Terror Of Peons

Terror Of Peons
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How the Strangler Snake of Mexico Slays Its Victims.
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Death of Three Indians In a Mining Camp Ascribed to This Monster--Choked In Their Sleep.
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     Winding its body about its horror stricken victim's neck and then drawing up its coils with the deadly effect of the garrote, the strangler of Mexico is believed to kill seemingly with the pleasure of a demon. Once within its folds there is no escape, for the monster serpent never relaxes its folds until the object of its grasp ceases to struggle.

     George Godin, superintendent of the International Mining and Milling company's Whetstone camp of Sonora, Mexico, says that in all his travels he has never encountered any superstition which is the cause of such absolute maddening terror as that created by the strangler among the minded Mexican Indians of north Sonora.

"This dread being is a huge yellow and black snake, which is supposed to choke its victim to death and is thought by the Cholos, inhabiting that section of Mexico, to possess an intelligence diabolical in its malevolent cunning and on the plane of that of human beings. It is also supposed to be inspired by the evil one, and its visitation is accredited to the occasion of vengeance for some slight to his Satanic Majesty.

"Of course no one takes any stock in the myth, not even the native Mexicans. But many of the Indians in the pinacate region believe in it.

"The alleged murderous serpent is a huge constrictor, reaching as great a length as from thirteen to sixteen feet and very fact about the body. It is colored in great blotches of yellow and black like the bull snake. It kills its prey by crushing it to death, then covering the victim with saliva and slowly swallowing it. Mexican stockmen call it the 'calf killer,' for it destroys young stock by winding about the throat or body and crushing it in merciless embrace.

"About a year ago two Mexican Indians who worked in the mine were found dead in the bunk house. They had been choked to death, and their faces bore a frightful picture of agony.

"The bunk houses at Whetstone camp are about 100 yards from the mess hall. The Mexicans were gathered in front of these and were greatly excited. The crowd parted as I approached. Going into the dim light of the adobe building, for it was yet early dawn, I found the two murdered men lying upon their bunks. Their faces were horribly swollen and congested with blood, the mouths were open and gaping in agony, and the staring eyeballs seemed to pop from the head. The whole countenance was congealed in livid terror, as if the unfortunate men had seen the impending doom which they were powerless to avert. The elbows were crooked back toward the face, and the hands were clutched as if attempting to pull away the murderous death grip. Around the neck was a great black welt, where the contused blood showed plainly on the dark skin.

"After much questioning I learned that the Mexicans did not believe that the murder had been committed by one of their number and that they ascribed the deed to the strangler.

"A short time after this another Mexican Indian was found dead in his bunk under circumstances similar to those attending the murder of the first two men. There were the same frightful distortion, the same extreme horror and anguish on the countenance, the same rigid, fixed, but impotent clutching of the dead hands as if to repel the murderer's grip."