The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-05-29
INDIAN ARROW POISONS
RATTLEsNAKn VENOM IS THEIR
UNIVERSAL BASE.
The Pluto Tests Its Efficacy on Him.
self, While the ungaiiant Apache
Tries it ON His Squaw.


The Pluto Tests Its Efficacy on Him.
self, While the Ungaliant Apache
Tries IL ON His Squaw.
'The rattlesnake venom that is the
base OF both the Apache and the Piute
arrow poisoning" says Oliver ii, Patton,
who was for many years ranchman on
the Southwestern plains, sis provided
by that most hideous and deadly of its
kind, the bloating rattlesnake of the
Staked Plains. 1t is so hideous, and its
death-dealing qualities so sure, that it is
a terror even to an Apache Indian, and if
there is one thing that is worse than a
rattlesnake in the opinion Of plainsmen
and settlers it is an Apache Indian. The
Piutes, although more cowardly gang
than the Apaches, hold this rattlesnake
in less horror, but they give it plenty of
room. The Piutes draw on the snake for
their poison after the reptile is dead. The
Apaches, in spite of their fear of the
snake, make it contribute its venom to
them while it is alive.
"The rattlesnake of the Staked Plain
| SloWs w - Vi ola iCtt, uuu utlsiius
girth Of ten inches at the thickest part
They have tremendous sets Of rattles. |
saw one once that was over five feet long
and had twenty-three rattles in it, and l
heard of snake being killed that had a
string of twenty-seven rattles. The head
of the StaSed Plains rattler is an enor-
nous triangular thing, often five inches
long from the thin neck to the blunt
nose, and three inches wide, measuring
from base to base Of the jawbone. This
snake has fangs an inch long, and is fire.
quently fitted with two sets. The poison
sacs at the base of these fangs are as big
as hazel nut. The snake is bright
yellow in color, and is distinguished by
much the same markings that character
ize the rattlesnake of this State and
Pennsylvania. The Staked Plains rattle
snake is a dreadful enough customer any
day in the year, but during August takes
on the fulness of its frightfulness, both
in appearance and in conduct. About
the middle of August, when the weather
is insufferably hot, this snake becomes
bloated from some cause until it is third
larger than its normal size Its appear
ance is as if the snake had been blown up
like bladder, or charged with gas like
balloon. This rattler is always sluggish
and slow in its movements, and, like all
of its kind, usually makes an effort to get
out of the way of intruders, but in
August it simply lies still in bloated re.
pulsiveness, and it will not move for
anything, being ready at all times to
strike at everything that comes near it.
As near as you can get at it, this rattle
snake at this time of the year is simply
swollen reservoir of venom, and its bite
will then send even an Apache Indian to
the happy hunting grounds, and quickly
at that
ga Pluto Indian who wants to lay in a
stock of poison for his arrows kills, at
this time of year, enough of these rattle
snakes for his purpose. He cuts off Their
heads and takes them to his lodge. He
| places in one of the rude earthen vessels
that are among the Pluto household eff
fects ten or a dozen Of these snake heads.
To them he adds perhaps pint of taran-
tula killers, as the big Texan OF Mexican
wasp is called, or, rather, he puts the alb
domen of the wssn in with the snake
heads This WASH has \ stinn that iniects
a nelson snbtlc cnonoh almost instantly
to kin tarantulo. which is itself about
| as poisonous member of the animal
kingdom as one would care to meet with.
The nelson of the tarontula killer is in
+be lower abdomen of the insect ami i,
i this the p;ute braye mixes with his
rattlesnake heads He then nours in n
mint of water. seals the lid of the vessel
ON with moist CLAW and places the vessel
in \ nit where he has made bed of red
hot GOALS and besides that. builds n
b,azino fire m ton of it. THIS fire is kent
burning fiarca,v for severa, hours when
| it is swept away and the Indian digs his
vessel ont If the GOALS With a lono
mole he knocks the lid off, and does not
venture near the not until the steam that
arises from it as soon as the lid is taken
off entirely ceases to appear. The
pintes sav that IN inba,e the smalles.
Quantity of that steam would he instant
| death Whether that is true or not am
not able to saw, as never saw it put to
the test. After the fiery ordeal to which
the snake heads are mt is over n brown.
;s,, roS;duum remains in tbe bottom of
the kettle That is certainly the double
onintessence of noison If its action IN
human blood or at least Indian blood
is apv Indication The Piute always tests
this noison before trusting his arrows to
if He cuts oash in the f,eshy mart of
his leo and draws the blood which he
lets tr;ekle down his Iey When the red
stream has RIM down six or seven inches
bc d;ns stick in the noison and touches
Il 70 tbo lorer and of foo bloody streal
IF tbe no;son ;s ali r;oht i .ctuailv bnrns
tbe hlaod almost like hot iron Touched
70 VOC, M It'll, rnns ~, ,ha +r;oL
Inc stra,m The indian has HE kn;fo
,aaa,, al s,.onas ~ no;sorea h,ood Al
~ re, If !, al w. ~ p ~ ,oaoS +ha
wound i won,5 10 a., IN Win tas p;nte
Tbe arrows are d;nne5 ;rto tb;s no;son
and tha L. faa p that wbatayar sncb