The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-17
PoIsoNs FOR ARROWS
The ysrioas Queer Ways IN Which They
Were Obtained by Savage Peoples

AAc hHEA0AS &aCck " atS III W HUI AAHEg
Were Obtained by Savage Peoples.
ssThe use of poisoned arrows IS undoubt-
eddy of very ancient origin" said DIR. WI.
Hoffman. 'sThey are believed TO have been
employed in Europe in prehistoric times,
and later on, according TO Aristotle, Strabo
and Pliny, the Celts and Gauls enyenomed
their shafts with the juice Of a plant OF the
genus hellebore. The Scythians prepared
arrow poison BY mixing serpent venom
with the serum of putrid blood, and other
instances are recorded in literature of peo-
pies in the Black sea and in Asia Minor who
practiced similar arts.
1.-THE Alnos Of Japan prepare q poison
for spreading upon bamboo or metal arrow
points to kill game with, q small portion
of flesh about the wound being cut out be-
tAse the animal is cooked and eaten. Ia
Java, Borneo, New Guinea, and other of
the East India islands the same practice
obtains TO considerable extent. The poi
soning of arrows prevails extensively in
Africa, particularly on the west coast, in
the Gaboon, among the Somali, and with
the Bushmen BY the Bushmen the juiea
of plant is used, mixed with the pulp of
venomous worm.
1.-THE best known and most active of poi
sons is the woorara or 'urari' of South
America. 1t is chiefly used for the tips Of
darts blown from the blowguD, and the
most important ingredient is the juice of
the plant from which strychnine is OBJ
tanned, to which is added certain other
vegetable elements and serpent venom
In Central America poisons are also en-
ployed on arrows and blowgun darts. The
Caribs employed a poison made from the
sap of tree called the 'mancenilles.' The
antidote was the application to the wound
of what we know as 'arrowroot.'
'tThe Serbs of northwestern Mexico pre-
pared poison by putting into the ground
cows liver, rattlesnakes, scorpions, cent?
pedes and other unpleasant things and
beating them with a stick. Into the mix
lures the arrow points were dipped. The
Apaches and neighboring tribes were until
recently in the habit of smearing upon
their arrows a composition said to consist
OF decomposed deer's liver and rattlesnake
venom. In some instances crushed red
ants are also reported to have been used.
A microscopic examination of such coat
ing upon arrows obtained from Apaches n
1871 showed the presence of blood and =
crystalline substance that was apparently
rattlesnake venom The venom of serpents
retains its poisonous properties, when
dried, indefinitely One instance of poi
soning by such an arrow mentioned TO me
was that of a man whose wound was q
mere scratch on the shoulder blade, but
previous to death, which ensued, the flesh
of the mans back fell off, exposing the
ribs and spine in several places.
1.-THE Shoshone and Bannock Indians
state that the proper way TO poison arrows,
as formerly practiced by them, Is 10 secure
a deer and cause it to be bitten by a rattle
snake, Immediately after which the victim
is killed, and the meat removed and placed
in hole in the ground. When the mass
has become putrid the arrow points ara
dipped into it. The Clallams of Puget
Sound used to make arrow points of cop
per, which were afterward dipped in sea
water aud permitted to corrods. / have
never met an Indian who would admit the
use of poisoned arrows in warfare against
man. In nearly all instances when poi
sons are prepared by Indians the operation
Is performed with more or less ceremony,
chanting and incarnation for the purpose
Of invoking evil spirits or demons. In
their belief the effects of poison are due
wholly to the presence in them of malevo-
lent spirits or demons, which enter the
body of the victim and destroy hfe."-
Washington Star.