mexican Tarantula.
PENNED IN A DARK BEDROOM.
The Trying Ordeal Through Which a
Woman Tourist Passed In a Hotel at
Vera cruz-Awsiting the Bite That
Meant Madness and Then Death.

woman ouribt PASSED IN q TlOket at
Vera crux--Awsiting the Bite That
Meant Madness and Then Death.
The tarantula is much larger in Mex
leo than in Italy. His four pairs Of
fuzzy legs, his speckled bullying belly.
his abnormally fat head. armed with
vicious nippers and equipped with eight
eyes arranged In transverse rows. suf-
fee to fill you with wholesome desire
to give him the right Of way without
ado
Owing to the fact that he has an I'M
welcome habit of leaving his own
realm in the tropical vines to make
sociabe little visitations to the cor
ners Of your bedroom it had always
been my custom to search every nook
and creyiee Of my sleeping room be-
fore retiring for the night. Twice had
/ seen native laborers. poems, in the
agony Of death due TO a tarantula bite
So it was not surprising that this
creeping thing headed my list Of the
many dangers to be stunned in Mex
leo
bad just reached Vera Cruz from
Mexico City. very tired, and decided to
seek my room early in the evening.
which, indeed, is the only safe and
proper thing for an unaccompauied
woman in Mexico to do That part Of
the diligencias In which my room was
located was evidently undergoing re-
pairs, for a pile of ti1pbers was includ-
cd in the furnishing Of my apartments
No particular reason occurred 70 me
why | should investigate this lumber
and. little realizing that it might shell
ter lurking danger, l flung my weary
head on the dirty pillow But as ! lay
quietly doing off to sleep | suddenly
might describe as a cross between
hum ana hiss.
As a precaution against the many
venomous things that creep and crawl
even in the well beaten paths Of Mex,
leo | had made a careful study Of the
arachnids. to which class the tarantu-
las belong. recognized that soft IN
ostentatious warning that announced a
roommate as undesirable as one could
well wish.
Cautiously I stretched out my hand
to see if by chance there we're some
matches on the little stand near my
bed. with the result that | knocked the
unlighted candle upon the floor. That
was enough for my mettlesome room
mate: he had been personally insulted
by the noise. and suddenly in the utter
darkness. that black stiffness which
one feels in strange room, l detected
a sickening odor, the warning of the
angry tarantula.
| strained my ears to detect the soft
characteristic click that the male the
deadliest Of the species. employs as q
fancy frill to his malicious song. My
blood chilled as / heard his mufiied
hum-click. hum-click, hum-apparent-
~ not three feet away held my
breath. incidentally my nose. and lay
wondering how long it would be ere
should feel his big fuzzy feet sneaking
up the side of my neck or before his
soft woolly body would light upon my
face II was not at all comforting TO
remember that one of tarantula's &c
centricites is TO ind his way TO a point
on the ceiling directly over the object
OF his anger and then to drop uncere
moniously upon his victim.
1t was the only time in my life when
longed for the bliss of ignorance.
Would 10 heaven had not studied this
hideous horror Of the tropics. But !
had Moreover, had seen the awful
effects Of his worse than fatal bite
whose work Of destruction was merci-
lessy long drawn out.
II the bite of n male tarantula infects
a large artery 1t throws the victim into
a dreadful state Of crazed nerves. The
incipent stages Of the poisoning are &C.
compauied by accenWated me!ancholia
followed 10y Il shattering Of the mental.
ity. On gradually absorbing the venom
the unfortunate subject reels and raves
in a mad whirl until he swoous from
pure exhaustion, The tarantela. the
graceful Italian dance SO often de
scribed in musical literature. derives It's
name from this hideous poisoning
All this and more darted through my
mind as lay there in the darkness
wondering II l. too. were doomed TO
die like a dervish As the night wore
on the huzzing grew less sedulous. /
lay motionless during the thousand
years till dawn, which came at last. a
divinely soft blue. shimmering shaft Of
light. which made things family Wis
ible. Cautiously drew myself up to
sitting posture and craned my neck in
searching survey about my chamber
OF horrors
There, in torture worse than mine.
hung my roommate. four Of his legs
pinioned beneath the timbers There
be sprawled. a manned but angry pris-
oner bis eight eyes winked me a mil
liant Good morning" and l forthwith
returned the compliment with the slen-
der shaft Of my hatpin.-New York
Sun.